How To Freeze Dry Snickers

Freeze Dried Candy

If you think Snickers can’t be any more enjoyable, wait until you try it freeze-dried. The gooey, chewy chocolate bar transforms into this airy, fluffy candy that’s twice as good. The problem with ordering this online is that they can easily crumble during shipping. One even got her order all melted down to nothing because of the heat. Today, we’ll teach you how to freeze-dry Snickers so that you’ll have a fun snack with fewer worries about shipping.

Isn’t Snickers Hard To Freeze Dry?

Chocolate’s indeed hard or close to impossible to freeze dry. But a great thing for us, Snickers isn’t 100% chocolate. Instead, it’s got a nougat base made with egg whites, sugar, and vanilla. Then you got freshly roasted peanuts covered in sweet, delicious caramel. All of which you can freeze dry adequately for longer storage.

What Do I Need To Freeze Dry Snickers?

These materials are simple but can help make your process easier and fun. You’ll be needing:

• Kitchen shears (knife would work if you don’t have one)
• Chopping board (if you don’t have kitchen shears)
• Parchment paper

Snickers puffs up like crazy when you freeze-dry it. Eating it can also be quite messy because it crumbles. It would help if you cut the candy bar to bite size pieces, so it’s easier to store and eat.

You can use the kitchen shears, so there’s less mess. Line the freeze dryer trays with parchment paper, and cut the candy bar right on top. Spread it around, so there are at least 2 inches of space between each piece.

A sharp knife and cutting board can work too, but you might lose some of the delicious chocolate on the bard. You must also act fast, especially if the weather’s warm.

The parchment paper’s to keep the Snickers from sticking on the tray. Makes for easy packing, too. Just roll the parchment paper into a tube and use it to slide the freeze-dried candy bar into your bag or jar.

Do I Pre-Freeze The Snickers Before Freeze Drying?

Pre-freezing the chocolate bar is an option. But it certainly can help lessen the freeze-drying time. Especially if you do this around the summer when the weather’s warm.

Starting with cold food helps your freeze dryer come to a temperature faster. Also, it keeps the chamber environment stable.

Pre-freezing also cuts the waiting time. For example, let’s say you got the freeze dryer running with delicious food like an ice cream sandwich, beef stew, or salmon. And you also have your deep freezer running and consuming electricity. Why not take advantage of the running deep freezer and pre-freeze your tray of Snickers? This way, when your freeze dryer’s ready, all you have to do is pop the trays of frozen candy bars.

How To Freeze Dry Snickers

What we love about our Harvest Right freeze dryer is its candy option. It’s a preset programmed to freeze dry candies like Gummy Bears, Skittles, and Tootsie Rolls. No need to create an elaborate setup if this is your first time using a freeze dryer. But once you’re familiar with your machine, you can start playing with the times and temperature. For now, trust your machine because it’s got sensors in it to let it know your candy’s done freeze-drying.

To freeze dry snickers, here’s what you need to do:

1. Turn on the machine and press “START”.
2. Select “NON-LIQUID” and “NOT FROZEN”
3. f you pre-froze your candy bars, choose “FROZEN” and let the machine pre-cool for 15-30 minutes. Then, let it reach a temperature cooler than your candy bars, -8°F (-22 °C) or lower.
4. When your machine tells you, close the drain valve and open the chamber door to put the trays in.
5. If you got a freeze-dryer pillow, put it on before closing the chamber door.
6. Double-check if you closed the drain valve before pressing “CONTINUE.”

How Long Does Freeze Drying Snickers Take?

Freeze-drying Snickers can take between 16-24 hours. Maybe even longer, depending on weather conditions or if you got other food freeze-drying with it.

How Do I Know The Process Is Done?

Your machine will tell you when’s the right time to open the door to check it. The best time to test would be while the trays are still warm, and that would be after the freeze-drying time.

First, check if the candy bars doubled or tripled in size. Next is to touch the bars, especially the thick ones. They should be dry and crumbly to the touch. Any piece that feels cool, moist, and soft means you need to add 2-4 hours of extra dry time.

The fun part is tasting. Pop a big piece and see if it’s crumbly and dry enough. If it still has that same Snickers texture, even for a little bit, put the trays back for extra dry time.

How Do I Store The Freeze Dried Snickers?

Mylar bags win, hands down, for long-term storage. They’re very easy to carry around and keep away light and moisture. It doesn’t offer solid protection, though, so you do have to be careful about transporting your freeze-dried Snickers.

If you’re going to eat your freeze-dried candy bar within weeks or months, then Mason jars work. They’re easy to open and seal each time you need your sweet fix.

Before sealing your food container, make sure to add oxygen absorbers. About 1-2 of the 300cc packs work per gallon size of storage capacity. Don’t go for less because oxygen (second to moisture) hastens food spoilage. Also, remember to replace your OAs whenever you open your containers.

Also, keep the freeze-dried Snickers away from sunlight and heat. Storage temp should be no higher than 72°F (22 °C), or the candy will melt.

How Long Do Freeze-Dried Snickers Last?

Since we’re dealing with chocolate here that doesn’t freeze dry well, 10-15 years would be a safe bet. It is a bit short compared to other freeze-dried food, but it’s still longer than the previous 12-16 months past the best-by date.

Where do you plan to take your freeze-dried Snickers? Let us know in the comment section.

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