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Dubai Chocolate Bar
The viral pistachio-kunafa chocolate, made with the right filling.
WORTH ITThe crunchy pistachio filling deserves the hype - just know the jar of pistachio cream costs more than the chocolate.
tested 2026-07 Replaced the old tahini-honey filling with actual pistachio cream (plus a DIY blend), switched kataifi to skillet-toasting in butter, and added a real temper option.
Ingredients
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- 300g (10.5oz) milk chocolate, chopped (dark works, but the original is milk)
- For the filling
- 100g kataifi pastry (shredded phyllo), roughly chopped
- 45g (3 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 250g (about 3/4 cup) pistachio cream (sweetened 'crema di pistacchio' spread - not unsweetened pistachio butter)
- 1 Tbsp tahini (optional - loosens the filling and cuts the sweetness)
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
Instructions
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- Toast the kataifi: melt butter in a wide skillet over medium heat, add chopped kataifi, and stir constantly until deep golden brown and crisp everywhere. Pale kataifi = soggy filling. Cool completely.
- Stir pistachio cream, tahini, and salt together, then fold in the cooled kataifi. It should look like green granola bound in cream, still crunchy.
- Decide on your chocolate path. Option A, temper (bars snap and survive room temp): melt two-thirds of the chocolate to 113°F (45°C), pull off heat, stir in the remaining third until it cools to 84°F (29°C), then rewarm briefly to 86°F (30°C). Option B, just melt it in 30-second microwave bursts - but then the bars must live in the fridge.
- Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment (or use a chocolate bar mold). Pour in half the chocolate and spread up the sides a little. Chill until just set.
- Pack the pistachio-kataifi filling evenly over the chocolate, leaving a small border. Press it flat.
- Pour remaining chocolate over the top and spread to seal the edges completely. Tap the pan to release air bubbles.
- Set: tempered bars set at cool room temperature in about an hour; untempered, refrigerate at least 2 hours. Slice with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry.
Notes
- No pistachio cream? Make it: blend 150g shelled roasted unsalted pistachios with 3 Tbsp neutral oil, 50g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt until as smooth as your machine allows. It'll be coarser than the jarred stuff but tastes right. Do not substitute tahini and honey - that's a sesame bar.
- The temper-or-refrigerate tradeoff: untempered chocolate blooms (dull gray streaks) within a day or two at room temperature. Bloom is ugly but harmless. Temper if you're gifting; refrigerate if you're eating.
- Kataifi is in the freezer case at Middle Eastern groceries. Bars keep 2 weeks refrigerated; the kataifi slowly softens after the first few days.
When it goes wrong
- Filling turned soggy by day two → kataifi was undertoasted; it needs to be deep golden and fully crisp before mixing.
- Gray streaks on the chocolate → bloom from untempered chocolate stored at room temp; refrigerate untempered bars or temper next time.
- Filling oozes when sliced → too warm or too much tahini; chill 20 minutes and cut with a hot dry knife.
- Top shell separated from the filling → filling was mounded unevenly or chocolate too cool when poured; press the filling flat and pour promptly.
Inspired by Fix Dessert Chocolatier