Chocolate bloom isn’t great, really, is it? Thankfully it won’t make you sick, but it is a little off-putting. Not only that, but it can sometimes change the taste and texture of a good chocolate too. So naturally, you are going to want to fix it. But how do you do so? Can you reverse chocolate bloom, even? Well, thankfully, you can. Here is all you need to do.
So, how do you fix chocolate bloom? You can fix chocolate bloom by melting all of the chocolate impacted and stirring it together. By doing this, you will put the sugar and fat ingredients that have bloomed through the chocolate’s surface back together as one mix. With the ingredients in their correct positions in the chocolate mixture, which is now free of bloom, you can pour it into candy molds and store each one in the fridge. Here, the chocolate will harden again until it returns to its former state without bloom.
That’s the high-level summary.
But keep reading – I’ll provide you with the step by step instructions!
Can You Reverse Chocolate Bloom?
You can reverse bloom by melting and stirring the chocolate together. From here, you can pour the melted chocolate into molds and allow it to harden once more, bloom-free.
Turns out there’s no need to panic after all. Chocolate bloom can be reversed, but it’s going to take some work.
Work that we explain and map out in the next section.
For now, let’s understand the basic process involved with reversing chocolate bloom.
So, your chocolate has bloomed. This will either have occurred via sugar blooming, where the chocolate is exposed to moisture, or by fat blooming, where the chocolate is exposed to warmth.
Whichever one it is, the situation is that your chocolate has bloomed. Certain ingredients have risen through the chocolate’s surface and left a crystalized or chalky white residue.
In effect, the chocolate’s ingredients have stepped out of position to pose as this bloom.
How do we solve this? Well, we put the ingredients back in their proper position.
This is achieved by melting the chocolate and stirring it so that the fats and sugars blend together once more.
But you didn’t buy this chocolate to eat it melted. So what do you do now?
Well, you pour the melted chocolate into some candy molds and then leave them in the fridge to harden.
As good as new!
How To Fix Chocolate Bloom
To fix and reverse chocolate bloom, you should follow the following basic steps: melt the chocolate, stir the chocolate, mold the chocolate, and harden the chocolate.
Ok, we understand the process used to fix and reverse chocolate bloom.
Now it’s time for a detailed step-by-step guide of how to do this.
Step 1: Set Up Your Heating Apparatus
We need to melt the chocolate, but before that, we need a suitable method for melting the chocolate.
And that is melting the chocolate in a heated saucepan.
So, pour a few inches of water into a saucepan and start to heat the pan on the lowest setting.
Then place a heatproof bowl onto the pan, but don’t let it touch the water at all.
You now have the apparatus through which you will melt your bloomed chocolate.
Step 2: Melt The Chocolate
Time to put your heating apparatus to the test by melting your bloomed chocolate.
So, cut up your bloomed chocolate and place it in the bowl, and then put it back in the saucepan.
When the chocolate has melted halfway to its center, you can then progress to the next step.
Step 3: Stir The Chocolate Thoroughly
Time to stir the chocolate now. And make sure you stir it well, as this is going to put all the misplaced ingredients back in their correct position.
Once the chocolate is nearly melted completely, take the bowl off the heat and stir it gently until it is fully melted.
Now, if your chocolate’s texture has changed since it bloomed, then I would suggest that you stop after this step.
You can still melt the bloomed chocolate, but don’t try to reverse and fix the bloom using the next steps.
Instead, use this melted chocolate in different ways, like for dipping fruit in, for example.
But if you are going to reverse the bloom and turn the chocolate back into its original state, then follow these steps.
Step 4: Pour The Chocolate Into Molds
If you are going to re-harden your chocolate, you need to pour its melted form into some candy molds.
Once all of the chocolate is poured into molds, you can take the final step!
Step 5: Allow To Cool And Harden
Now the chocolate needs to harden. To do this, it needs a cool temperature as well as your patience.
Place the chocolate into a fridge for it to cool and harden, but be careful. You don’t want the chocolate to stay in the fridge too long as it could be exposed to moisture here.
And as we know, moisture is one of the main causes behind bloom.
If you’re concerned, leave your chocolate to harden in a cool and dry place outside of the fridge.
Can You Still Use Chocolate That Has Bloomed?
You can still use and eat chocolate that has bloomed because it is safe, healthy, and still great in flavor. The only characteristic that has changed substantially is it’s aesthetic, which can easily be reversed.
Many people are put off by chocolate’s change in appearance after it has bloomed. This is down to it being comparable to that of mold.
An important thing to note, by the way, is that you shouldn’t use or eat chocolate that has developed mold, as it is a fungus that will spoil the chocolate and could make you very sick.
Learn more: Chocolate Bloom vs Mold • What’s the Difference
Now, back to bloom, which certainly is not mold. Even though bloom causes the chocolate to change its appearance, nothing else changes substantially.
It doesn’t impact the chocolate’s shelf life, and it doesn’t make it ‘go off.’
Bloomed chocolate is, therefore, safe to eat.
‘Sure, my guests might be safe, but they might be tasting weird, disgusting chocolate.’
Fortunately, this will not be the case. Bloomed chocolate does not suffer a loss in flavor or quality. At least not to most people’s tongues.
I picture it this way. After blooming, the chocolate’s ingredients are all still there. It’s just that their place in the chocolate has shifted.
Some people, however, do report a slight change in taste and texture which is reported as grainier after blooming. But it’s not much of a change.
Ultimately, your bloomed chocolate will still be good to eat and definitely good to use in some sort of recipe.
If you’re not sure whether your chocolate has bloomed or become moldy, then it’s probably best not to take a chance and just get rid of it.
Tips For Avoiding Chocolate Bloom In The Future
To avoid your chocolate blooming in the future, consider storing it in a location that keeps it from being exposed to moisture and warmth. You should also try to control the temperature of the room where the chocolate is being stored. Finally, you’ll need to keep chocolate in the right packaging and regularly check to see that it’s not blooming.
These are the top tips for avoiding chocolate bloom, so read very carefully!
Proper Storage Techniques
Storage is key. If you get the storage right, then your chocolate should be safe from blooming.
In the case of chocolate, the best place for it is somewhere that is cool and dry.
We don’t want the chocolate to be stored somewhere that is the opposite of this, which would be a location that is warm and moist.
Temperature Control
This tip ties in with the one above.
A sudden increase in temperature could likely cause your chocolate to bloom via fat blooming.
So you need to regulate and monitor the temperature of your chocolate’s storage location.
You should be aiming for a room temperature of 20-22°C with humidity not exceeding 50%.
Once you’ve found the right location for your chocolate, stick to it.
The last thing you want to be doing is moving your chocolate between different locations that possess varying temperatures. By doing this, your chocolate could be exposed to a sudden rise in warmth.
Proper Packaging
By keeping chocolate in firmly sealed packaging, we protect it from exposure to moisture and warmth, the two main factors that can cause blooming.
If the chocolate is contained in bad packaging, this can also cause bloom as well.
So it’s not just the location that matters, but the packaging the chocolate is stored in as well.
Regular Checks On The Chocolate
By regularly checking on your chocolate to see how it’s doing, you’ll be able to see if any bloom is starting to form.
If it is, you can change your chocolate’s storage location and conditions accordingly to prevent any further bloom from developing.
Read more: How Do You Stop Chocolate From Blooming?
Finally
Don’t be afraid of chocolate bloom.
One, because it won’t do you any harm.
Two, it can be fixed.
Happy chocolate eating…bloomed or not bloomed.
Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.
