The Best Way To Store Chocolate Truffles Is At Room Temperature
Knowing how to properly store candy, including chocolate truffles, is an important skill to have if you have even a hint of a sweet tooth. Chocolate truffles are delicious, rich, and creamy confections that can be a special gift or an everyday treat. As such, there are many reasons you may want to stow some away, whether it is stocking up in the sale aisle after a big holiday — along with some of our other favorite Valentine's Day chocolates — or setting some aside to savor slowly. The best news is that, while they may look fancy, chocolate truffles are quite a bit sturdier than one might expect and need not be kept in the fridge. Here is how you can easily store yours and how long you can expect them to last.
As with most types of chocolate, the main factors to protect your chocolate truffles from are heat, light, and moisture. As such, you will want to store your truffles in an airtight container and tuck that container away in a cool, dry place like a pantry. While your first instinct may be to place them into an even colder environment, like a refrigerator or freezer, to prevent melting, it simply isn't necessary. These environments are often more humid and can risk introducing the truffles to extra moisture. When stored correctly, chocolate truffles will last about two weeks before they begin to lose their quality.
How to tell when chocolate truffles have gone bad
Whether you like it or not, chocolate truffles do eventually expire no matter how well you store them. The good news is that even expired truffles are unlikely to make you sick; rather, they will just become somewhat unpleasant to eat. This doesn't mean you shouldn't examine your chocolate for signs of spoilage, though. If your chocolate truffles change in color or texture, such as growing visible mold or becoming gooey, or if they smell like anything other than chocolate, it is safest to assume they have gone bad. In these cases, it is best to toss the candies rather than eating them.
One trait found in older chocolate that is not a sign of spoilage, however, is chocolate bloom. This is the powdery white coating that you may find covering the outside of your truffles once they pass their peak freshness window. Unlike some other signs of declining quality, bloomed chocolate does not mean that your truffles are unsafe to eat. You may find the texture to be slightly less than ideal; however, the confections should taste just as good. If you'd prefer not to enjoy your bloomed truffles as is, you can still avoid wasting them by chopping or melting them and putting them to use in one of our many chocolate recipes.