About Bomb Confections

Chocolate was never supposed to misbehave this well.

Bomb Confections wasn’t born from a business plan. It started with a TikTok, a set of cocoa bomb molds, and my youngest daughter asking, “Do you think we could make these?” Turns out, we could. Really, really well.

1,500cocoa bombs sold

6 weeksfrom “just for giggles” to “well, crap…”

The beginning

It started with Christmas gifts.

I’ve made confections for family as holiday gifts for most of my adult life, so chocolate wasn’t new territory for me.

Then COVID happened, cocoa bombs took over TikTok, and my youngest daughter brought me one of the videos. She wanted to know if we could make them for her friends for Christmas.

I already had my base chocolate recipe. All we really needed were the molds. So we ordered them and started making cocoa bombs. Her friends loved them.

At the time, I owned another business, so naturally I made some for my vendors too. Except this was me, so I couldn’t just give them regular cocoa bombs. I tucked miniature bottles of booze inside and built them into adult gift baskets.

The grown-up chocolate problem had officially begun.

Early Bomb Confections cocoa bombs packaged in holiday tins

Yep. That was the original logo. We all have a past.

Then it got serious

Mostly for giggles, I put them on Etsy.

People had tried plenty of cocoa bombs by then, and I kept hearing the same thing: “Yours are better.” So I came up with a name, bought the domain, got my cottage food licensing in place, and decided to see what would happen.

Six weeks and 1,500 cocoa bombs later — including a surprising number of corporate orders — I had my answer.

Well, crap. Maybe I could actually do this.

Sandi of Bomb Confections working with chocolate molds in her kitchen

Buffalo Trace bourbon and ingredients set up in the Bomb Confections kitchen

Finding the point of view

First there was wine. Then there was bourbon.

I grew up in Washington wine country and loved wine — the tasting, the different varietals, and the way every bottle could have its own personality.

Then I developed an allergic reaction to wine and most fruits. One of my best friends showed up during a visit with a bottle of Blanton’s and a few other bourbons, and we did a tasting.

I loved that bourbon could be explored the same way. Every bottle was different. Different aromas. Different finishes. Different flavor profiles.

And my brain immediately went where it usually goes:

Hmmm… what could I do with this?

Learning the science

Then I learned why it works.

I knew I wanted Bomb to have the same grown-up personality as those original boozy gift baskets. But I also wanted to understand the craft — not just throw alcohol into chocolate and hope for the best.

Alpha Coffee and Callebaut chocolate set up for espresso ganache development — Espresso ganache development — one of the two recipes that started everything.

Handwritten Bomb Confections bonbon recipe testing notes with sample chocolates — Recipe day: notes, test batches and the very glamorous reality of taste testing.

Bourbon measured beside dark chocolate ganache being blended — The important part: making the bourbon taste like it belongs there.

I booked a private three-hour class with a local pastry and dessert chef who taught me the science behind ganache and the fundamentals of making bonbons. During that class, we developed two recipes together: espresso ganache and bourbon ganache.

Then I went home and spent the next couple of weeks obsessing over them. I worked with Alpha Coffee Double Barrel Black for the espresso ganache and Buffalo Trace for the bourbon ganache. I adjusted, tested, tasted, changed things and tested again.

Once those two recipes worked exactly the way I wanted, they became the foundation that let me start playing.

Four Branches Bourbon with Bomb Confections collaboration chocolates

The bottle matters

Bourbon isn’t just “bourbon flavor.”

One of the things I’ve come to love most is discovering how much the spirit itself changes the chocolate. Every bottle brings something different.

Change the bourbon and you can change the entire personality of the chocolate.

I’ve been grateful for opportunities to experiment through collaborations with different bourbons. Four Branches Bourbon, for example, brings a beautiful forward cherry note through the ganache.

Same basic idea. Completely different chocolate.

That’s the kind of thing that still makes me geek out a little.

That’s when Bomb became Bomb

Once the base recipes were right, I let the creative side loose.

If bourbon worked in ganache, what else could I do with it? What about toffee? Marshmallows? Chocolate bars? What if I took an entire cocktail and turned that into a bonbon?

Old Fashioneds. Espresso Martinis. White Russians. Piña Coladas. Mint Juleps. Bourbon s’mores. Cocktail-inspired bonbons. Espresso-loaded chocolate.

Sometimes the idea comes from me. Sometimes a friend tells me their favorite cocktail. Sometimes someone asks, “Do you think you could make…?”

My answer is very often: Hmmm…

Sandi unmolding handcrafted chocolate bars in the Bomb Confections kitchen

Sandi torching a bourbon s'more at a Bomb Confections event

Hi, I’m Sandi.

Still small. Still made by me.

Today, I’m the owner, chocolate maker, recipe developer, box packer, website tinkerer and person responsible for every slightly questionable decision involving bourbon and chocolate at Bomb Confections.

When you order from Bomb, there isn’t a production line somewhere making your chocolate.

I am.

I’m making it, packing it, testing recipes, answering emails, photographing products and probably drinking an espresso while doing at least three of those things.

Bomb has changed a lot since those first 1,500 cocoa bombs. What hasn’t changed is the experimenting. I’m still learning, still tweaking recipes, still trying different spirits, and still wondering what would happen if I put that into chocolate.

Luxury chocolate with a splash of attitude.

— Sandi

And yes, there is a Bomb Confections “candy ride.” Some things require commitment.

Ready to see what all that experimenting turned into?

Explore cocktail-inspired chocolate, bourbon favorites, espresso-loaded treats and a few classics that learned some bad habits.