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Crispy Cocoa Kale Chips

When you can’t decide whether to categorize a recipe as a “dessert” because it’s so delicious, or a “salad” because it’s so healthy… that’s a good problem to have.

This is, in fact, not the first time I have used kale + chocolate on this blog, nor is it the second time. Seriously guys, chocolate and kale are the perfect combination, and these dessert kale chips are the best example of this fact.

What we’re doing here is making a simple 2-minute chocolate coconut sauce from “one ingredient” foods, dipping some kale pieces into it, and baking them to crispy perfection. It works beautifully and the end result tastes more like a piece of candy than a salad. The most delicious kale I’ve ever had.

Chocolate and kale, people… it’s the new thing.

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Makes about 20 small chips

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 cups torn kale leaves
  • 1/2 cup coconut butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • Shredded coconut, for garnish

Preheat the oven to a low 250º F

Step One

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut butter (which is just the pureed flesh of a coconut, and can be found near nut butters in your grocery store) with the cocoa powder, maple syrup, a drizzle of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Warm this over low heat and stir regularly until everything is all melted. Also, add a little bit of water here (2-4 tablespoons) until you have a consistency that is smooth but not runny. Turn off the heat.

Step Two

Meanwhile, tear up a few kale leaves into pieces about 2 inches size until you have 20-25 of these chips. Then, once the chocolate sauce is melted and slightly cooled, add the kale pieces right into the saucepan with the chocolate sauce. Once the sauce is cool enough, spend a minute or two massaging the sauce into the leaves with your hands to get a thin and even coating.

Step Three

Transfer the leaves onto a baking sheet and bake until crispy… which is the hardest part of this recipe. Depending on how much sauce is covering the chips and the placement in your oven, this can take anywhere between 25-50 minutes. After 25 minutes, I pull them out every 5-10 minutes and remove the ones that are crispy, leaving the others to bake further.

(Note: If any chips have big clumps of sauce, they are unlikely to ever become crispy, so ensure you shake off the excess before baking.)

Step Four

The coconut butter gives these guys a nice subtle coconut tone underneath the chocolate, and adding a dusting of shredded coconut is the perfect way to finish these chips. Do this just when they come out of the oven for best results. Serve within 24 hours for maximum crispiness.

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11 Comments

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  1. Hi Andrew, I was wondering if you could use coconut oil instead of coconut butter in the Krispy Cocoa Kale Chips?

    • Hi Marvae! Thanks for stopping by :). Hmm, you might have a hard time with coconut oil, unfortunately. Coconut butter has fiber and pulp from the coconut so it creates a more gooey consistency in this sauce, whereas oil is way too runny when heated. The butter also tastes better and is healthier – it’s a great ingredient to have around! 😉

    • Yes, the definitely have it at Whole Foods. There’s a brand called Artisana which is great and it’s usually near the nut butters.

  2. HAVE TO try these!!! thanks 😉

    question – I usually make the coconut butter from shavings by putting them in a food processor until it’s like butter – same thing right? 🙂

    • Hi Andie! I hope you love them! 🙂

      Honestly, I don’t really know the exact process of making coconut butter. That sounds about right though… as long as it’s a very dry but buttery consistency, you should be good!

  3. These look so delicious! Can’t wait to try a sweet version of the kale chip. Have you tried kale butter? I just posted a recipe on my blog today – but now I am wondering if I could replace the butter with coconut butter. Thanks for the inspiration!

    • Haha, I’ve never heard of Kale butter – very cool! 🙂 Yes, I’m sure coconut oil would be a great alternative to butter.

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