This Pistachio Chocolate Bar, aka Dubai Chocolate Bar, is sweet, rich, and full of nutty filling. The tahini and pistachio inside perfectly complement the milk chocolate in this easy recipe.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I just love this viral Dubai chocolate bar. Being a bit of a chocoholic, I can’t get enough of the unique flavors in this pistachio filled bar. You are going to love making this treat and it’s really easy. Plus, these are great to wrap up and give away as gifts for holidays and celebrations.
- TASTE: Sweet chocolate surrounds nutty filling that tastes like sesame seeds and pistachios. The melted butter and pastry dough add a buttery rich flavor.
- TEXTURE: The chocolate is smooth and creamy. And the pistachio filling is creamy with tiny shreds of phyllo dough for a little crunch.
- TIME: It takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to make.
- EASE: This is a really easy recipe that just requires a little time for letting the chocolate set.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Pistachio cream– This creamy paste is nutty and slightly sweet.
- Tahini– This is a sesame seed paste that adds nutty, slightly bitter flavor.
- Kataifi– You can use this or shredded phyllo dough to add a crunchy texture to the insides of these Dubai chocolate bars.
- Butter- Use unsalted for this recipe.
- Milk chocolate- About 4 chocolate bars melted.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute the kataifi- Use phyllo dough in place of this if you can’t find it in stores.
- Use different chocolate- You can also make this with white chocolate, dark chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate.
- Substitute the nuts- Instead of pistachio cream, you can use creamy peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. Even Nutella can work.
- Swirl the chocolate- Make a milk chocolate and white chocolate swirl for the top layer of the chocolate bars for a prettier appearance.
How to Make Pistachio Chocolate Bar
- Prep the chocolate. Melt half of your milk chocolate in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl. Tip:
- Add it to the mold. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into your chocolate bar molds and let the excess drip off into a bowl.
- Allow them to harden. Now place that chocolate filled mold in the fridge to harden.
Pro Tip: If you want to achieve a hard clean snap when the chocolate sets, temper your chocolate by not letting it go past 90 degrees Fº.
- Make the filling. Chop up the shredded phyllo dough and place it in a pan with the melted butter over medium heat. Stir until the shredded phyllo is golden and crispy.
- Add the tahini an pistachio. Place the crispy phyllo shreds into a large bowl and mix it with the tahini and pistachio cream.
- Add the filling to the chocolate. Once the chocolate firmed up, remove it from the fridge and spread a layer of the pistachio filling on top. Leave a little border empty on the edges.
- Pour the rest of the melted chocolate on top. Give it a good shake to smooth it out with an offset spatula. Then scrape off the extra with a bench scraper and let it set in the fridge for about an hour or until fully set and hard.
Recipe Tips
- Check the temp with a thermometer- If you’re tempering the chocolate, then make sure to check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remelt the chocolate- You can re-melt the chocolate drippings from the top layer for the bottom layer.
- Leave a border around the filling- Leave a little border empty on the edges so that the filling won’t ooze out later.
- Smooth out the bottom- Use a spatula and scraper to smooth out the bottom and get off any excess chocolate for a clean look.
FAQs
What flavor pairs well with pistachio?
Pistachio is delicious with chocolate of any variety, as well as with citrus, dried fruits like apricots and dates, or spices like cardamom and clove.
What is Dubai chocolate made of?
Made famous on Tik Tok, the Dubai chocolate bar is made of milk chocolate surrounding knafeh, also called kunafa, which is a creamy pistachio filling that is made with shreds of kataifi that add crunchy texture.
Serving Suggestions
This Pistachio Chocolate Bar is sweet, rich, and perfectly balanced with nutty flavor. You can enjoy it with coffee, after a meal, and with other desserts for a delicious treat.
- Main dishes: Enjoy these after a delicious meal of Pork Crown Roast, Panko Crusted Salmon, Lemon Chicken Piccata, or Cast Iron Ribeye Steak.
- Cakes: Serve these chocolate dates with a slice of Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO), Coffee Chocolate Mousse, No Bake Mini Cheesecakes (VIDEO), or Chocolate Lava Cake (Video).
- Cookies: Enjoy them alongside some Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Chewy Nutella Cookies, or Chocolate Meringue Cookies.
- Beverages: Pair these stuffed dates with a hot tea or coffee, or try them with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prepare the bottom mold of chocolate ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to fill it.
Storing: Store any leftover Pistachio Chocolate Bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will last for up to a week.
Freeze: You can freeze these in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Yummy Chocolate Treats!
Full Recipe Instructions
Pistachio Chocolate Bar (Dubai Chocolate)
This Pistachio Chocolate Bar, aka Dubai Chocolate Bar, is deliciously sweet with a creamy, rich, nutty filling. It's the perfect sweet treat!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 781kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Pistachio cream
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 1 1/2 cup kataifi shredded phyllo dough
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 16 oz milk chocolate melted (about 4 chocolate bars)
Instructions
- Melt half of your milk chocolate in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl. Tip: If you want to achieve a hard clean snap when the chocolate sets, temper your chocolate by not letting it go past 90 degrees Fº. Check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer.
- Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into your chocolate bar molds and let the excess drip off into a bowl. (you can re-melt the chocolate drippings for the top layer).
- Now place that chocolate filled mold in the fridge to harden.
- In the meantime, make the filling. Chop up the shredded phyllo dough and place it in a pan with the melted butter over medium heat. Stir until the shredded phyllo is golden and crispy.
- Place the crispy phyllo shreds into a large bowl and mix it with the tahini and pistachio cream.
- Once the chocolate firmed up, remove it from the fridge and spread a layer of the pistachio filling on top. Leave a little border empty on the edges so that it won’t ooze out later.
- Now melt the remaining half of your milk chocolate and pour it on top. Give it a good shake to smooth it out with an offset spatula. Then scrape off the extra with a bench scraper and let it set in the fridge for about an hour or until fully set and hard.
Nutrition
Calories: 781kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 138mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 3mg
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Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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Kelly says
I’ve made your recipe for these so many times I have it memorized by now. It’s just so, so tasty and that crunch from the knafeh is everything!
Dina says
Yes! That khanef really makes it so much better. You are so kind Kelly! That makes me so happy to hear that you love my Dubai chocolate bar recipe so much! I really appreciate your support and I hope you find more recipes to enjoy from my food blog! 🙂
Erica says
This was simple and yummy…. I brought the knafeh l and kataifa products from Amazon and got the chocolate mold from my tiktok shop. The rest I got from my local grocery store. Definitely going to make this for the holidays but be warned… only make this for people you really love!!! It’s sooo yummy!!
Dina says
Haha only the people you love! So true! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe so much 🙂
Sandy P says
I made but didn’t have the candy bar mold, so I used cupcake papers and placed in muffin tins. Poured a small amount of melted chocolate and cooled in fridge. I also used regular unsalted pistachios that I soaked in hot water for 40 minutes, drained well and mixed with 1/4 c sugar, 2 T butter, and 4-5 T cream and mixed with immersion blender. Stirred in 2T tahini, then incorporated the browned shredded phyllo dough(in 2T butter). Put that layer over chocolate in muffin cups, chilled and then poured chocolate to cover. Just used melted white chips tinted green and zigzag pattern over top. They were go good!
Dina says
Wow that is amazing! I am so happy that you were able to improvise and make it work 🙂
Alana says
I have followed your recipe but two attempts the kataifi went soggy and unpalatable during setting or combining with pistachio cream. Help please 😭🥺
Dina says
That is so odd. I think you just need to get it super duper crispy before adding in the pistachio cream. Just be careful not to burn it. I hope that helps.
Angela says
Mine also got soggy, I think the next time I try I will not mix the pistachio cream and kataifi but will put a layer of pistachio and then the crispy kataifi.
Nancy says
What size mold do you use for this recipe? what is the volume of each cavity in the mold?
Dina says
Hi Nancy 🙂 I am not too sure on the volume for each cavity in the mold. I do have a link to the molds in the recipe card though. I hope that helps. I hope you get a chance to make these. They are delicious! 🙂
Philipp says
What is one cup in Gramm,pls?
Kyung says
The recipe states to melt 1/2 of the chocolate but never states what to do with the other half. I’m sure I missed something, could you please clarify.
Dina says
Hi, thank you for your question. So sorry for the confusion. In step 7 you will need to melt the other half of the chocolate and pour it over the pistachio filling and then let it set in the fridge.
Joy says
Hiya! Thanks for the recipe. My question is, in step 1 it says “melt half of your milk chocolate”, when do I use the other half please? Thanks.
Dina says
Hi Joy, great question! So sorry for the confussion. You will need to melt the other half of the chocolate in step 7 🙂
Juliane says
I used 3 cups of kataifi which resulted in an incredibly crunchy and delicious texture! This is a fantastic recipe that I highly recommend everyone try. I sourced my chocolate from Trader Joe’s (the 1-pound bulk option), kataifi and tahini from a local farmer’s market, and pistachio cream from Amazon. While the ingredients can be a bit tricky to find, the effort is absolutely worth it. I also enjoy eating the filling on its own—it’s that good!
Dina says
Hi Juliane 🙂 I am so glad that you found my recipe and were able to make this Dubai chocolate bar recipe! The ingredients can require a little more time than usual but I completely agree that it is worth it! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback! 🙂
Melissa Sears says
Hi, do I have to use the tahini ? What will happen if I don’t use it?
Thank you for your response!
Dina says
Hi Melissa, you can totally omit the tahini. I have made it without it and it still tastes amazing!
Roxy Arakelyan says
I HAVEN’T TRIED THIS YET BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SIMPLE YET SO INFORMATIVE RECIPE
Dina says
You are very welcome Roxy! I am happy to hear you find this recipe simple to follow. You have to give this Dubia chocolate a try! Please let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Anthony says
I just made these and they were delicious! I thought it might be overhyped but after trying them myself these chocolate bars are something else.
Dina says
I am so glad you loved this recipe Anthony. I will be honest, when I first saw the viral videos of this chocolate I was skeptical that it would be overhyped, but I am a true addict now 😆 Its so good!!
Alicia says
Thanks for sharing! May I ask if tahini is really needed and what is the purpose of it?
Dina says
Hi Alicia 🙂 You can omit the tahini if you don’t have it or don’t want to add it. It adds a little bit of sesame seed flavor. I hope that helps and I hope you give this recipe a try! 🙂
Abby says
Hi Dina,
This recipe is so tasty. I’m just wondering about the calorie count… is it 781 calories per bar or for the 6 bars? This might seem like a silly question but I’ve seen foods be as high as that per serving!! Thanks for the help.
Dina says
Hi Abby, the calorie amount is an estimate based off of all the chocolate. There will be some melted chocolate leftover so realistically it should be less than that. This should be for 1 bar. I know it is on the higher end due to the high fat in the pistachio cream. I think it worth trying though 🙂
Krystal says
This recipe was very tasty. I haven’t tried the actual bar from Dubai, so I can’t compare. But I can say this recipe is a keeper. I had a hard time finding pistachio cream. So, I ended up making it myself. Everything came together nicely.
Dina says
Hi Krystal 🙂 That is so incredible that you made your own pistachio cream! I know it can be quite hard to find due to high demand right now. I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the kind feedback 🙂