How to Store and Preserve Chocolate Decorations

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 8, 2020 References Tested

Chocolate decorations add a bit of delicious charm to any dessert. If you have a lot of decorations to make, you might be thinking about making them ahead of time. Fortunately, it's easy to store chocolate so it looks and tastes great later on. If you only need to store your decorations for a day or two, you can easily keep them in the pantry; otherwise, store your decorations in the fridge or the freezer to keep them fresh. That way, your decorations will be in perfect shape when it comes time to put them on your favorite dessert.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Pantry

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Pop the chocolates out of the mold they’re in. If you made your chocolate decorations in a mold, take them out as soon as they’re hard. You’ll know they’re ready to come out when you can flip the mold over and the chocolate pops out easily on its own. If you have to force it or pull on it, it’s probably not ready, and you should put it back in the fridge.^{[1]
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- Depending on how large your chocolate pieces are, cooling them in the fridge can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.^{[2]
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Seal your decorations in an airtight container. If you’re not going to be using your decorations right away, put them into a container with a lid on it. That way, it will keep out humidity and moisture so your decorations don’t change color throughout the day.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have an airtight container, you can also use a cardboard box with a tight lid lined with paper towels.
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3
Keep your chocolate away from sunlight. Storing chocolate in the sun can cause it to change colors (and in extreme cases, it can melt). When you’re picking a spot to keep your chocolate, store it somewhere cool and dark, like your kitchen pantry or a cabinet.^{[4]
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- If you live in a humid climate, you may want to run a dehumidifier in the room, too. Too much humidity can mess with the color and shape of your chocolate decorations.
4
Store your decorations in a room that’s around 20 °C (68 °F). Chocolate is extremely susceptible to temperature fluctuations, and going from hot to cold too quickly can leave dull brown spots. Keep your chocolate in a room that’s about 20 °C (68 °F) so it stays shiny and beautiful.^{[5]
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- Most classic fridges are too cold to store chocolate properly. If you’re planning on storing chocolate a lot, you might want to invest in a chocolate fridge, or a fridge you can set to a different temperature.
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Keep your chocolate away from garlic or spices. Chocolate can easily pick up the flavor of any strong aroma that it’s near. When you pick a spot to keep your chocolate decorations, don’t put them next to anything that smells particularly spicy or intense.^{[6]
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- That’s why putting your chocolate in an airtight container is so important.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Fridge

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Wrap the chocolate in a dish towel. When you put chocolate in the fridge, there’s a big chance it could leech some moisture into the container and cause problems. To help avoid that, wrap your chocolate decorations (carefully!) in a clean, dry dish towel.^{[7]
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- The dish towel will help protect the outer layer of chocolate from moisture.
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Place the chocolate in an airtight container. It’s all about keeping the humidity out of your chocolates. Put your chocolate into an airtight container that has a tight lid. Make sure it’s big enough to fit both the chocolates and the dish towel!^{[8]
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- Unlike keeping your chocolate in your pantry, you can’t use a cardboard box for the fridge or the freezer, since it won’t keep the moisture out.
3
Keep your chocolate away from anything smelly. Strong cheese, smoked meat, and pickles can all leech their smells into your chocolate. If you’re planning on keeping your chocolate in the fridge or freezer for a long time, put anything with a strong smell on a different shelf, far away from anything that smells.^{[9]
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- Once your chocolate picks up a smell, there’s no way to get it out, so it’s all about avoiding it in the first place.
4
Store the chocolate decorations in the fridge for 1 to 2 years. If you really need to keep your decorations around for a while, you can leave dark chocolate in the fridge for 2 years and milk or white chocolate in the fridge for 1 year. The sooner you eat it, the better chance there is of it tasting and looking the best, though.^{[10]
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- Thinner, smaller pieces of chocolate may only stay good for a few months.
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Thaw the decorations out slowly before you use them. When you’re ready to use your decorations, take them out of the fridge but leave them in their wrapping and container. Let them come to room temperature (this usually takes about 1 hour) before taking them out and using them on your favorite dessert.^{[11]
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- Thawing your chocolate slowly will avoid shocking it and making it turn a weird color. The slower it warms up, the better it will look.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Freezer

1
Wrap the chocolate up tightly and place it in an airtight package. The freezer can add a lot of humidity to your chocolate, which can turn it different colors. To avoid that, wrap your chocolate up in a plastic bag, then place it into an airtight container with a lid.^{[12]
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- You can also wrap your chocolate up in a dish towel and then put it in an airtight container.
- If you’re worried about forgetting when you made your chocolate, use a marker to add a date to the outside of your container.
2
Refrigerate your chocolate for about 2 hours. It’s important to cool your chocolate down slowly. Put your container in the fridge for about 2 hours to cool down your chocolate gradually and avoid a rapid temperature change.^{[13]
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- If you freeze the chocolate right away, it could change colors and become dull.
3
Put your chocolate in the freezer for 1 to 2 years. You can keep chocolate in your freezer for a long time, especially if it’s thick. Try to use your chocolate decorations within 2 years for the best look and flavor.^{[14]
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- If any moisture gets into your chocolate package, they might change color.
- Chocolates with caramel and cream filling in them don’t freeze well, because freezing the filling could make it change texture.
4
Thaw the chocolate in the fridge first, then at room temperature. When it’s time to use your chocolate decorations, take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge for about 1 day. Then, set them on your countertop (still in their container) and let them warm up to room temperature for another few hours. After that, your chocolates will be ready to go!^{[15]
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- Gradually warming up your chocolates will help avoid discoloration.
- Keep your chocolate out of direct sunlight as they thaw to avoid melting.