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Dubai Chocolate Bar is the viral treat that’s fun to recreate at home. My recipe includes detailed instructions and features toasted kataifi pastry, pistachio cream, tahini, and dark chocolate.
The Dubai chocolate bar is one of those viral sensations that really speaks to our Middle Eastern dessert loving souls! The bar began 2024 and continues to be an obsession, with its tremendously good blend of flavors, textures, and visual appeal. This candy bar homemade is the next best thing to the actual bar from Dubai. Following my simple steps, you can make your own do it yourself version of the viral Dubai chocolate bar and have a great time making, eating, and sharing!
What is the Dubai Chocolate Bar?
The Dubai chocolate bar showcases a combination of melted chocolate layered with a crunchy kataifi and pistachio cream filling, evoking the essence of many Middle Eastern desserts. What I love most about the bar are the nutty flavors you get with the toasty, crispy texture of the kataifi mixed with pistachios in cream form. I find dark chocolate the best with the bar to balance the sweetness of the filling. With the molds and ingredients become much more readily available, you can put together your own beautiful bar and have a taste of what has captured the hearts of food trends enthusiasts worldwide.
Biting into the bar delivers a crunchy pure bliss of pistachio butter combined with golden brown toasted kataifi and tahini. One bite and you will understand why this bar is such a viral treat!
Ingredient Notes
Creating the ultimate Dubai chocolate bar requires some very specific ingredients. Hereโs a breakdown of what youโll need to make your bar a success:
- Chocolate: You can choose from dark chocolate or milk chocolate, depending on your preference. Use high-quality chocolate varieties (generally in bars) for the best experience in making your own chocolate bar and especially for the best flavor.
- Kataifi: This pastry dough is often referred to as shredded phyllo dough, but it’s actually its own form of pastry that is not made from phyllo. The light, thin shreds create a delightful crunch. You can find kataifi in Middle Eastern grocery stores in the freezer cabinet or online (there’s a version that’s already shredded!). Learn more about it in my Kataifi post.
- Pistachio Paste or Pistachio Cream: For that smooth pistachio filling, use jarred pistachio cream (I like this brand). You can also make your own following my easy recipe for Pistachio Cream (you’ll only need half of the cream for the bars recipe here).
- Colored chocolate drizzle: this element of the bar is totally optional, but fun and lovely. Use white chocolate and color half of it with food coloring (I use green!) for the drizzle effect.
Be sure to have chocolate bar molds (see my favorites in the recipe card; there are many available, thanks to the viral chocolate bar craze), a pastry brush, and a microwave-safe bowl (a large bowl) handy for melting your chocolate easily.
Tips for Success & Variations
The DIY Dubai chocolate bar recipe can be simple if you follow the steps, but here are some tips for success:
- Chocolate Melting Method: I like to use the microwave to melt the chocolate in short increments. You can temper your chocolate by adding more finely chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate. Allow that to melt at room temperature as you stir occasionally. This is a great way to get a snappy, shiny bar that does not need to be refrigerated to stay solid and cohesive. You can also melt chocolate using a double boiler, keeping the steam at medium heat and stirring continuously until your chocolate is perfectly melted.
- Drizzling the decorative white chocolate: when you drizzle the white chocolate into the molds, the first drops off the spoon are generally too much. To solve this, place a piece of parchment under the molds. Then allow that first drops or two to hit the parchment, not the interior of the mold. Start drizzling across the molds from there.
- Layering: Be sure to coat the bottom and sides of your chocolate molds evenly with melted chocolate. You do not want excess chocolate here. After allowing it to set in the freezer (or at room temperature, which takes a little longer), you’ll add add the crispy kataifi and pistachio filling. After that, pour more of the melted chocolate over the top.
- Donโt Rush: Allow your chocolate bar to cool completely and set before attempting to remove it from the molds. Patience is key to achieving set chocolate.
- Experiment with Flavors: For variations, you can add peanut butter or any of your favorite nut butters. Be sure that you thin it out enough to be able to stir it together with the toasted kataifi pieces. You can also give your bar even deeper Middle Eastern flair with spices like cardamom and cinnamon.
- Storing: Keep your chocolate bars in an airtight container at room temperature. If the chocolate is fudgy and melty, refrigerate or freeze for extended shelf life.
Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 ounces kataifi dough, room temperature
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 ounce white chocolate, finely chopped
- 14 ounces high quality dark chocolate, finely chopped from bars
- 1 7 oz jar of pistachio cream
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Chop the kataifi into 1-inch pieces. Rub them to separate the thin strands as much as possible.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped kataifi and cook, stirring constantly until it is evenly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the kataifi to a large bowl and add the pistachio cream, tahini, and salt. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
- Place the finely chopped white chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring the chocolate between each interval until there are only a few lumps of solid chocolate left. Allow the chocolate to rest at room temperature for a few minutes as the rest of the chocolate melts. If coloring the chocolate, place half in another small bowl and add a few drops of food coloring to one of the bowls. Stir well.
- Place the chocolate bar mold on a piece of parchment or wax paper on the counter. Drizzle the white chocolate and colored white chocolate, if using, evenly and lightly across the molds, starting off with the drizzle hitting the parchment so that the large first dollops that fall from the spoon do not hit the mold. Freeze the mold for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place 3/4 of the chopped dark chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and set aside the rest of the chopped chocolate. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring the chocolate between each interval until there are only a few lumps of solid chocolate left. Add the remaining chocolate and allow it to rest and melt at room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the molds from the freezer and pour about 1/4 of the dark chocolate into one mold and 1/4 of the dark chocolate into the other mold. Spread the chocolate with a pastry brush or turn the molds, making sure the chocolate comes up the sides evenly all the way around. Return the molds to the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
- Remove the molds from the freezer. Divide the kataifi-pistachio filling between the two molds and spread them evenly with an offset spatula. Divide the remaining chocolate between the two molds, pouring it over the filling. Spread them evenly. Leave the bards to set until solid for about 45 minutes, or freeze for 20 minutes.
- Carefully turn the chocolate bars out of the molds. Cut into pieces and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
