Does chocolate go bad??

[littlemissmartypants]

I just found a bag of these in the pantry.



Date on the bag is 083124.
?

❤️

[Karadeniz]

1. Take a bite...theyre probably still good !!!

[wolfie001]

6. That's what Cleopatra said

[elleng]

2. It's possible, depends on weather. IF white-ish residue, might be 'gone,'

doesn't taste good.

[Shellback Squid]

3. it's more than fine, when not exposed to air even milk chocolate is fine a year or more after expiration

dark chocolate has an even much longer useful life

[WestMichRad]

4. Not in my house it doesn't!

[MIButterfly]

5. Mine, either!

[True Dough]

7. I just hope

you have enough for everyone, LMSP!

[chowmama]

8. Even if it 'blooms' and gets whitish

That's just the cocoa butter coming to the surface due to temperature changes. It's not attractive, but not dangerous. And I've never known chocolate to have a problem with the fat going rancid, the only thing I can imagine happening. (However, that may be because I've never kept it around that long.)

How was it stored? Air tight? Much temperature variance? Unusual humidity? Holes in the packaging?

Nibble one and see if you like it. I'll bet it's fine.

[dlilafae]

9. If it not white on the outside

Or if the fats in the chocolate still taste lush, you're good.

[kozar]

10. Uhm its light brown,

Thats caramel from Ghirardelli. A nice wrapper. But a true chocolate, turns dusty brown when old. This pic is a caramel, more brown sugar and much more butter.
Given the butter, I would be

very careful
Real chocolate, turns dusty, a dark brown that looks like it went through, your vacuum cleaner.
The pic you posted is Carmel, check the date.its not even close to chocolate.

Koz

Koz out

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Very Unlikely

There's an abundance of sugar & very little moisture, so it won't support microbial growth. Lack of bacteria also makes the chance the milk protein can curdle is extremely low.
In addition, theobromine, the alkaloid that contributes most to chocolate's flavor, is a close relative to caffeine.
To bugs & other tiny critters, it's toxic.
What can happen is that the fats can separate from the cocoa solids, leaving a white bloom on the surface. But, that's only a physical, not chemical change.
My technical opinion is that chocolate will be fine to eat.
Courtesy of your friendly, neighborhood chemist.

[surrealAmerican]

12. taste it.

If it's "gone bad", the oils will be rancid, and it will taste really, obviously bad. Anything short of that (even if it's "bloomed", and looks unappetizing) is not dangerous, and probably not going to affect the taste either.

[kozar]

13. The chocolate will be fine,

The pic you posted, it's the Carmel. Its the filling, I would not trust. Ghirardelli makes some of the best chocolate, bar none( pun intended) the chocolate would be fine, I'd worry about the filling.

Koz