For the long cold winters here in the Rockies, we rely heavily on hot chocolate to get us through. But, as delicious as a standard mug is, sometimes it's fun to mix it up a bit! One great way to find new variations is to look at how other countries enjoy this amazing drink.

Supplies

This supply list may seem a little long for something so simple, but you probably already have most if not all the things you will need for this. You will need:
Bomb mould(if you don't have one, they are easy to find online)
Chocolate for melting (milk chocolate and white)
Your favorite hot coco powder(homemade or store bought)
Powdered coffee creamer
Corn syrup
Food coloring
Powdered Spices(cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, paprika, white pepper)
Maple syrup
Orange zest
Flavor extracts(optional, only if you prefer them to actual spices for a smoother texture
Kitchen knife
Rolling pin
Flavor extracts

Step 1: Make Modeling Chocolate

Don't be discouraged if you have never made this before, it's way easy. The recipe I use is 4 parts chocolate to one part corn syrup by volume, and it's pretty forgiving if your measurements are not exact.
First, melt about1 cup of chocolate, (use white chocolate since we are going to be adding colors to it) either over a double boiler or in small increments in a microwave. Once it's melted and free of lumps, slowly stir in the corn syrup(1\4 cup). Once it starts to bind up, you can pick it up and knead it by hand if you like. When you have a smooth consistency, you're done!
I told you it was easy. Now, what's cool about this, is that now you can add colors and flavors without ruining the chocolate. It will also harden in whatever shape you leave it in and it easily softens in your hands if you need to rework it. And this recipe works great with melting chips, which are technically not chocolate.

Step 2: Make the Flags

Obviously, you don't have to make flags, I just thought this was a fun way to help distinguish the flavors. But if you have another idea, feel free try it, and share it!
Start by kneading the modeling chocolate, or candy clay as it is sometimes called, until it is soft and smooth, but not goopy(if you knead it too long, just set it aside to cool a bit). Divide the chocolate into 5 balls for the 5 colors we will be using, varying sizes based on how much of each color you will need. The colors used here are red, green, orange, blue, and brown; you can use the picture for reference if you want.
Knead the food coloring in, a little at a time until it's the shade you want and roll the chocolate out. You will want to do this slowly, lifting the chocolate often since it will have a tendency to stick to the table. Once you have rolled out to about 1\8th if an inch, begin cutting out your flag shapes. I've included the flags that I copied; each was simply cut out by hand using objects I had in the kitchen for straight edges or just cut freehand(that's why the maple leaf and eagle look so dumb). Most of the shapes, however, are just rectangles, so it's pretty easy and this is a step that is great for having kids help with- rolling is easy and they love squishing the chocolate to soften it up! The countries they represent are Morocco, Mexico, Canada, Hungary, and India.

Step 3: Make the Bombs

Once you have the pieces cut out arrange them in the moulds, making sure they are facing out so they will be correct when you take them out. Melt some chocolate to pour into the mould, for mine, it takes about 1 1\2 Tbsp per bomb, but you may need to adjust that if yours are bigger or smaller. Pour the melted chocolate over the flag pieces to hold them in place and carefully brush or swirl the chocolate to get even coverage without disturbing the flag. Allow the chocolate to cool completely before removing it or you may end up wasting your efforts.
Note: for the Canadian and Indian, I used white chocolate, but milk chocolate for the rest. If you prefer, you can switch it up.

Step 4: Fill the Bombs

Most Coco bomb moulds make hemispheres that you stick together by heating one of them up and sticking them together. If that's the kind you have, that's fine, but I prefer hemispheres that snap together to make one solid piece with a small hole in it, as shown in the pictures, because with the typical style, you can only get it half full, which usually means you have to add extra coco powder to get it to taste good. But with this mould, you can get the bomb completely full for maximum flavor!
Filling the halves is easier, because you just scoop it in, but with my mould you will need a funnel (a rolled paper or stiff piping bag work fine). My bombs hold about 3Tbs, but yours might be bigger or smaller, so I will give everything in ratios by volume so that you can easily adjust as needed.
Also, please forgive me if these recipes are lacking, I know nothing quite compares to the real thing, and I haven't been to all of these countries, so I can't say for sure how authentic they all are. If you have suggestions, please share them with me! I always want to make better hot chocolate!
Canadian: 3 parts hot coco powder, 1 part maple syrup.
Mexican: 7 parts hot coco powder, 2 parts powdered creamer, 1 part cinnamon.
Hungarian: 6 parts hot coco powder, 1 part each of paprika, white pepper, cloves.
Indian: 4 parts hot coco powder, 2 parts powdered creamer, one part each of ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Moroccan: 4 parts hot coco powder, 1 part powdered creamer, 1 part each of cinnamon, cardamom, and orange zest.
Once the bombs are filled, simply close them up, for me, that means putting a dollop of melted chocolate over the hole, but for traditional moulds you can rub one end on a griddle, hotplate, or heated dish to stick them together.

Step 5: Make Nibbs(optional)

Keep in mind, that even though everything except the zest and maple syrup is in powdered form, they do not dissolve like the coco and creamer do, so your hot chocolate will be a bit grainy. I think it adds a fun, exotic element, but if that sounds off-putting to you, you can make flavored nibs instead.
Using leftover modeling chocolate, knead one or two drops of extract into a marble sized piece of modeling chocolate. Once it's all incorporated, roll it into a long piece and chop it into 1\4 inch pieces which you can use to replace the powdered spices. Depending on the brand of flavoring you use, you may need to adjust for potency. Also, you may find it hard to get your hands on some of the flavors so I recommend giving the spices a try.
Another great alternative to orange zest is a few pieces of chocolate orange if it happen to be the time of year when those are available.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Put the bomb in a mug and cover with very hot water, stir and enjoy! Then let me know what you think.
Keep in mind, bombs containing orange zest (and probably the syrup I would think) should be refrigerated if you don't plan to use them right away, though mine haven't lasted that long yet.