chocolate kale chips

alright.  i went for it.  i turned my kale into dessert.

actually, i pretty much just dipped it in chocolate.  you heard me.  chocolate.  

{chocolate + kale}

{chocolate kale chips}

and you know what?  it's all kinds of awesome.

i tried chocolate kale chips only once before.  last year m attended a chocolate show in town that i couldn't make it to and he brought me home a bag of raw, chocolate kale chips.  yeah, i swooned  a little bit.  they were really awesome and came out in big chocolatey clusters.  i remember them having a great hint of coconut too.  and my memory serves me, these are a pretty close match.  if i do say so myself.


chocolate kale chips
this made enough for 2 big leaves of kale, enough to fill one cookie sheet.
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
4 tsp agave nectar
3 tbsp raw cacao powder 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
kale {i used purple kale}

first remove the kale from its stem in bite-sized pieces, wash and pat dry.  to prepare the chocolate coating.  melt the coconut oil in a small dish.  i did this by sitting the dish in another bowl of hot water and stirred it gently, sort of like a cheaters double boiler.  alternatively,  you could always use a microwave.  once the coconut oil has warmed to a liquid, stir in the vanilla and agave.  then whisk in the the cacao powder making sure there are no lumps.  fold in the chia seeds and the coconut.

now you're ready to coat those pieces of kale!  i used my hands to make sure that i got chocolatey goodness in all the little curls of the leaves.  but if you're not into that you can use a spatula.  no judgment here if you're tidy like that.

spread the leaves on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper, making sure that none are touching.  cooking times are going to vary based on your oven and how much coating is on the kale.  somewhere between 40-50 minutes at 225f should do it.  for mine i took them out after 25 minutes, flipped them over and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes more.  if you have a quirky oven, just hang close and check on your kale chips every 10 minutes to keep them from burning.  alternatively, use your dehydrator and keep it raw!

then eat your kale.  FOR DESSERT.  wow.

{dessert}

{oh yes}

m thought the whole chocolate + kale thing was maybe a bit too far out.  until he snuck one of the pan before i could snap a photo and his eyes lit up.  maybe sometimes far out turns out to be just what you need.

{purple kale}

also, i just want to give the gorgeous purple kale a little love - look at it!  isn't it beautiful?  and i love the bright green of the inner stem peeking through.  this kale comes to you from my final csa delivery of the year.  i'm so thankful to be involved in a great farm share and am looking forward to next june's first arrival already!  but thankfully i've got a whole lot of squash and pumpkins and carrots & potatoes to tide me over for a good while.

shared at diet, dessert and dogs wellness weekend.