What to Do With Loose Chocolate
If you’ve ever left a chocolate bar idle, you may have noticed a white film on its surface. This film is called “bloom” and is caused by improper storage of the chocolate.
According to Cook’s Illustrated, chocolate blooms when it gets too warm or if water condenses on the chocolate:
Graying of cocoa butter occurs when the chocolate is so soft that the crystals of the cocoa butter melt and the fat molecules migrate to the surface where they form new crystals. Sugar blooming occurs when water condenses on the chocolate and dissolves some of the sugar. When this water evaporates, a thin layer of sugar crystals remains.
The good news: Blooming chocolate is not tainted, although its use is slightly more limited. While you can’t use it for dipping – it won’t harden and the plaque will reappear – you can certainly use it for baking, and chocolate chip cookies made from blooming chocolate will taste no different than those made from perfectly shiny chocolate. You can also just eat it as it is. It may not be so pretty, but your mouth doesn’t care.
Can Blooming Chocolate Still Be Used in Cooking? | Illustrated chef