I often prepare mini chocolate fruit puddings (in shot glasses), by combining fresh fruit and a melted truffle for guests; as a quick hors-d'oeuvre. I found a bulk package available, but they're short-dated to ~2 months from now, and it'd probably take 6 months to use all of them. Will my guests care/is there any downside to using the truffles as ingredient post-expiry?
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1Best By is not a definite, final date. It translate to "after this date the product might change it taste or look or start chemical reaction with packaging. We won't say it will for sure but after that date it could. Somewhere in the future of that date" .– SZCZERZO KŁYOct 5, 2020 at 15:18
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I can't say specifically on the truffles, but I've used chocolate chips that were well past a "best by" date. (years even). I suspect that how they're stored (temperature & temperature fluctuations) is significant. But I also just found a stash of KitKats that were left over from last halloween, and I can confirm those had noticeably changed. (I think it was 2 months past the 'best by' date. The wafer inside had started to loose its crisp texture.)– JoeOct 5, 2020 at 16:21
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1 Answer
I used to be quite fond of Lindt balls, and I was also a candy hoarder, so I ate many a Lindt ball past its "best by" date. If the Lindt ball has cracked, the filling will start to leak out and be unsightly. The leaked filling may have dried hard or crystalized, so the texture may not be good. If you have leaked filling on a Lindt ball, you can scrape a bit of it off with your fingernail for a taste test. They're usually fine to eat, though. Unless the package has been roughly handled, almost all the truffles should still in intact.
Undamaged Lindt balls a few months past their "best by" date are fine to eat. At worst, the chocolate shell will "bloom". Chocolate bloom is visually unappealing, and can have a waxy or crystalline texture which will may be noticeable on the tongue. However, it's still fine to eat.
The above mentioned issues are only cosmetic. When you melt the truffles, the cosmetic issues will probably disappear. This sounds like an excellent use for truffles that are slightly past their date.
