Dubai Style Chocolate Treats

by LEON BOUTEILLER

For Valentine’s Day I suggest something appropriate for the occasion. There are the usual choices of chocolate cakes and cookies. There are multitudes of strawberry concoctions and candies of all descriptions. So which one to choose this year?

Dubai chocolates have become a worldwide sensation over the last couple of years. Originated in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, and developed by chef Nouel Omamalin and Sarah Hamouda, an engineer with a pastry shop in 2021. They marketed the product in 2022, a candy bar like a dessert.

They combined chocolate with a filling of pistachio, kataifi, the shredded phyllo dough for crunch, and tahini sesame paste. It soon became fashionable in high end dessert bars in Dubai.

The chocolate treat took on a life of its own. Mimicry went viral on the internet with many versions of the chocolate bar. Pastry chefs around the world introduced versions including, but not limited to, cakes, cookies and ice cream.

This unparalleled rise in popularity caused a shortage of pistachios and a rise in price. If you’ve purchased a bar of Dubai chocolate, it was not likely from the original producers but from one of the major chocolatiers such as Lindt. The bars usually have some decorative white and green swirls on the surface which are just white and green colored white chocolate.

How to make such a treat at home?

I thought there might be a simpler way. Many recipes require a silicone mold. I don’t have one and suggest you not purchase one. Kataifi phyllo dough is an ingredient not easy to find. Pistachio paste or cream is available and should be found where one can buy tahini sesame paste. You can make a serviceable substitute by grinding your own pistachios with a little confectioner sugar and some neutral oil. The solution to replacing kataifi is to use shredded wheat. It’s inexpensive, readily available and similar to the kataifi when toasted. I thought it an original idea until I found that others had similar thoughts. Darn it. Another challenge is the chocolate bar mold. So, to get around that, I use muffin papers. A silicone muffin pan would work but the papers make individual or bite sized pieces.

Just a note about ingredients; use the large shredded wheat biscuits for this recipe not the spoon size; they leave too many hard nuggets. Crush the shredded wheat by hand just until uniform and still thread-like. Use quality chocolate bars not chocolate chips. Most chips have substances to keep them from melting uniformly

DUBAI STYLE CHOCOLATE TREATS
Makes approximately 16 pieces

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup pistachio butter (may be called cream)

  • 1 tablespoon tahini sesame paste

  • 2 ¼ cups crushed shredded wheat

  • 2 tablespoons butter or ghee

  • 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, rough chopped

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

  • ¼ cup shelled and salted pistachios, chopped

  • 16 paper muffin/baking cups

Method:

  • Toast the crushed shredded wheat in a shallow pan with the butter for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat until toasted and fragrant. Stir often and do not let it get dark brown

  • Gently mix the pistachio butter and the tahini into the toasted shredded wheat until uniform. Cool completely or refrigerate 15 minutes

  • Put the chocolate and coconut oil in a stainless steel or glass bowl over, not in, simmering water and gently melt until combined and fluid. Remove from heat

  • Arrange the muffin cups on a sheet pan or in a muffin tin and measure one tablespoon of the melted chocolate onto the bottom of each. Refrigerate 15 minutes to set

  • After the chocolate has set, place a scant tablespoon of the pistachio shredded wheat filling in the center of each prepared muffin cup

  • Top each pistachio filled muffin cup with a tablespoon of the melted chocolate. You may need to reheat the chocolate a little at this point

  • Sprinkle a few pieces of chopped pistachio on top of the still moist chocolate

  • Cool completely or refrigerate for a few minutes to completely set

  • Serve the treats in the muffin papers or turn them out and arrange on a doily lined platter

You could drizzle a little melted white chocolate decoratively across the top of each treat for drama but they will taste delicious either way. These are a close approximation of the real thing. If pistachio isn’t your thing, substitute peanut or almond butter for the pistachio.

Once you have a handle on how to make these treats, you can vary the flavors by using other nuts, different chocolates, flavor extracts and spices such as cinnamon or cardamom. These treats will save you a few dollars and you’ll have the satisfaction of making your own.

Enjoy!

Leon G Bouteiller was born and raised in Northwest Connecticut. He has held several jobs as chef in the community. He is now retired and living in Cornwall with his wife Patrice and a love of the outdoors. They are joined by their pets, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog named Banjo and two rescue cats called Ricky and Lucy.

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