While some people argue that there is no such thing as too much chocolate, unfortunately, it does exist. Maybe you’ve got a glut of chocolate thanks to a birthday, a celebration, or even as part of the holiday season.
Or, maybe there was an offer on your favorite brand, and you couldn’t resist! Whatever the reason, you have too much chocolate, and you need a solution.
While some forms of chocolate have a very long shelf life, others are relatively short. So can you freeze chocolate to save it for later?
Is It A Good Idea To Freeze Chocolate?
While your first instinct in the case of saving food for later might be to put it into the fridge, that’s not a good idea when it comes to chocolate.
This is because of sugar bloom, where you’ll notice white residue forming on the surface of the chocolate. This is caused by condensation, and ultimately makes the chocolate disappointing.
So does the same thing happen if you put the chocolate into the freezer? Luckily, the answer is no. As chocolate largely has very little moisture content, it freezes pretty well.
If you do it properly, you won’t be able to tell the difference. This applies to chocolate that doesn’t have any kind of filling.
When it comes to boxed chocolates, bonbons, truffles, and chocolate-based treats, freezing them isn’t the best idea. The exception to this is if you add chocolate to rice krispie treats, as these do freeze well. (For more on this, see Freezing Rice Krispie Treats)
It does depend on the filling and the rest of the ingredients as to how well they will freeze, but largely, the only way to tell is to experiment.
Try freezing a couple of pieces, and eat the results. If it turns out that they freeze well, great! If not, you haven’t lost anything.
How To Freeze Chocolate
Freezing chocolate (see also Freezing Chocolate Milk) is easy, but it does require a little time to do it.
The key to freezing chocolate properly is to help protect it from freezer burn. You can do this by putting the chocolate into a freezer bag over its normal packaging.
If the chocolate is already open, wrap it in foil to protect it, and then put it into a freezer bag. Make sure to squeeze all the air from the bag before you seal it.
Freezing blocks of chocolate is fine as is (see also Can You Freeze Chocolate Mousse?). You don’t need to make them into smaller pieces, as you can break it when it’s frozen if you only need a little at a time.
If you want to freeze boxed chocolates, you can use the original packaging as long as you haven’t opened it. If not, decant them into a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Remember what I said earlier about putting chocolate into the fridge? While that’s not a good idea when you plan on eating it normally, it’s a vital step when you want to freeze it.
A few hours in the fridge won’t make too much difference to the chocolate. Putting it into the fridge will bring the temperature down, but very slowly, compared to putting it straight into the freezer.
As long as you don’t leave it in there for more than a few hours, the sugar bloom won’t form on the chocolate.
If you put it straight into the freezer without letting it chill in the fridge first, you’re likely to see some sugar bloom forming, which will affect the quality of the chocolate.
Once you’ve chilled the chocolate, transfer it into the freezer, making sure to label it first. Put it somewhere you won’t forget about it!
The Key To Defrosting Chocolate
Remember, the slower you defrost the chocolate, the better the end result will be. With that in mind, when you want to use the chocolate, take it out of the freezer and put it straight into the fridge.
Depending on how much chocolate you want to defrost at once and how dense the chocolate is, this may take a few hours or the best part of a day.
Don’t try to use the microwave to speed up the process, as the results will likely be disappointing.
Instead, let it thaw at its own pace. The key to getting freezing and defrosting chocolate right is to let it do both slowly.
When the chocolate is thawed, you can treat it as normal chocolate and enjoy.
