Do Buckeyes Need To Be Refrigerated? For more information, click here
Buckeyes are one of the sweetest, nuttiest, most wonderful things you can find to eat when you’re in the mood for dessert. As a bonus, they are easy to make; however, often when someone claims that something is easy to make, they’re leaving out storage details. The question is, “Do buckeyes need to be refrigerated?”
Buckeyes, being made in most recipes primarily with peanut butter and chocolate as the main ingredients, should be refrigerated. This not only prevents the possible growth of bacteria that would be harmful to eat, but it eliminates the chance that the dessert will lose its shape and even some of its flavor.
In this article, we will go over the thorough answer to whether or not buckeyes should be refrigerated. We’ll examine what makes refrigerating buckeyes so important, as well as the optimal way to store these delicious treats. Let’s get started.
Do Buckeyes Need to Be Refrigerated?
Buckeyes are incredibly tasty, but as we mentioned above, it can feel tempting to leave them on a room-temperature counter instead of refrigerating them when you’ve had enough for the day! The question is, is this the best plan, or will you find yourself wasting these little bites of heaven?
After all, the main ingredients of Buckeyes are typically refrigerated. Buckeyes are popular for the simplicity of compiling these ingredients and making the recipe: all it takes is peanut butter rolled together with butter for firmness with a chocolate-sauce covering! Some add powdered sugar for even more texture and sweetness, as well as vanilla for taste.
All of those ingredients, separately, may sound like they would be fine in a sealed container in the pantry. The question is, will they still be fine when they’re combined with butter in a buckeye recipe?
The answer to this question is: probably, but it is still best to refrigerate your buckeyes! When you’re considering storing something tasty, you don’t just want to think through food safety; you’ll also want to think about preserving the delicious flavor and even shape of the food overnight.
Let’s discuss this in some more detail.
Why Buckeyes Should Be Refrigerated
There are two highly important reasons for the refrigeration of buckeyes! Firstly, buckeyes are made up of ingredients that can be stored at room temperature, but still have a slight chance of food poisoning taking place which leaves them better off in the fridge.
For example, as mentioned above, buckeyes are made with peanut butter and butter. Both of these ingredients last longer in the refrigerator than they would in the pantry, with peanut butter lasting as long as 9 months! Butter, on the other hand, is more sensitive. According to the USDA, butter that is left out at room temperature can turn rancid after a couple days.
This is the first reason it would be a good idea to keep your peanut butter buckeyes in the refrigerator; the cooler temperature creates a longer life for the ingredients and has the bonus affect of warding off rancidity or bacteria growth. With that said, the second reason for refrigerating buckeyes is a little less urgent, but still important.
Your buckeyes are made with very soft ingredients all rolled together into delightful spheres. In fact, the only thing that is really keeping your buckeyes in firm, easy-to-eat shape is the temperature of the room.
If it gets warm enough, buckeyes can very easily submit to gravity and become puddles of melted chocolate and squishy peanut butter. That may still sound yummy to you, but it is no fun to clean up or try and eat unless you plan on using a spoon.
The refrigerator, on the other hand, can help your buckeyes to maintain their pleasant shape, and even retain some of their delicious flavor for up to ten days!
How to Store Buckeyes
Even refrigerated, buckeyes can still be tricky to pick up and enjoy the next time you want them if they aren’t stored properly. Firstly, make sure to prepare a sealed container, such as a plastic bin of Tupperware.
Secondly, line this sealed container with parchment paper to prevent the buckeyes sticking to the paper. Then, place each buckeye about an inch apart from it’s container-mates on the parchment paper. All that’s left to do is find an even surface safely in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy more buckeyes!
On our website, you will also find a number of related articles that you might find interesting like Do Brussels Sprouts Have To Be Refrigerated?, Do Brita Filters Have To Be Refrigerated? and Do Brownies Need To Be Refrigerated?
In Conclusion
To sum it all up, buckeyes do need to be refrigerated if you want to keep the flavor, shape, and ten-day lifespan of your buckeyes. These peanut butter balls can flatten or become messy even at room temperature. To avoid any unnecessary risks, enjoy refrigerated buckeyes!
