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Kale Brownies

Kale brownies: Many would ask, “Why?” We say, “Why not?” We’re not trying to hide anything over here, but if you’re going to eat brownies anyway, why not get your daily dose of greens at the same time?

kale

 

We first made these brownies for Kale-a-Palooza, a party thrown by Food Bloggers Los Angeles. Our meeting table was filled with every imaginable kind of kale dish, including salads, rice dishes, pizzas, hummus, muffins, and even cocktails. Basically, all you need to know is that this sturdy leafy green goes well in just about anything.

These brownies are not pretending to be healthy. And sure, if you put enough sugar, butter, and chocolate in anything, you can “hide” the taste of greens. But there’s something about how moist and rich these brownies are that we can only attribute to the kale.

In a perfect world, we would have taken pictures of these brownies with beautiful bunches of  leafy greens in the background. But they were all gone too soon for us to get any decent shots. How delicious are they? We got the ultimate compliment on them from our 9-year-old: “Mom, can you make some more of those kale brownies for my sleepover tonight?” (And here’s an interesting question: If he served them to his friends, would he tell them what’s in them?)

Kale Brownies Recipe

Adapted from The Baked Brownie by the Brown-Eyed Baker

5 from 2 votes
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Kale Brownies

Amazingly delicious and fudgy kale brownies - yes, kale! - that kids will happily eat.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword brownies, kale
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch kale
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces dark chocolate
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 eggs at room temperature, beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Wash the kale and pat it dry. Gently tear the leafy portion away from the thick stems. Place the kale leaves in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes or until wilted. Place the wilted kale in a food processor and puree the kale. Drain any excess liquid and set aside the kale. You should have about 1 cup of kale.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.

  3. In the top of a large double boiler, melt the butter, the chocolate chips, and the dark chocolate together, stirring until evenly melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let it sit until it cools to room temperature. Add the eggs, kale, sugars, and vanilla and mix with the chocolate mixture until combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture until just barely combined, taking care not to over-mix.

  4. Prepare a 13″x 9″ pan by greasing it with butter and then lining it with parchment paper. Carefully pour the brownie batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

These brownies were so good we’ve been making them again and again. In fact, it’s amazing how this brownie recipe has held up. It continues to be one of the most popular recipes on Jolly Tomato. And we never need an excuse. National Kale Day? Why not? We’ve got the perfect brownies for that.

Like them? Share them with your friends on Pinterest by using the pin below!

Kale brownies (really!) that kids will love.

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22 Responses to Kale Brownies

  1. Valentina January 14, 2013 at 11:40 am #

    These are a big hit! Delicious!

    • Jeanne January 14, 2013 at 11:58 am #

      Thanks – yep, they were gobbled up!

  2. Jeanette January 14, 2013 at 1:47 pm #

    I would never think to put kale in brownies – brilliant!

  3. amee January 15, 2013 at 11:10 am #

    This is such a smart idea!!

    • Jeanne January 15, 2013 at 11:28 am #

      Thanks, Amee and Jeannette! I think all in all they are not the healthiest thing you’d ever eat but it is one way to get your daily dose of kale…

  4. Christa January 19, 2013 at 6:29 am #

    temperature?

    • Jeanne January 19, 2013 at 7:35 am #

      Hi Christa – Thanks for stopping by! Bake at 350 degrees.

  5. Christa January 19, 2013 at 8:37 am #

    Thank you for the prompt response, I figured it from other recipies. Now another question, I liked the batter and it was tasty (after putting in the oven) but then I realize I had not put the sugars in, so I checked the recipie instructions and realized that it is not there either. The brownies are in the oven as I type, so I am a bit nervous…. I will let you know so you can make a note or adjustment in the recipie. The first kale-brownie recipie I ever encounter was from a blogger in Portland Oregon who grewo so much kale from her home tiny space that decided to experimient. Never found her site again, so I am so glad you have this post and now I discovered your blog which looks interesting.

    • Jeanne January 19, 2013 at 8:49 am #

      Yes – the sugars get mixed in with the egg mixture!

  6. tina@theunprocess January 22, 2013 at 6:17 am #

    Ok, I just made these last night. They are by far the best brownies I’ve ever had on the planet Earth! If you remember, we met at Kale-a-palooza and I could not stop raving about them then. Thanks for this winning recipe!

    • Jeanne January 22, 2013 at 6:47 am #

      Wow – Thank you so much, Tina! Great to meet you!!

  7. Dorothy at ShockinglyDelicious January 26, 2013 at 9:30 am #

    Oh yeah, these were GOOOOOD!

  8. Guylaine January 28, 2013 at 12:09 pm #

    Oh my gosh!!!! These are outrageously delicious. I modified the recipe a little: used coconut oil instead of butter and 1 cup of agave syrup instead of the white sugar and they turned out divine. Thank you for posting this. My kids will inhale these as soon as they get home from school, I have no doubt.

    • Jeanne January 28, 2013 at 12:34 pm #

      Thank you – glad to hear it, and love to hear about these additions!

  9. Judy at Two Broads Abroad January 29, 2013 at 8:40 am #

    Who know kale could be this sinfully delicious. Will use this recipe to trick my nephews into eating greens.

  10. the brownies April 18, 2014 at 5:09 am #

    Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Thanks for providing this information.

  11. domain September 30, 2014 at 7:36 pm #

    Great post.

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