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Dubai Chocolate Bar Recipe

Emily Pocker
Dubai chocolate bar pieces showing crisp pistachio kataifi filling
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A homemade refrigerated milk-chocolate bar filled with crisp toasted kataifi, sweet pistachio cream and a little tahini.
Estimated Recipe CostEstimated USD $12–18 for the full recipe; specialty ingredient prices vary.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling and chilling 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 pieces from 2 bars

Ingredients
  

Chocolate and filling
  • 300 g milk chocolate chopped
  • 100 g kataifi pastry thawed if frozen; chopped into short strands
  • 15 g unsalted butter
  • 150 g sweetened pistachio cream not unsweetened pistachio butter
  • 1 tablespoon tahini 15 g; well stirred
  • 1 pinch fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon chopped pistachios optional garnish
  • 1 teaspoon extra pistachio cream optional thin drizzle

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale
  • Wide skillet
  • Heatproof bowl
  • Silicone spatula
  • Two deep silicone bar molds, about 6 x 3 x 1 inches each
  • Dry sharp knife

Instructions
 

Instructions
  1. Make sure molds, bowls and spatula are completely dry. Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped kataifi and stir frequently for 8–10 minutes, until evenly deep golden and crisp, lowering heat if it browns too fast.
  2. Spread toasted kataifi on a plate and let cool completely, about 10 minutes. Mix with pistachio cream, tahini and salt. The mixture should be thick and coated, not hot or watery.
  3. Melt chopped chocolate in a dry microwave-safe bowl at 50% power in 20-second intervals, stirring each time, until just smooth. Stop heating while a few small pieces remain and stir until melted. Do not add water.
  4. Brush or spoon about two-thirds of the chocolate into the bottoms and sides of two deep bar molds, leaving enough for sealing. Chill about 10 minutes until firm. Patch thin spots with a little reserved chocolate.
  5. Divide the cool filling between the shells, pressing gently and leaving about 1/8 inch at the top for sealing. Rewarm the remaining chocolate very briefly if needed, spread over the filling and connect it to the shell edges. Tap molds gently to settle.
  6. Refrigerate 25 minutes or until completely firm. Unmold carefully. Add optional chopped pistachios and a light pistachio-cream drizzle. Briefly rest at room temperature before cutting each bar into 6 pieces with a dry knife.
  7. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days for best texture, or follow a shorter storage instruction on the pistachio cream. Keep cool until serving. This untempered chocolate will soften at warm room temperature.

Video

Notes

Contains pistachios, sesame, wheat and milk; check packages for other allergens. This simplified refrigerated version does not temper the chocolate and will not have the room-temperature snap or shine of a tempered bar.
Cost planning estimate for quantities used: chocolate $4–6, kataifi $2–3, pistachio cream $5–7, butter, tahini and seasoning $1–2. This is not a live store quote. Nutrition depends strongly on the chosen pistachio cream and chocolate.
Video credit: The Cooking Foodie demonstrates toasted kataifi and pistachio filling inside chocolate shells. The video includes optional decoration and tempering; quantities and chocolate handling differ from this refrigerated version.

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