Sweets · Emirati
Dubai-Style Chocolate Bar
Crunchy oven-toasted kataifi and pistachio cream sealed in chocolate. No frying needed.
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Hands-off
- 40 min
- Oven preheat
- 10 min
- Total
- 1 h 20 min
- Makes
- 1 batch (one silicone bar mould; bar count depends on the mould)
10 min toasting, a few minutes' fridge set for the shell, 15-20 min final set. Prep, preheat and kataifi cooling times are our estimates.
Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)
- medium
- vegetarian
- trending
- no-fry
- gift
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? The number of bars depends on your mould. Keep the chocolate shell thick enough to hold the soft filling; if you run short of chocolate, melt more rather than thinning the shell. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: silicone chocolate-bar mould · baking tray · heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, or a microwave-safe bowl · pastry brush · spatula · oven mitts
Contains: tree nuts (pistachio) · milk · wheat · sesame
Method
Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).
Toast the kataifi
Roughly chop 25 g (1/2 cup) kataifi and spread it on a baking tray. Drizzle with 28 g (2 tbsp) melted butter and toss until every strand is coated. Bake about 10 minutes, checking from 5 minutes, then let it cool completely.
Ready when: Golden, crunchy and smelling toasty. Pale strands need a little longer; dark brown edges mean take it out now.
Melt the chocolate
Put 200 g chopped dark and 100 g chopped milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt gently over barely simmering water, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts. Stop when about half has melted and chunks remain, take it off the heat and stir until completely smooth.
Ready when: About half melted with chunks left when you take it off the heat; smooth and glossy after stirring.
Make the shells
Brush the inside of the mould generously with chocolate in an even layer (or fill it, tip it upside down over the bowl and let the extra run back). Put the mould in the fridge for a few minutes to set.
Mix the filling
Stir 120 ml (1/2 cup) pistachio cream with 2 tbsp tahini until smooth. Fold in the completely cooled kataifi.
Otto tried this firstOtto tips the kataifi in straight from the oven. It has to cool completely first, so wait until the tray feels cool to the touch.Fill and seal
Spoon the filling into the shells and level it with the back of a spoon. Cover with the remaining chocolate, making sure it seals to the edges. Tap the mould gently on the counter to knock out air bubbles.
Set and unmould
Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes until fully set, then ease the bars out of the mould.
Swaps
- Instead of dark + milk chocolate blend: all milk or all dark chocolate, 300 g total Either works for the shell; milk chocolate is the more typical Dubai-bar taste.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- No tested storage guidance exists for this recipe, so we don't state a shelf life. Check your pistachio cream's label for how to store it once opened.
Good to know
- Mini version: make the same filling in mini-muffin cups: melted chocolate brushed up paper cases, kataifi toasted golden in butter, pistachio cream mixed with tahini, then a chocolate lid and 20 minutes in the fridge.
- Cool the toasted kataifi fully before it meets the pistachio cream.
- Kataifi is sold frozen or chilled in Middle Eastern and Turkish shops (in Turkey: kadayıf).
Safety
- Serious nut allergen: pistachio. Many chocolates and pistachio creams also contain soy or other nuts - read every label.
- Steam from the water bath and microwaved chocolate can burn. Use oven mitts on the hot tray, and an adult handles the simmering pan.
- Melted chocolate can scorch in the microwave: short bursts, stir each time.