I'm fond of cook & serve sf chocolate pudding, & just recently found Bob's sf peppermint candies - the closest thing I've had to candy canes in years! (Except that they tasted so good I "forgot" the side affect of sugar alcohols - I won't be forgetting again for quite some time. )

Anyway, I portion out the pudding, refrigerate, then smash 1 peppermint to sprinkle on top. Pure heaven.

I decided to make it for a pot luck. Made the pudding on Friday, refrigerated it, and sprinkled it with smashed candies the next morning. Couple hours later I took it out of the insulated bag & was horrified to find out the crushed candies had partially melted and there was a lot of liquid in the pudding. A friend suggested that it might have been a chemical reaction between the different fake sugars and/or the coconut milk I use instead of dairy.

If I take it to a pot luck again I'll keep the crushed candy in a small bowl with a spoon. But any idea if my friend might be right? Or any other possible cause?