CHOCOLATE COVERED GRAPES

I will never forget the dopamine-surging flavor-rush when I ate my first chocolate covered grape from Old Kentucky Chocolates. I had never heard of such a thing until moving to Kentucky. Once I changed to a healthier diet, I had to stop buying their chocolates but no way could I stop eating chocolate covered grapes. I make these every Christmas and they are now a tradition.

Here's an excellent video by Dr. Greger discussing whether eating too much fruit is unhealthy. Of course, he is not including dried or chocolate covered fruit. Plain fresh fruit is best!

What to do:

-Wash and dry seedless grapes, preferably organic. They must be completely dry or the chocolate will seize.

-In a double boiler, melt dark chocolate using the highest percentage you find enjoyable. I used 3 bars of Trader Joe's organic 73% cacao super dark chocolate for a large package of grapes.

-Using your fingers to hold the grape (or you can insert a toothpick in the end), dip half of a grape, gently shake to remove excess chocolate, then place on a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all grapes are done. If you prefer you can stack the grapes on wooden skewers to dip and serve that way (since the skewers are long you will need to drizzle the chocolate on the skewered grapes using a spoon).

-When the tray is full, place in the freezer for 5 minutes or enough time for the chocolate to set.

-Remove grapes from tray and store in a container in the refrigerator.

Try dipping different fruits such as fresh bananas and berries or assorted dried fruits. Children can have fun decorating the dipped fruits so have some healthy toppings available such as finely chopped nuts and unsweetened coconut flakes.