Originally published: 2025-03-03T21:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.
Love chocolate? We do, too! We know food is fuel, but it’s also joy, comfort, excitement, tradition and more. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but it doesn’t have to be a holiday to enjoy a sweet treat. Balance is the key for healthy eating habits.
Poly what?
Polyphenols are plant compounds that may reduce inflammation and are full of antioxidants which can help prevent damage to your body’s cells. Dark chocolate and grapes are sources of polyphenols.
Truffle imposters
These little treats give us our polyphenols in a double dose! Check out this 1-minute video by VHA’s Healthy Teaching Kitchen demonstrating how to prepare Truffle Imposters. Truffle Imposters are chocolate covered grapes that look like chocolate truffles! We prefer red grapes in this recipe as it’s less noticeable if a little bit of the grape isn’t fully coated in chocolate, but any color of grape will taste great.
This recipe is faster and more forgiving to make than individually dipping pieces of fruit in chocolate. A big key to success is making sure that each grape is dry prior to coating them in chocolate. When you offer this treat to your friends and family, do you think will they be surprised to find that’s it’s a grape and not filled with chocolate?!
Hungry for more?
Hungry for more information, tips and ideas for how to have a healthy relationship with Food and Drink, and to fuel your own wellness journey? Check out this Introduction to Food and Drink for Whole Health, Healthy Tips on Eating Out and Grocery Shopping, or this Veteran’s experience with healthy cooking classes at her local VA. For more recipes, please visit VA’s Nutrition and Food Services.
Recipe
Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 0 minutes | Total: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings | Serving Size: About ½ cup of grapes
Ingredients
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
12 ounces red grapes
1-3 teaspoons cocoa powder
Directions
1. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 15 second intervals, stirring with a spatula in between. (Stop heating when 80% of the chocolate is melted; you will see a few small pieces; continue to stir and use the heat from the sides of the bowl to fully melt the rest)
2. Place the grapes in a large bowl. Drizzle with some of the chocolate. Stir and shake the grapes to coat them.
3. Once it looks like the chocolate is set, add more chocolate. Repeat until the grapes are well coated and all of the chocolate is used.
4. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and shake the bowl to coat the grapes.
Recipe notes
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 175 | Total Fat: 7.4 g | Saturated Fat: 4.4 g | Sodium: 2 mg | Total Carbohydrate: 29 g | Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g | Protein: 2.3 g
Make sure the grapes are very dry. If they are not dry, the chocolate will not stick. The estimated nutrition facts assumes that 25% of the chocolate is lost to the mixing bowls/coating process.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
