Why Does Chocolate Sweat?

by Gwen
(Manitowoc, WI)

I make chocolate peanut butter balls. After dipping them in chocolate, I put them on waxed paper and put them in the refrigerator to set.

After taking them out of the fridge, I let them sit for a short time before packing them.


They tend to sweat. Why does this happen?


I appreciate your help.
~Gwen

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Hi Gwen,

That's a good question about chocolate and why it sweats after being refrigerated or frozen. That sweating is called condensation.


As with most food items that come out of the fridge, the difference in the temperature of the item and the temperature in the air causes the food item to develop moisture on the surface.


What you can do is either avoid putting the chocolate peanut butter balls in the refrigerator in the first place, or cover them.


Sometimes when you cover the surface the moisture will then gather on the cover rather than on the chocolate underneath as the candy returns to room temperature.


If I need to place homemade chocolate candy treats in the fridge, I try to put them in some type of airtight container. Because I live in the tropics most of the year, I can't always allow my chocolate to set at room temperature.


If you don't have a suitable container, you can still try to cover the chocolate when you remove it from the fridge by using a sheet of waxed paper or place an upturned container over top of your tray, etc. I hope you get the idea.


Humidity and chocolate don't go together at all, but sometimes it just can't be helped. In those cases, I'd rather have my chocolate in spite of a less than perfect appearance rather than not make it all. :)


Hope that sufficiently answers your question, Why does chocolate sweat?


Blessings,
Angie from chocolate-candy-mall.com