Abby Silverman and Courtesy of GIN TAY

The Viral Dubai chocolate bar originating from FIX Chocolatier in Dubai, spreads widely across the world.

The Rival, TikTok raging “Dubai Chocolate Bar,” ranges from $20-35 on Amazon, not including shipping costs. This insane cost for 1 candy bar begs the question, is making it at home just as good and cheaper?

The Dubai chocolate bars feature a creamy, decadent chocolate flavor with salty and sweet tahini and nutty and rich pistachio filling. This candy bar is a perfect mix of traditional and modern flavors, and the crunch is second to none.
Making the chocolate bar at home was quick and easy, but a fun experience. I started by frying the dried Katafi (dried filo dough), which gives the Dubai chocolate its distinctive crunch. Then I made my own tahini, by blending sesame seeds with avocado oil in a food processor. Next, I melted the chocolate with coconut oil and poured some into the mold. While that was chilling, I mixed together the pistachio cream, tahini, and fried Katafi. After layering the pistachio mixture over the bottom layer of chocolate, I finished it with the top coat of chocolate. Overall, this process took about 35 minutes with the help of my older brother who was home from college.

In making a 10 oz chocolate bar at home compared to buying the Amazon Top Overall Pick chocolate bar for the same weight, the costs came out to be around the same. It costs $34.51 to make it at home, and $31.95 to buy on Amazon. However, to make a 10 oz chocolate bar, buying all the ingredients in whole was necessary. Thus, to buy all the ingredients, even though not the entire amount of each product was needed, it came out to be $54.15. However, the leftover ingredients are almost enough to make another full chocolate bar, so it’s an excuse to make it again! As with any other pre-packaged goody, the taste of the Amazon one was sweet and delicious, however, it lacked the freshness and the good crunchy of a chocolate bar that was just chilled. Additionally, the homemade chocolate bar filling was a little saltier and contained more pistachio, which is the exact reason why the Dubai chocolate bars are different from any other chocolate with filling.

Currently, 41 mini 1 square Dubai Chocolate pieces are sold at Costco for $17.99. However, biting into a full chocolate bar gives a much more satisfying experience and crunch than mini pieces. The original, Fix Chocolatier, is manufactured in Dubai and costs $18.50 for a “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” dark chocolate bar. However, my cart to check out would also include: Mind Your Own Buiscoff, Donut Be Latte, and Butter To Be Safe Than Salty! Mind Your Own Buiscoff features a crunchy lotus cheesecake with a buttery biscoff, and white and milk chocolate swirled encassment. Donut Be Latte is literally mini donuts stuffed into a chocolate bar filled with vanilla custard and espresso. Lastly, Butter to Be Safe than Salty, includes the crispy filo pastry, nutty peanut butter, and cinnamon caramel! Unfortunately, these witty-named and delicious-sounding FIX chocolate bars only deliver to addresses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but hopefully, with their increased popularity, they will expand elsewhere!

Whether fans make or buy this chocolate bar, it is expensive. But the sweet and salty crunchy filling makes this chocolate bar worth it. Ordering from Amazon may seem a little cheaper and more efficient, nonetheless, it truly is an experience to make it with family and friends. It’s easy and requires no previous skill, and cooking it is a fun activity with a delicious reward. Additionally, the chocolate bar is ready almost immediately after being made keeping the fresh filling from getting soggy or potentially losing its crunch.

Recipe: https://www.notquitenigella.com/2024/09/16/dubai-chocolate-recipe/

Makes 2x500g/1.1lb large chocolate bars
75g/2.5oz kataifi pastry, chopped and separated
30g/1.oz butter
180g/6.35oz pistachio paste
10g/ 0.4oz tahini
Fat pinch salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil
300g/0. 60 lbs dark or milk chocolate

Pistachio paste= 13.99$
Katafi, dried Katafi – 12.90/2 = 6.45$
Mold = 13.99$ (had to buy 2)
Sesame seeds: 2.99
Milk and Dark Chocolate: 5.79$
Unsalted Butter: 4.49$ for 4 sticks (16oz) total – used 1 oz = 0.28 cents
= 34.51 to make with instructed amounts
= 54.15 by buying whole ingredients