Boozy Hot Chocolate Bombs
from https://hungryhappenings.com/
You can make your hot chocolate bombs with alcohol by filling them with chocolate ganache blended with your favorite liquor. Add tiny marshmallows and your chocolate bombs are ready to make a delicious boozy hot chocolate or coffee. [I've also seen recipes that mix hot chocolate mix with a shot of liquor and fill the bombs with this.]
You want to make the chocolate shells before you make your ganache. See this recipe for How to Make Chocolate Bombs.
Basic Chocolate Ganache Recipe
Enough to fill 9 hot chocolate bombs using 2.2-inch molds. (For the recipe above which makes 6 2-inch bombs, cut the ganache recipe back by 1/3.
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (or use callets)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-4 tablespoons liquor
Pour the finely chopped chocolate into a large shallow bowl.
Heat the heavy whipping cream over medium heat on your stove, just until bubbles begin to form.
Immediately pour the hot cream over your chocolate, making sure it covers all of the chocolate. Let the chocolate and cream sit, undisturbed for about 3 minutes to allow the chocolate to begin to melt.
Then begin stirring the chocolate in small circles in the center of the bowl. As the chocolate and cream start to come together (the color will begin to darken) you can begin to make your circle bigger. Continue stirring until the cream and chocolate come together then widen the circle again and continue until the entire bowl of cream comes together. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Then quit stirring as soon as the chocolate and cream come together to create a silky smooth ganache.
Stir 2-4 tablespoons of your chosen alcohol into the ganache. See below.
Note that the more alcohol you add, the stronger the flavor and the thinner the final ganache will be. Because you are going to be filling hot chocolate bombs with the boozy ganache it's alright if it is thick or thin. Chocolate ganache thickens as it cools and it's much easier to fill the chocolate shells with ganache that hasn't thickened too much.
The liquor will not only flavor the chocolate ganache but will also inhibit mold growth. The shelf life of plain chocolate ganache is usually 10-14 days, but by adding alcohol, you can increase the shelf life to 3 weeks, if the ganache is stored at room temperature.
You do need to allow it to cool slightly though. You do not want to pour hot chocolate ganache into a chocolate shell as it can melt the chocolate. Pipe or pour the chocolate ganache into one half of a chocolate sphere filling it to about 1/8-inch from the rim. If desired, sprinkle some dehydrated or mini marshmallows over top.
Boozy Hot Chocolate Bomb Flavor Ideas:
There are many more flavors to choose from. Just choose your favorite liquor to make your boozy hot chocolate bombs.
- Bailey's Irish Cream - This liquor has a very mild flavor, so I would suggest adding the full 4 tablespoons to the ganache.
- Amaretto - I used Amaretto to flavor the hot chocolate bombs that I made in the video. I added 3 tablespoons of Amaretto and found the flavor to be very robust.
- Chambord - This raspberry liquor is one of my favorite boozy additions to chocolate ganache.
- Kirsch - This cherry-flavored liquor has a nice mild cherry flavor. I've never made chocolate ganache using cherry puree, but I bet it would taste amazing.
- Rum - Chocolate and rum are a classic combination and you can find flavored Rum. I personally love making milk chocolate ganache using Banana Rum and dark chocolate ganache using Coconut Rum.
- Kahlúa - This is another mild-tasting liquor that tastes delicious with chocolate. You can even make your chocolate ganache using coffee or you can serve a Kahlúa hot chocolate bomb in a cup of coffee instead of in hot milk.
- Peppermint Schnapps - Flavor your chocolate ganache with Peppermint Schnapps for Christmas or any day you want a refreshing minty flavored hot chocolate.
- Creme de Menthe - This green-colored liquor would be fun to stir into white chocolate ganache to give your Christmas or St. Patrick's Day hot chocolate bombs a fun color and minty flavor.
Sealing the hot chocolate bombs.
Heat a skillet on low heat for 20 to 30 seconds (just long enough to warm up the pan) or heat a plate in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (use a towel or a potholder to remove the hot plate).
Pick up one of the empty chocolates and hold it with the open side down. Set it in the warm pan, and allow it to melt slightly.
Lift the chocolate sphere out of the pan then set it over one of the filled chocolates, pressing the two halves together gently to seal them together.
