Dubai Chocolate Cookies with Pistachio Kataifi Filling

These dubai chocolate cookies take everything people love about the viral Dubai chocolate bar and tuck it inside a thick, chewy double chocolate cookie. Break one in half and you find a creamy pistachio center packed with crunchy toasted kataifi, surrounded by fudgy cookie and puddles of melted chocolate. They look like they came from a fancy bakery, but you can make them in your own kitchen with a little planning.

Below I cover how to make the filling so it stays crunchy, the trick for wrapping dough around it without leaks, easy variations, troubleshooting and storage. When you are ready to bake, the printable recipe card at the bottom has exact measurements and estimated nutrition.

Why These Dubai Chocolate Cookies Work

Stuffed cookies can be tricky. A soft filling tends to melt and leak out the sides, and a thin dough wall can crack open in the oven. After a few test batches in my kitchen, these steps gave me cookies that bake up tall with the filling right in the center.

• Frozen filling balls. Freezing scoops of pistachio kataifi filling firms them up so they hold their shape while the dough bakes around them.
• Melted butter dough. Melted butter and extra brown sugar give a chewy, brownie-like texture that pairs well with the creamy center.
• Cocoa plus chocolate chips. Cocoa powder makes the dough deeply chocolatey, and chips melt into gooey pockets.
• Chilled dough. A short rest in the fridge makes the dough easy to wrap and keeps the cookies thick instead of spreading flat.

The result is a cookie with three textures at once: a crisp edge, a chewy middle and a crunchy, creamy surprise inside.

Ingredients You Will Need

The dough uses everyday baking staples. The filling needs two special ingredients that are worth tracking down: kataifi pastry and pistachio cream.

• Kataifi pastry: Shredded phyllo dough sold frozen at Middle Eastern and Mediterranean markets. Thaw it in the refrigerator before using.
• Pistachio cream: A sweet, spreadable cream made from pistachios. It binds the toasted kataifi into a scoopable filling.
• Unsalted butter: Used for toasting the kataifi and melted for the dough.
• Brown and white sugar: More brown sugar than white keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
• Egg and vanilla: One whole egg plus an extra yolk adds richness and chew.
• All-purpose flour and cocoa powder: Use natural or Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa. Dutch-process gives a darker color.
• Baking soda and salt: For lift and balance.
• Semisweet chocolate chips: For the dough, plus extra melted chocolate for drizzling on top.
• Chopped pistachios: For garnish and a little extra crunch.

Making the Pistachio Kataifi Filling

This filling is what makes the cookies taste like the famous bar. The goal is deeply toasted, crispy pastry held together by just enough pistachio cream.

1. Chop the kataifi. Cut the thawed strands into short pieces, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) long.
2. Toast in butter. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the kataifi and stir constantly for 6 to 8 minutes, until deep golden brown.
3. Cool completely. Spread it on a plate. Warm kataifi will melt the pistachio cream and turn soft.
4. Mix and scoop. Stir the cooled kataifi into the pistachio cream. Scoop 12 rounded tablespoons onto a parchment-lined plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

If your pistachio cream is very runny, stir in a tablespoon or two of powdered sugar so the balls hold together. If you cannot find kataifi, crushed wafer cookies make a decent stand-in, though you lose some of that buttery pastry flavor.

Store-Bought or Homemade Pistachio Cream

Jarred pistachio cream is the easiest option and gives a silky, sweet filling. Brands vary in how much pistachio they contain, so read the label and look for one where pistachios are near the top of the ingredient list. A greener color usually means more nut and a stronger flavor.

To make your own, blend 1 cup (125 g) of shelled unsalted pistachios in a food processor for 4 to 6 minutes, scraping the bowl often, until it turns into a thick paste. Add 1/3 cup (40 g) of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of melted white chocolate and 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk, then blend until smooth and spreadable. Homemade cream is a bit thicker than the jarred kind, which actually makes it easier to scoop and freeze into neat balls. It keeps in the refrigerator for about 1 week, so you can make it a few days before baking day.

How to Make Dubai Chocolate Cookies

With the filling frozen and the dough chilled, shaping goes quickly. Work with half the dough at a time and keep the rest in the fridge so it stays firm.

1. Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until glossy. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
2. Add the dry ingredients. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll.
4. Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
5. Wrap the filling. Divide the dough into 12 portions of about 3 tablespoons each. Flatten one into a disk, set a frozen filling ball in the center and fold the dough up and around it. Pinch to seal and roll into a smooth ball.
6. Bake. Place 6 balls on each sheet, spaced well apart. Bake one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look slightly underbaked.
7. Cool and finish. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then move to a rack. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Do not wait for the centers to look firm in the oven. These cookies keep cooking on the hot sheet, and pulling them early is what keeps them chewy and soft.

Tips for Perfect Pistachio Kataifi Cookies

• Seal the seams well. Any gap in the dough lets the filling escape. Pinch the seam closed and place it seam side down on the sheet.
• Keep everything cold. If the dough gets sticky while shaping, return it to the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Use a cookie scoop. Even portions bake evenly, so no cookie ends up raw in the middle or dry at the edges.
• Shape after baking. If cookies spread unevenly, nudge the edges into a round with a large cup or bowl while they are still hot.
• Weigh the flour. Too much flour makes thick, cakey cookies. Spoon and level, or weigh 160 grams.

If you love this flavor combination, try my no-bake pistachio chocolate strawberry cups. For classic cookie jar favorites, my brown butter chocolate chip cookies and soft cinnamon snickerdoodles are always a hit, and there is much more to explore in the Crave To Cook desserts category.

Easy Variations

• Brown butter dough: Brown the butter before adding it to the sugars for a nutty, toffee-like flavor.
• White chocolate chips: Swap half the semisweet chips for white chocolate to echo the creamy center.
• Smaller cookies: Make 20 cookies with 2 teaspoons of filling each and bake for 9 to 10 minutes.
• Tahini filling: Stir 1 tablespoon of tahini into the pistachio cream for a nutty, less sweet center.
• Pistachio crust: Roll the stuffed dough balls in finely chopped pistachios before baking.
• Holiday gifting: Pack two cookies in a small cellophane bag with a ribbon for teachers, neighbors and coworkers.

Baking Timeline for Stuffed Cookies

These cookies take some planning because both the filling and the dough need time in the cold. Here is how I break up the work so it never feels rushed.

If you bake from frozen shaped dough, add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time. No need to thaw first.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The kataifi stays crispiest on day one, and it softens slowly after that. Because the dough contains raw egg and flour, bake it fully and do not taste it raw. The FDA guide to handling flour safely explains why.

To freeze, place shaped, stuffed dough balls on a sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Warm a cookie for 8 to 10 seconds in the microwave to bring back that gooey center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to bake? Here is the full printable dubai chocolate cookies recipe with exact measurements and estimated nutrition.

Dubai Chocolate Cookies

Thick, chewy double chocolate cookies stuffed with a crunchy pistachio cream and toasted kataifi filling, finished with melted chocolate and pistachios.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Freezing and chilling 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern

Calories: 390

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Pistachio kataifi filling

• 1 cup kataifi pastry thawed, loosely packed and chopped (40 g)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 g)
• 1/2 cup pistachio cream (about 150 g)

Chocolate dough

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (113 g)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed (150 g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (160 g)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (30 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (170 g)

Topping

• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate melted (57 g)
• 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios chopped

Method

 

Filling

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the chopped kataifi and stir constantly for 6 to 8 minutes, until deep golden. Cool completely.
2. Stir the cooled kataifi into the pistachio cream. Scoop 12 rounded tablespoons onto a parchment-lined plate and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Dough

1. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until glossy, then whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
2. Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Shape and bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
2. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Flatten each, place a frozen filling ball in the center, wrap the dough around it and pinch to seal. Roll into a ball.
3. Place 6 cookies on each sheet, seam side down. Bake one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft.
4. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Notes

Make ahead: Freeze shaped, stuffed dough balls for up to 2 months and bake from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes.

Storage: Keep in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Nutrition is an estimate per cookie.

I hope these stuffed cookies become a new favorite in your kitchen. If you bake them, please leave a comment and a star rating below and tell me how fast they disappeared. Happy baking, friends!