Truffle question (the chocolate kind)

[Clarissa]

I don't know if this goes here or on the General Board, but I'll give this a shot. This year in my holiday treat package, I'm planning on including some homemade truffles. Here's the issue -- are they okay if left unrefrigerated? Whoever I give them to might not put them in the fridge, and I don't want to be giving instructions.

[Alice Q]

As long as you don't put too much cream in them, they are ok unrefrigerated for a couple of days. The easiest kind to make are ganache, just rolled in cocoa. If they are too soft, they won't stay set at room temperature - that's actually the biggest problem.

[jmckee]

Refrigerated. Especially if with a buttercream center, which is the kind I make at Christmas. But even with a ganache (chocolate and cream) you're talking dairy so you're talking spoilage. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I don't know of them myself, so I'd err on the side of caution.