Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe 

This viral Dubai Pistachio Chocolate Chocolate Bar recipe is a delicious, indulgent treat that combines rich dark chocolate with a delightful mix of crunchy pistachios, toasted kataifi pastry, tahini, and velvety pistachio cream!

If you are on social media at all, you no doubt have seen the viral videos of Dubai chocolate bars. The bars are broken in half to reveal a kataifi and pistachio cream-laden gooey filling.

The recipe went viral on TikTok last year, where the name "Dubai Chocolate Bar" originated. The original version, from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is called "Can't Get Knafeh Of It" and was created by Sarah Hamouda, the owner of Fix Dessert Chocolatier.

To make this recipe, you'll need a Dubai chocolate bar mold and pistachio cream spread, which I couldn't find locally. I purchased both on Amazon. I then developed my own pistachio cream recipe because I was too impatient to wait a week for it to get here, can anyone relate?

I expected tempering the chocolate to be the most challenging part, especially since I don't have a lot of experience making candy. Luckily, I found a super easy microwave chocolate tempering method that you can use too!

So, instead of paying $25-$60 for a single Dubai chocolate bar, spend a fraction of the cost and make 4 large chocolate bars to share with your family and friends!

Jump to:

• 😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
• 🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
• 🍫 How to Make Dubai Pistachio Chocolate Bars
• 🍮 More Middle Eastern Desserts
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
• 🍮 More Middle Eastern Desserts
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Dubai pistachio chocolate bars are delicious and not as hard to prepare as you might think!
• This recipe can be broken down into easy manageable steps!
• You can surprise your family or friends with their first taste of this viral Dubai pistachio chocolate bar recipe!

🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chocolate: Choose from milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. Choose the highest quality chocolate with the least amount of ingredients. I used dark chocolate because I didn't want the bars to be too sweet.
• Kataifi Pastry Dough: Also called shredded phyllo dough, kataifi is not filo pastry, it's thin spun strands of pastry that resemble shredded wheat or vermicelli. It can be found in the freezer aisle with phyllo dough and puff pastry. If you can't find it at your local grocery store, check a Middle Eastern market, a Greek market, or make it from scratch using my kataifi pastry recipe.
• Pistachio Cream: Pistachio cream is sometimes referred to as pistachio butter, but the two are not the same. Pistachio butter is a nut butter made by grinding pistachios until smooth. You want to use pistachio cream, which also includes cream (or milk), sweetener, oil, and occasionally white chocolate. You can purchase pistachio cream on Amazon, or make it from scratch using my pistachio cream recipe!
• Pistachios: Add crushed pistachios for a lovely texture contrast and a salty-sweet flavor. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can leave them out.
• Tahini: Tahini adds a hint of nuttiness and balances out the sweetness of the filling. I also have a tahini paste recipe, should you need it!
• Ghee: I love the flavor of ghee, which is clarified butter. You may substitute with unsalted butter.
• Sea Salt: Sea salt is optional, but if you are using raw, unsalted pistachios, a little salt will enhance the flavor of the filling.
• Optional: I intended to add cardamom to the filling, but forgot to. 🥲 Since it's found in most Middle Eastern desserts, it only makes sense to add it to Dubai chocolate bars. You can also add rosewater to the filling. This floral flavor can be added sparingly to give your bar a Middle Eastern aroma.
• Silicone Mold: You can't make legit Dubai chocolate bars without Dubai chocolate bar molds. They're relatively inexpensive and can be used to make more chocolate bars in the future so they're nice to have!

🍫 How to Make Dubai Pistachio Chocolate Bars

Step 1: If you can't find katifi dough, make it from scratch using my recipe, but you only need half a batch (8 ounces). Slice kataifi in 1" sections then add to a pan with ghee and stir continuously until golden brown (see photos). Add chopped pistachios the last few minutes, then allow to cool.

Step 2: Meanwhile, chop chocolate wafers so that they melt easier and add them to a plastic bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until ½ of the chocolate is melted. At that point, stir the chocolate vigorously for a few minutes until completely melted.

Pro Tip: For a detailed video on how to temper chocolate with a microwave, check out this helpful tutorial!

Step 3: Brush the inside of the chocolate bar silicone mold with melted chocolate, paying special attention to the corners and sides, then refrigerate for 15 minutes until set.

Step 4: Once the kataifi is cool, add to a bowl and mix with pistachio cream, tahini, salt (if needed) and 1 teaspoon cardamom, if using. Once the chocolate in the mold has set, distribute one ¼ of the pistachio filling between each section of the mold and flatten with a spatula. Place in the fridge to firm up for 10 minutes, then fill the mold the rest of the way with the chocolate and smooth with a rubber spatula or an offset spatula.

Pro Tip: If the chocolate hardens while working with it, temper in the microwave the same way you did the first time. It should only need 15-20 seconds to liquify.

Step 5: Once the chocolate has set, gently dislodge the chocolate bar from the silicone chocolate mold and enjoy!

Pro Tip: If you prefer a greener, squishier filling, add more pistachio cream. Also keep in mind, some brands of pistachio cream are greener than others.

🍮 More Middle Eastern Desserts

There are so many exotic and delicious Middle Eastern desserts and pastries to try, but where to begin? This Middle Eastern baklawa recipe is a personal favorite! Atayef are made with mini pancakes, stuffed with nuts, fried, and drenched in syrup. Cheese Kunafa is another recipe that uses kataifi pastry, but it's filled with cheese and drizzled with sweet syrup. Finally, if you love shortbread, you have to try these cardamom shortbread cookies (shakar lama).

🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

• Start with premium dark or milk chocolate. The base of your chocolate will impact the final taste, so choose a good-quality chocolate with a cocoa percentage that suits your taste.
• Chopped dates can be added to the filling to add another flavor dimension.
• For an elegant touch, use edible gold or silver leaf to decorate your chocolates. This adds a luxurious and festive flair, typical of Dubai’s opulent style.
• Pay a little extra chocolate to the corners of the mold to keep the corners from cracking as the chocolate bar is being unmolded. 
• Make sure the filling is pushed into the corners so that the corners are not hollow, which can also make the chocolate snap off when the chocolate bar is being unmolded. 
• After making your chocolates, wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in an airtight container in the fridge to preserve their freshness. Bring them to room temperature before consuming so the filling isn't too hard.
• My filling recipe is not overly wet, which I feel is necessary to give the Dubai chocolate bars some structure. However, if you prefer a squishier center, you can add more pistachio cream. 

🍮 More Middle Eastern Desserts

If you enjoy this Dubai pistachio chocolate bar recipe, check out these other Middle Eastern desserts!

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📖 Recipe