The satisfying snap of smooth dark chocolate, followed by the rich filling of pistachio flavor, the crispy texture of ghee-toasted kataifi, all create a lovely combination for a chocolate bar. We’ve tasted many store-made bars, and most of them are not to our liking. The best ones we’ve tasted were made by small producers who live near us and sell them on social media. And now we’ve figured out our own recipe that we just love the taste of.
Since the brands and types of each of the individual ingredients have a massive impact on the final flavor outcome, you may need to tinker with that too. But for a bar that suits our taste, we’ll show you which brands and where to buy ingredients, how to temper chocolate, and show you what tools to use to make it accessible and fun!
What is the famous Dubai chocolate bar?
The Dubai chocolate bar first made waves on TikTok in 2024 when travelers in Dubai featured Fix Dessert Chocolatier’s famous crispy knafeh chocolate bar in hundreds of videos. People were enticed by the satisfying snaps of streamers breaking the bar in half and showing the vibrant green pistachio and crispy knafeh filling oozing out. What made the bar more desirable was its exclusivity–you could only get it in the already exclusive and luxurious city of Dubai!
Subsequently, we started to see the Dubai chocolate bar flavor combination in many overseas and local brands, like Trader Joe’s grocery stores (chocolate bar), Sidecar Doughnuts (donut), and Shake Shack (milkshake).
We’ve tried many Dubai chocolate bar dupes, and we were left unsatisfied. Many of the chocolate bars lacked the creamy texture in the filling, or there was no crispy texture at all; the pistachio flavor was not present or strong enough; the chocolate was too sweet; or the ratio between chocolate and filling was off-balance. The worst ones seemed to be the mass-produced grocery store chocolate bars, and better ones were the homemade, bought through social media chocolate bars.
It was too much of a crap shoot, so we made our own with plenty of trial and error, figuring out how to temper chocolate, learning where to source ingredients, and testing the proper ratio for the filling and shell.
Ingredients needed
Kataifi
Even though Fix Dessert Chocolatier calls it their “Crispy Knafeh Bar”, it’s an entirely different dessert from traditional Middle Eastern knafeh (shredded phyllo dough layered with cheese and doused with syrup); However, it gets its name from using the same crispy phyllo ingredient, kataifi.
Kataifi is shredded phyllo dough and gives the chocolate bar a crunchy, satisfying texture. Kataifi comes in many names: kadaif, kadayif, kadaifi, katayef, or kataïf. We used the Eastanbul brand online, but you may be able to find this at your local Arabic grocery store. Do not purchase vermicelli or any other pasta alternative (as others have suggested online) because they will not taste the same nor have the same texture.
Toast the kataifi with ghee in a skillet until it’s golden brown and aromatic. We prefer using ghee because it lowers the risk of burning and has a richer flavor. Always toast the kataifi the same day you make the Dubai chocolate bar, as toasting it the day before causes it to lose its crispiness overnight. We also recommend toasting the kataifi in a pan instead of a toaster oven because you don’t really save time and end up needing to babysit the toaster to prevent burning.
Pistachio cream & tahini
We tested Pisti pistachio cream, Nappi pistachio crunch, and Takam pistachio cream spread. We liked both Pisti and Nappi because the pistachio flavor was prominent without being too sweet. If you want more texture, use the Nappi because there are pieces of pistachio mixed into the cream. We prefer the smooth cream of the Pisti brand. The Takam brand had an odd aftertaste, and it was too sweet in a chocolate bar.
We also tried different brands of tahini (Baron’s, Mighty Sesame Co., and Sadaf), and found that the small amount of tahini used didn’t warrant too much critique. We ended up using Mighty Sesame Co. because it was organic and came in an easy-to-use squeeze bottle. In addition to the pistachio cream and tahini, we also added a pinch of kosher salt to enhance the flavor of the filling. If you don’t like salt with chocolate, you can omit it.
Chocolate
The best part about making the Dubai chocolate bar at home is getting to customize the chocolate. We’re a big dark chocolate household, and most premade Dubai chocolate bars come in milk or semi-sweet chocolate varieties. For this recipe, we used a blend of 63% and 72% Guittard dark chocolate chips.
Professional chocolatiers recommend using good-quality chocolate, like couverture chocolate discs for candy-making, but these can be very expensive. You can also opt for chocolate baking bars or premade chocolate bars as cheaper alternatives; just make sure they don’t have additional flavors.
Some professionals don’t recommend using baking chocolate chips because their formulations and ingredients make them challenging to melt and set into bars. However, our experience using Guittard baking chips was positive, and we didn’t find any issues with melting, tempering, molding, or setting the chocolate bars. This could be due to the high cocoa butter percentage for dark chocolate in general, and your results may change if you choose a semi-sweet or milk chocolate variety.
Avoid compound chocolate, such as anything labeled “candy melts” or “chocolate-flavored melting wafers,” as they often contain filler (coconut oil) instead of real cocoa butter, making them cheaper to produce. Compound chocolate is primarily used for dipping or making fondue, but attempting to use it for making chocolate bars will result in soft, matte bars.
Tools needed
To make Dubai chocolate at home, you’ll need some extra tools to ensure your candy-making experience goes smoothly:
- chocolate molds
- silicone spatulas
- heat-safe microwavable bowl
- metal bowl
- digital timer
- pan for toasting kataifi
- bench scraper
- digital kitchen scale
Kitchen scale
In this recipe, we measure ingredients by weight because it’s more precise and requires less cleanup. We use a precision scale by Acaia meant for coffee but any kitchen scale accurate to 1g or 2g will be suitable.
Chocolate bar molds
Our recipe makes three bars using 120 ml polycarbonate molds OR two bars using a 200 ml polycarbonate mold. Each bar will be approximately 2.756″ x 5.906″ x 0.787″. If you use a different mold, the ratios of ingredients may result in more excess chocolate or filling.
We recommend polycarbonate molds because the transparency allows you to spot any air gaps while filling the molds and observe when the chocolate is finished setting, as it releases from the mold. Once the chocolate is set, you can easily turn the mold over, and the chocolate pops out cleanly. Since chocolate naturally picks up on the surface of its molds, polycarbonate molds produce a glossier chocolate bar.
For a more affordable option, consider silicone molds, but be careful when releasing the chocolate bar, as it can break. We also didn’t like silicone because we couldn’t spot air pockets when pouring chocolate in, and the texture made it harder for the chocolate to stick to the vertical walls of the bar, resulting in thinner side walls.
Thermometer
When tempering chocolate, you need a thermometer to make sure you properly heat and cool the chocolate. You can use most instant-read thermometers that reach at least 130°F. For this recipe, we used an infrared thermometer, which is great because you don’t have to wash anything or keep wiping chocolate off in between taking temperatures, which we did often. But we’ve also used a probe and candy thermometers for this recipe, and they also work.
Tempering chocolate
Tempering is a practice of heating and cooling down chocolate to stabilize the fat crystals as it sets. While you can make this Dubai chocolate bar without tempering the chocolate, you will end up with dull-looking, blotchy, and sticky chocolate that can melt at room temperature and bend instead of snapping when breaking off a piece. If you want shiny, smooth chocolate bars that snap when you break them open, you’ll need to temper the chocolate before filling the molds.
There are various techniques to temper chocolate. One traditional method uses a double boiler to melt the chocolate to a specific temperature above 100°F (depending on the amount of cocoa butter), gradually cooling the chocolate on a slab of marble (or other cool, smooth surface) with a spatula until the temperature reaches 82°F, and then heating the chocolate back up to 88°F in the double boiler.
It’s important to note that varying cocoa butter percentages in the chocolate (dark, milk, bittersweet) affect the temperatures at which you temper due to fat crystals in the cocoa butter. Since tempering adds another step to making the chocolate bar, but we used a more straightforward method from chocolatier Konstantin Zsigo. Here is how we tempered our chocolate:
- Place a large metal bowl in the freezer.
- We used the microwave at half-power in one-minute intervals to melt the chocolate chips. After every minute, we stirred the chocolate to encourage melting and stopped once the chocolate reached 110°F (it took about 3 minutes of heating in the microwave). It’s okay if there are still unmelted chips because they will melt from the carryover heat.
- Transfer the bowl to a counter and stir the chocolate until the temperature reaches 88°F.
- Remove the metal bowl from the freezer and add a small amount of melted chocolate into the frozen bowl, about 40 grams or 2-3 tablespoons. Quickly use a spatula to cool down the chocolate in the metal bowl by gently spreading the chocolate on the cold sides of the bowl, scraping it off, mixing, and repeating.
- Once the chocolate has solidified, scrape the firm chocolate back into the bowl of melted chocolate. And stir to dissolve the solidified chocolate. This step introduces crystallized chocolate back into the melted chocolate. Check the temperature of the chocolate and make sure that it’s between 85-90°F.
- The chocolate is now ready to fill the molds.
Tips
- Use ghee when toasting the kataifi to prevent burning.
- Use good-quality chocolate, like Valrhona or Guittard, for good flavor and to make tempering easier. Do not use compound chocolate, as this won’t allow your chocolates to set properly due to their filler ingredients.
- Temper the chocolate to achieve a smooth and shiny finish.
- Use a polycarbonate mold because it creates a shinier chocolate bar than silicone molds, and the chocolate bars release more easily.
- Gently tap the chocolate after you fill the molds to reduce the air bubbles, and use a bench scraper or dull butter knife to scrape off extra chocolate from the mold.
- Check the bottom of the polycarbonate mold to see if the chocolate has fully released from the mold–this means it’s ready to remove and eat!
Making bars ahead of time
You can prepare this Dubai chocolate bar a day ahead and store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to two days. However, we recommend serving these chocolate bars as soon as possible, as storing them in the fridge for too long can alter the texture of the filling. If you have leftover filling, we recommend eating it with ice cream as a parfait!
Dubai Chocolate Bar
Ingredients
Toasting kataifi
- 42 g kataifi pastry
- 19.5 g ghee
Chocolate
- 510 g chocolate Guittard 63% chocolate chips
Filling
- 157.5 g pistachio cream Pisti brand
- 27 g tahini Mighty Sesame brand
- .1 g kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
Equipment Used
- 1 large heat-safe mixing bowl
- 1 large metal mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 3 spatulas
- bench scraper, or dull butter knife
- chocolate bar molds 120 ml or 200 ml polycarbonate molds preferred
- microwave
- refrigerator
- saute pan
- knife
Instructions
- Place a metal mixing bowl in the freezer. Set aside.
Toasting kataifi
- In a saute pan over medium heat, melt the 19.5 g ghee.
- Add the 42 g kataifi pastry and stir to coat in the ghee.
- Stir the kataifi occasionally until it’s golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Tempering chocolate
- In a large, heat-safe mixing bowl, pour in all the 510 g chocolate.
- Place the bowl in a microwave in 1-minute intervals on half power (5/10). Stirring at every interval until the chocolate is melted and measuring at 110°F (about 3 minutes).
- Cool the chocolate on the counter until it reaches 88°F. Stirring occasionally. We used a fan to help speed up the process. This takes about 5-10 minutes.
- Once the chocolate reaches 88°F, pour a small amount (approximately 40 g) of melted chocolate into the frozen metal bowl. Stir vigorously, coating the sides of the bowl until the mixture forms a thick paste.
- Transfer the thickened chocolate paste into the melted chocolate and stir until combined.
Mold step 1
- Pour the tempered chocolate into each mold until it’s completely full with chocolate. Gently tap the mold on the counter to remove air bubbles.
- Pour out the excess chocolate back into the mixing bowl. Tap the mold again to remove air bubbles.
- Use a scraper to cleanly wipe out the excess chocolate and level out the edges.
- Place in the coldest part of the refrigerator until the chocolate is firm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Place the melted chocolate bowl into a microwave to keep the heat stable.
Filling
- In another bowl, combine 157.5 g pistachio cream, 27 g tahini, and .1 g kosher salt. Mix until evenly combined.
- Gently fold in the toasted kataifi until it’s fully covered with the pistachio mix. Set aside.
Mold step 2
- Remove the mold from the refrigerator. Make sure the chocolate is set and firm.
- Add the filling to the center of each chocolate mold shell until it reaches just below the top, about 3 mm from the top. Use a spatula to level out the filling as evenly as you can.
- Add the rest of the melted chocolate and level out the top. Gently tap the mold on the counter again to remove air bubbles.
- Return the chocolate mold to the refrigerator until the chocolate is completely firm, shiny, and starts to release from the mold, which takes about 30 minutes. You can also look underneath the polycarbonate mold to see if it has completely released from the mold.
- Gently remove the bar from the mold by turning it upside down.
- It's ready to eat immediately.
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