If you’ve just made a delicious batch of fudge brownies, you may be wondering how long they will keep. Many households don’t have a problem consuming a fresh tray of brownies, as the wafting scent of chocolate is too tempting to avoid.
Brownies are just fine to be left out overnight and this is the most common method of storage for many recipes. After all, if you put them in the fridge too soon the texture will become firm and they will suffer from drying out a bit. Your homemade brownies can last several days on the countertop with no real negative effect but keep them covered.
If you want to preserve your brownies for a longer period, you may want to consider refrigerating or even freezing them.
You may want to zap them in the microwave when you’re ready to eat them, so they’re warm and soft again. Don’t forget, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a classic dessert!
How Long Can Brownies Sit Out After Baking?
On average, freshly baked brownies can sit out on the countertop for 3-4 days. Depending on whether or not you use a mix or you are making them homemade, they may be able to last for a longer period.
Oftentimes, brownie mixes that are available at the supermarket have preservatives, such as antimicrobials, in them that allow them to stay fresh for longer.
If you make everything from scratch, there should be none of these preservatives and the brownies may be prone to molding faster.
If you properly seal your brownies and make them airtight, they may very well be able to sit on the counter for upwards of a week with no noticeable difference. The flavor should remain much the same, though the texture may vary a bit.
If you’ve made brownies with crisp edges, they will get softer as they sit out. This is a natural occurrence and nothing can be done about it during the storage process.
Those who enjoy the crispy edges should enjoy them soon after the brownies have been baked and before the moisture has a chance to ruin the crunchy texture.
How Do You Keep Brownies Moist Overnight?
Nobody wants to bite into a brownie and have it be dry and crumbly in texture, as that’s the opposite of what a good brownie should be. They should be moist and rich, and in some cases, the chocolate chunks should be melted and not hard and brittle.
To keep your tray of brownies moist overnight, you’ll want to allow them to cool down completely before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap or foil. This enables the moisture to stay inside and it will keep your brownies as good as they were the night before.
You may opt to cut your brownies into individual portions before putting them in a tightly sealed Tupperware container. This is an acceptable method as well, though brownies keep best when they’re left in a cohesive large piece.
Cutting your piece later on when you’re ready to eat it is the best way to enjoy a moist brownie. If they’ve been pre-sliced, you may notice that the edges get dry regardless of how they were stored.
Before you eat your brownie the next day, you may want to zap it for a few seconds in the microwave. Heating the dessert allows it to soften up and it will likely taste just as good as it did straight out of the oven after being freshly baked.
How Should Brownies Be Stored?
When storing your brownies, you’ll want to consider how you’re going to serve them. If you’ve made a fresh batch of the chocolatey dessert for a bake sale, for example, you’ll want to sell them in individual squares.
If you cut the brownies into squares before storing them, you’ll want to ensure you place them in a single layer. Piling them on top of each other can result in smushed brownies instead of neatly uniform ones.
For those who opt to leave them in the original pan, uncut, you can simply throw on a layer of plastic wrap and ensure it’s tightly sealed. They can keep in this way for up to 4 days and it’s easy enough to remove the plastic and cut a portion when you’re ready to enjoy.
The main thing to keep in mind when storing brownies or any baked goods is that you want to keep the original moisture inside. This means that they should always be in an airtight container instead of left open to the elements.
How Long Can Brownies Be Stored?
Depending on the storage method you choose, brownies can last from a few days to a few months. If you leave them at room temp, on the countertop, they can last 3-4 days as long as they’re tightly covered.
If you made an extra large batch and you don’t think you’ll be able to get to them that quickly, you may want to consider freezing them. To do so, you can cut them up into individual portions, wrap them in plastic wrap, and place them in your freezer.
You can also throw your brownies in the fridge. Keep in mind, that this may result in them drying out quicker than they would on the counter. However, it also preserves them for up to a week or two.
The individual portions allow you to remove one at a time, defrost it, and then enjoy it as a quick dessert. Don’t forget to label the date that you baked the brownies on!
This will enable you to eat the brownies within 3 months before they inevitably go bad.
What Happens If You Eat a Brownie That’s Gone Bad?
It will be clear when your brownies have gone bad, as you’ll often see signs of mold growth on them. It’s quite easy to see the white or green mold spores on top of your chocolate brownie, as the contrast is striking.
Other times, you may bite into a brownie and notice that it doesn’t taste fresh. It may be dry and the texture has changed to the point that it’s no longer enjoyable to eat.
If you don’t notice any mold, you can heat it to see if that helps the overall texture.
If you’ve already eaten a brownie before you notice mold growing on the rest of the tray, you may feel the need to panic! Don’t worry. Eating a small amount of mold is often not enough to make someone sick.
Throw the rest of the pan out and wash the tray thoroughly. Drink extra water and watch for any signs of an upset stomach. You may feel nauseated because your brain realizes that you consumed mold but this doesn’t mean you’re going to become ill.
Signs of food poisoning will become apparent relatively quickly and you may feel sick for a few days. Oftentimes, the symptoms pass on their own without the need for medical intervention. Next time, do a quick visual inspection of your brownies before consuming them.
How Can You Tell If a Brownie Has Gone Bad?
If you’ve had your brownies on the countertop for a week, you may be wondering whether or not they’re still good.
Luckily, it’s easy to determine the answer to this question and all it takes is a visual test and maybe a quick sniff.
Sniffing your brownies allows you to determine whether or not they still smell sweet and delicious or if they’ve taken on an “off” odor. If they don’t smell right, it’s probably best to toss the whole batch out and start over.
When you begin to see mold growing anywhere on the brownies, it’s recommended that you toss the whole bunch as well.
Even if you cut around the mold growth, it’s difficult to determine whether or not you’re eating mold that isn’t yet visible to the naked eye.
Seeing mold on the surface of food doesn’t always give you the complete picture. Oftentimes, the mold has invaded deeper and may have “roots” that have already gotten into the center portion.
If you have a healthy immune system, you may not even notice that you consumed a bit of mold. However, it’s best to avoid it when possible and the best way of doing this is to always look at your food before eating it.