Hot chocolate bombs are exploding on TikTok: What is 2020's latest viral food trend?
2020 has been full of changes, but one thing remains constant: TikTok is the place for new and exciting food trends.
And now, there's another cooking craze taking the internet by storm: hot cocoa bombs.
Following in the footsteps of dalgona coffee, pancake cereal, cloud bread and other dishes that have gone viral this year, the hot cocoa bomb first exploded in popularity on TikTok. As of Friday, more than 28.5 million videos on the app have been tagged with #hotchocolatebombs, and more than 13.2 million have been tagged with #hotcocoabombs.
But what are they?
Perfect for fall and winter weather, the hot cocoa bomb is basically a hollow chocolate ball filled with marshmallows and hot cocoa mix. The neat treat turns any mug of hot milk into a steaming mug of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows, in a matter of seconds.
In internet videos, users drop hot chocolate bombs into cups of hot milk and watch as the candy spheres melt, releasing the cocoa mix and marshmallows. Thus, a very ordinary cup of milk is turned into a very quick cup of hot cocoa.
Basically, it's a bath bomb you can eat.
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Recipes vary slightly but aren't complicated. According to user @honeybobear's video, start by melting chocolate in the microwave, and then spread the melted chocolate into a baking mold. Once the molds are filled, refrigerate until the chocolate is solid. Then, fill the bottom half of your chocolate molds with hot cocoa powder and top off with marshmallows.
Lastly, melt the edges of the top half of your molds and attach them to the bottom half molds. Refrigerate again to seal your hot cocoa bombs.
People have also put their own spins on the trend, with some making them heart-shaped and others making them into spooky shapes for Halloween.
But if this feels as if it's too much work, never fear. Hot cocoa bombs have been spotted by social media users on sale at Costco. There are also a variety of brands available on Amazon and plenty of sellers on Etsy.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hot cocoa bombs: Everything to know about 2020's latest food craze