By Jackie Varriano / The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — Every Friday night Roxie Star finishes up work and heads to her downstairs kitchen to play. In front of a sleek white and gray tiled kitchen background, Star creates YouTube videos filled with a rainbow of colors and kawaii-style (cute) treats ― Fruity Pebbles hot-cocoa bombs, koala-shaped cupcakes and cakes, intricately frosted on the outside and bursting with orbs of color on the inside.
Since the pandemic started, hot-cocoa bombs have captured her creative energy — hollow globes of chocolate filled with cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Place the bomb into a mug of steaming milk and the chocolate melts away, the marshmallows bobbing to the top. For Star, these cute chocolate treats were a way to connect with her nieces and nephews.
“My nieces and nephews really love them,” she said. “It’s a great way to connect with these little people and find excitement within them.”
Star’s version of hot-cocoa bombs are almost too cute to melt. They’re shaped like baby blue seals, chubby Pusheen cats, and heart-shaped geodesics with Hello Kitty bows.
“I love color and expression and I’ve always been really interested in design,” she said. “It has nothing to do with my day job (at Microsoft) but it’s an extension of myself.”
Star patiently gives her 2,600 subscribers on YouTube and 19,000 followers on Instagram tutorials, brushing melted chocolate into silicone molds or frosting a rainbow cake with practiced ease, but she’s only been baking since 2017.
“I really couldn’t cook. I couldn’t bake. I didn’t really see the excitement in it,” Star said during a recent phone call. It wasn’t until she baked a pie from scratch that she saw the satisfaction of seeing a project through from start to finish.
When she first started searching for something to throw herself into outside of work, she spent hours online watching videos and hours at the library reading patisserie books, posting her results on Instagram.
“I found support in the community (there). I remember getting five likes for the first time and that was just as exciting as getting 5,000 likes. It feels like people are supporting my journey as a self-taught baker,” Star said.
While cakes are her favorite, she’s been having a blast with hot-cocoa bombs, a project she called “easy and approachable.”
She’s found half-sphere molds locally at a dollar store, but says they can also be found online, at craft stores or at the Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. in Maple Leaf. After candy melts are poured into the molds, the bombs can be filled with a scoop of your favorite cocoa mix plus everything from marshmallows and edible glitter to sprinkles and mini chocolate chips.
“I have been so excited about finding different marshmallows,” Star said. “It’s just a delight.”
The project is scalable — once the ingredients are amassed it’s easy to make one, two or even a dozen bombs.
“It’s not too time consuming and the outcome is just so fun — especially if you’re surprising someone,” Star said.
Winnie the Pooh hot-cocoa bombs
“Hot-chocolate bombs are chocolate spheres that are filled with anything from cocoa mix, marshmallows, candy, cookies, sprinkles, edible glitter and more,” Roxie Star says. “These are cocoa bombs designed to look like one of my favorite characters — Winnie the Pooh. They open up when introduced to a hot beverage, like milk and coffee, which can be a delightful surprise.”
To make these, you need:
• Silicone half-sphere mold
• Plastic spoon or pastry brush
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Piping bags or zip-close bags
6 to 12 ounces red candy melts
6 to 12 ounces yellow candy melts
3 ounces black candy melts
Hot-cocoa mix
Marshmallows
Edible glitter (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
Place candy melts in heatproof, microwave-safe bowls. Microwave each at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval. This takes about 1½ to 2 minutes depending on your microwave.
Fill 3 silicone molds with about 1 tablespoon of red candy each. Fill the other 3 with yellow for Winnie the Pooh’s face. Use the back of a plastic spoon to spread around the chocolate or melt until it’s completely coated.
Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes. With the leftover yellow candy, pipe small circles on a piece of parchment for the ears and set aside.
Spread a second coat of chocolate or melted candy between all of the wells. It’s best to make the rims thicker. Refrigerate 10 to 30 minutes or until it’s firm to the touch.
Release the half-spheres by pulling around the mold edges to help release the chocolate. Then press your finger in the center of the half-sphere and carefully push out.
Clean up the bottom hot-cocoa bomb half by microwaving a plate for 2 to 4 minutes and then hold it near the hot-cocoa bomb half to gently melt and shape it.
Melt black candy and place in piping bag. Then pipe Pooh’s face on the yellow half-sphere hot-cocoa bombs.
Fill the red half-sphere with hot-chocolate mix, marshmallows, sprinkles and edible sprinkles. Now gently melt the yellow half-sphere (the one that has a face) using the warmed plate and place it atop the filled hot-cocoa bomb half to close.
Now melt the ears using the warmed plate and attach to the yellow sphere. Allow everything to set.
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