I tried making TikTok's viral hot cocoa bomb, and the satisfying chocolatey 'explosion' I expected was a total flop

Things didn't go according to plan.Rachel Askinsi/Insider

• I tried making the hot cocoa bombs that went viral on TikTok.
• The spheres consist of a hard chocolate shell with cocoa mix and marshmallows inside.
• Making them wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated, but mine weren't as successful as the others I've seen on TikTok.

Hot cocoa bombs are the latest food trend taking over TikTok, and for good reason — the chocolatey "explosions" when you pour hot milk over the balls are ultra-satisfying to watch. One TikToker, Stephanie Eva Ann Kelly (who goes by @stephanieevaann on the app), shared a video demonstrating the satisfying way these spheres explode with marshmallows. The video had 3.4 million views at the time of writing.

Home cooks began sharing their own recipes for homemade, bursting cocoa balls, which was great news for those who couldn't find the ready-made hot cocoa bombs at their local Costco. I decided to channel my inner chocolatier — my credentials include 25 years of experience consuming chocolate — and get busy in the kitchen to try them out.

All of my chocolate-making peers on TikTok seemed to create these beautiful confections that blossomed gracefully in mugs, but I didn't get so lucky with mine.

I had a few hiccups along the way, and the finished product was more of a melty sphere than a Jet-Puffed explosion.

Here's what happened when I tried to tackle this viral food trend in my own kitchen.