Blooming

Pale streaks or a dusty coating on chocolate caused by fat or sugar coming to the surface; also, soaking gelatin or cocoa in liquid before use.

Blooming: A close-up of a dark chocolate bar covered with gray-white streaks and a dusty whitish coating of fat bloom
  • Food science and baking chemistry

Also called: fat bloom, sugar bloom, chocolate bloom

Fat bloom appears as gray streaks when chocolate gets warm or is badly tempered and cocoa butter crystals rise. Sugar bloom is a dry, gritty white film caused by moisture dissolving sugar on the surface. Bloomed chocolate is safe to eat and can be melted and used for baking.

In another sense, gelatin is bloomed in cold water to hydrate it, and cocoa is bloomed in hot liquid to intensify its flavor.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Blooming (Q227780), Wikidata