# How long do (chocolate) truffles last at room temperature?



## monsterkookies

Hello there!

Soooo, basically I have a question about chocolate truffles. I went to chef school, although after taking the basic and advanced pastry arts program that went with it, I realize that I love things like candy making and chocolate making a lot more than cooking. I've always been really artsy and creative, and I find that the pastry arts challenge this side a lot more than cooking...

In my little town, there is a candy shop, mostly retail - they get their chocolates in from other places, and they sell pretty gifts, gourmet foods, and nostalgic candies... and I have started making gelato for them during the Summer. Right now we are into the Autumn, and so now I get to play with all sorts of chocolate. We mostly just do barks, bars, and dipped things, though. But I want to do more! Me and the boss-lady have some pretty close ties, so I know that if I ask her to make truffles, she'll totally be all ears for it - she's fairly open minded.

The store is a nice temperature - not too warm, nice and cool so all the chocolate doesn't melt. So if I were to make truffles, using cream in the ganache mixture and dipping the chocolates, as well as any other variants using cream, how long would these truffles last in the chocolate display at room temperature? Refrigeration isn't an option in the front of the store - only in the back, in the kitchen.

Also, if I were to use butter, would that decrease the shelf time, too? I would love if I could get some advice from folks who have candy shops. /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif


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## amazingrace

monsterkookies said:


> Hello there!
> 
> how long would truffles last? /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif


3 seconds...from the plate to the lips. sorry, just couldn't resist...I love truffles!!


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## monsterkookies

amazingrace said:


> 3 seconds...from the plate to the lips. sorry, just couldn't resist...I love truffles!!


Hahaahaha! Same here! I'm kind of scared to make them... I may eat them all.


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## chefross

A lot of different factors going on.

Tempering the chocolate will help extend it's shelf life (been there and done that)

For me, making the ganache and flavoring it, scooping and rolling then dipping is an art form and I make them each year at work for the annual Christmas party. I make several different kinds. I make them, then refrigerate them. At room temperature I would think those babies would be very fragile at best. I wish I could be more help but my truffles never last long enough to find out how long their shelf life is.


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## kuan

amazingrace said:


> 3 seconds...from the plate to the lips. sorry, just couldn't resist...I love truffles!!


Heh heh. /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif


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## savingtaste

My mom and I have made straight up ganache truffles for years- ganache balls rolled in coconut, nuts, or cocoa powder. We've kept them for several days in tupperware with no ill effects. Hope this helps!

-Becky


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## foodpump

At room temperature or slighly cooler---2-3 weeks max.

In ganaches, your #1 enemy is water, or more specifically water activity.  Cream is amost 2/3 water, chocolate contains no water, after 3 weeks it will spoil.  Butter, on the other hand contains only about 18% water, so the shelf life for butter ganaches is longer.

You can succesfully freeze truffles or any other chocolate confection with excellent results.

BUT, the items must be vacuum packed, refrigerated for one day, then frozen.  Two days before opening the package, place the frozen package in the fridge for 1 day, then at room temp for one day, then open.  Done  like this you will get no "sugar bloom" or condensation forming on the chocolate tha would dissolve the sugar in the chocolate, and when it dries, it gives it that yucky streaky grey film.

In my shop I sell around 25 varities of truffles, bon-bons, and other confections, with close to 1/3 having a shelf life of under 3 weeks.  Customers and sales staff must be made aware of this.  This has good points and bad points, but it is also what separates you from the $9.00 drugstore box of chocolates.


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## monsterkookies

THANKS for your input, guys! It helped a lot. /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif


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## chocochoco

Quote:


foodpump said:


> At room temperature or slighly cooler---2-3 weeks max.
> 
> In ganaches, your #1 enemy is water, or more specifically water activity. Cream is amost 2/3 water, chocolate contains no water, after 3 weeks it will spoil. Butter, on the other hand contains only about 18% water, so the shelf life for butter ganaches is longer.
> 
> You can succesfully freeze truffles or any other chocolate confection with excellent results.
> 
> BUT, the items must be vacuum packed, refrigerated for one day, then frozen. Two days before opening the package, place the frozen package in the fridge for 1 day, then at room temp for one day, then open. Done like this you will get no "sugar bloom" or condensation forming on the chocolate tha would dissolve the sugar in the chocolate, and when it dries, it gives it that yucky streaky grey film.
> 
> In my shop I sell around 25 varities of truffles, bon-bons, and other confections, with close to 1/3 having a shelf life of under 3 weeks. Customers and sales staff must be made aware of this. This has good points and bad points, but it is also what separates you from the $9.00 drugstore box of chocolates.


Hi,

How do you vacuum truffles? Do you use a chamber vacuum machine?

I would like to vacuum hard shell truffles/pralines, but I think they would be crushed during the process.

Thanks,

Omar


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## foodpump

You can use a vacuum chamber, but I don't. 

The idea is to remove as much air out of the bag as possible without crushing the truffles.  I used to use a foodsaver machine, but when it was time to get new bags, I found a better alternative:  At the hardware store I found a sytem of heavy duty plastic bags with a one way valve and a zipper, and a hand operated pump--much like a bicycle pump.  The bags can be used over and over again, and the pump fits over the valve.  You have excellent control of how much air you remove before crushing the truffles.


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## armyguy368

I see a lot of responses to the truffles lasting at room temperature.

So, my question is:  If I make a no-bake cookie truffle with butter or a truffle that has eggs + butter, I can leave them out for about 2 weeks?

I want to ship some to my aunt in Chicago (I live in Boston) and dont want them to spoil due not being refrigerated - it may take about a week to ship.  Just dont want them to go bad before they would get there.

I have truffles that I would make with buttercream - I know those have to stay refrigerated due to the ingredients  that are perishable.


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## minas6907

armyguy368 said:


> I see a lot of responses to the truffles lasting at room temperature.
> 
> So, my question is: If I make a no-bake cookie truffle with butter or a truffle that has eggs + butter, I can leave them out for about 2 weeks?


I think that really depends on what the formulation of you recipe is. A cream ganache can definitely last, and the same for a butter ganache. If a ganache center contains alcohol, then that adds to the shelf life. Are you making an actual ganache? It sort of sounds like your making something more along the lines of a no bake cookie bar. Whats your recipe look like?


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## foodpump

Uhh...no.

Alcohol does not increase shelf life.

Look, lets say you use a 80 proof booze.  What this means is that 80 proof is 40% alcohol content.  True, 100% booze will preserve anything, but 40% booze contains 60% water, and this water will do nothing to increase shelf life.

If you want to increase shelf life you have to remove as much water as possible.


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## armyguy368

Here is the receipe:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 1/2 pounds chocolate bark candy coating, melted
Its the butter that Im worried about, when shipping to Chicago since it will probably take a week to get there. (Dont want to ship overnight, since its very expensive).


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## singtoangels

I have the same predicament as you. I'm wanting to send some buttercream truffles and mince pies to family in Florida. What I'm doing is purchasing the truffle trays and liners and boxes (already done). Then I will put the truffles in the boxes, wrap the boxes in plastic (zip loc). Suck all the air out (you can use a straw). Wrap in plastic wrap, then put in a small inner box lined with foil with a few ice packs surrounding it. It'll stay protected from condensation inside the zip loc bag (hopefully) and will stay chilled for at least a day or two. Long enough to mostly get to FL in one piece from KY. I'll also have other things in the box and I'll be lining the entire inside of the box with foil and a bit of bubble wrap to help insulate it even further. A company I know called Jolly Grub also sells thermal packaging with their foods if you buy it for $5. You can always purchase something small and get their thermal packaging. lol.

Now my main concern is whether I can successfully freeze buttercream filled Belgian style truffles as well as French style ganache truffles! I'm going to take them from room temp, to fridge, to freezer, but I'm not quite sure what to do after that. Any other tips on that, folks?


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## rahere

The problem the sous-vide school had was vacuum-sealing ziplock bags under water in an archimedian displacement method without allowing water in. The answer they came up with is to put the product in a small ziplock, partly close it, then put in in a significantly larger bag which goes in the water, keeping the opening above water level, of course. The water presses as much air out of the small bag through the larger one as the flexibility of the two will allow, and you can then complete closing it by pressing through the outer bag. This is also useful in sealing products with large amounts of liquid in, which any normal vacuum sucker would remove.


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## rahere

Thinking about it, another useful trick might be to replace the oxygenation of the truffle mousse with nitrogen, using a bombe to make it - indeed, milk and glycerine as a base to take an alcoholic flavouring could produce a very long lifetime indeed!


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## candice horton

I have several years now of truffle making experience. My truffles last in Tupperware at room temperature for up to 6 months with no ill effects. I use both heavy cream and butter in my ganache, as well as liqueurs for flavoring. I use only high quality chocolate. I make them every year at Christmas time and give them/sell them. Many people on this thread have suggested freezing or refrigerating finished truffles. DO NOT!!! This ruins the chocolate!! Chocolate should always be stored between 60-70 degrees, or else it will bloom and cause discoloration of your truffles! (white streaks!) I keep mine in a back room of my house after making them where the temperature stays right about 65. If you temper your chocolate properly, you will get a glossy snap coating. The recipe I use is 2 heaping cups of chocolate, 3 TBLSP unsalted butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup liqueur or alcohol for flavoring. As someone mentioned heavy cream does have water content, but it is the ONE exception that chocolate will blend with nicely. The trick is to heat your cream to scalding, add to your melted chocolate, stir, then add the butter, stir until smooth, then stir in your alcohol/liqueur. You can pour your ganache into containers-these may be refrigerated and it will not ruin it, once chilled a bit you can roll them and dip them. Do not dip cold, or your shell will crack. I make about 20 different flavors, all of which have never gone bad before 6 months. The flavor isn't as great after 3 months, but they do not go bad. Hope this helps!


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## foodpump

I wish to make it perfectly crystal clear that TRUFFLES CONTAINING CREAM SHOULD NOT BE KEPT LONGER THAN 3 WEEKS. 

Cheftalk does not accept any responsibility for suggestions that a truffle containg fresh cream, stored at room temp will "still be good".

There are recipies that contain glycerin, sorbitol,and invert sugar that are shelf stable, but I do not endorse these.

You can also freeze truffles succesfully, and I havw been doing this commercially for many years now.

Think about it, whipping cream has a fat content of 33%, which means 66% is water and has a shelf life of 3weeks ig refrigerated. Why would cream last 6 months at room temp?


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## flipflopgirl

Candice Horton said:


> The flavor isn't as great after 3 months, but they do not go bad. Hope this helps!


ummm....... if I had something that didn't taste so great I would consider the item "bad" and dispose of it.

Cream is highly perishable and highly perishable products are not allowed to be sold from an uninspected home kitchen per any cottage law I am aware of.

Point and match to @foodpump ...

mimi


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## fablesable

@Candice Horton My dear you have indeed lucked out (like horseshoe up the butt lucked out) if you have been selling/giving truffles that you have stored at room temperature for up to 6 months AND have not been sued for making someone sick. You clearly have NOT taken Food Safety and would suggest that you do so pronto!

As with @foodpump I have never kept my truffles for longer than three weeks and when I sell them I sure that we NEVER sell any that are over the two week mark. We also have an expiry date on all our boxes so that people know this is NOT a Best Before but an EXPIRY.


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## madeleineneth

HI I need to now an answer really fast. I want to make my mom and dad  chocolate truffles covered in unsweetened cocoa and then peanut butter, covered in chocolate

the recipe is 1 and 1 half cup butter

1 and 1 half cup peanut butter

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

my other recipe

 chocolate coated in un sweetened cocoa

I need to know if I make them on February 10 2016 will they be okay. for me to give them to them by feb 14 and let them eat on them through out march 1st.

and should I refriderate or freeze them

I am planning on either freezing or refriderating them on the tenth of feb 2016 through feb 14 2016 and then leaving them out on the shelf at room temp

anyway reply back soon............ or I will just do what I think


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## madeleineneth

hi I have already posted this message but it is not on the site yet I was just wondering would it be okay to make truffles on February 10 2016 and put in the fridge and leave in the fridge until February 14 2016...... and would it be okay for my parents to eat on until march 1 BUT I THINK THEY WOULD BE GONE WAY BEFORE MARCH 1   ...............my recipe is

melted chocolate coated in natural unsweetened cocoa.......my other recipe is

1 and 1 half cup of butter

1 and 1 half cup of peanut butter

2 cups of sugar

1 tea spoon vanilla extract

I am going to both recipes for them

anyway please please repy ASAP


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## fablesable

Yes they will be perfectly fine that way. You are good to go!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## sonnyfiliomio

If my truffles are still sitting around after 2 weeks...I have to find a new recipe...or a new career.


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## remi love

a good rule of thumb is to store anything with dairy in it in the fridge when not using and when your entertaining let them warm up to room temperature . They freeze well too I used to make 5 pounds of the ganache centers and freeze them then decorate them as needed for my needs they dont last long unfrozen around me so maybe a 2-5 days would be my guess at room temperature .


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## laurie e welsh

thx this was exactly what I needed


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## lemontwigs

Do you refrigerate them or have your customers refrigerate them?  Do they last at room temperature for 3 weeks or in the fridge?


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