Loading ...Dubai-Inspired Sandwich Cookies: A Luxe Twist on Oreos
By: Blanche Shaheen/Arab America Contributing Writer
For the past year, Dubai chocolate bars have gone from niche treats to viral sensations—and not just because they’re wrapped in gold and mystery. These luxurious sweets are capturing the taste buds and wallets of chocolate lovers everywhere. But why the sudden boom?
Dubai is known for extravagance—from ultra high skyscrapers and luxurious shopping centers to showy sportscars and opulent restaurants. So it’s no wonder their chocolatiers follow suit with lavish storefronts, exotic ingredients, and elegant packaging.
Influencers and foodies worldwide started showing off luscious Dubai style chocolate bars online, some featuring gold leaf, pistachio, saffron, or even camel milk—and suddenly, everyone wanted a bite of this desert-born decadence.
The signature Dubai chocolate bar features ultra-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, filled with nutty pistachio cream and tahini with the added crunch of toasted buttery kataife dough. Many companies worldwide including Turkey, Korea and the United States have started manufacturing these bars, with some costing well over $100 each.
While online bars are hit or miss, there is one budget-friendly way to channel the flavor and richness of the Dubai chocolate bar without the exorbitant price tag: Dubai sandwich cookies. These cookies are like Oreo’s ultra glam cousin, made with easy-to-find vanilla wafers to provide structure for the creamy and crunchy pistachio-tahini filling. If you’re feeding a crowd at a graduation party, bridal shower, or brunch, these cookies let you serve something elevated and unique for a fraction of the cost.
These cookies are special because they are:
- No-bake friendly (if you use store-bought wafers and pre-made kataifi)
- Customizable—swap pistachio cream for hazelnut butter, add rosewater to the filling, or drizzle with a variety of colored white chocolate to reflect your theme
- Visually stunning—think gold dust, edible flowers or chopped pistachio garnish
Fancy doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive Ready to try them? Click on the YouTube video below for the technique:
DUBAI STYLE SANDWICH COOKIES
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 cup shredded kataife dough
- 3/4 cup pistachio cream
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 box vanilla wafers (or any kind of round cookie you prefer)
- 1 bag chocolate chips ( milk, dark, or even low sugar)
- Optional 1 bag of white chocolate chips
- Optional food coloring
- In a skillet, melt the butter, and add the shredded kataife dough. Stir until golden brown, then transfer to a bowl. Add the pistachio cream and tahini and mix until thoroughly combined. You want the consistency to be thick but spreadable. To assemble, put 1 heaping tbsp of the kataife mixture in between 2 vanilla cookies, then set on parchment paper. Repeat until you use up all of the kataife mixture. Put the cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes to one hour. In the meantime, melt the chocolate chips by microwaving them 30 seconds at a time. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth. Dunk each cookie into the melted chocolate and set aside on parchment paper. To decorate, melt the vanilla chocolate wafers. Add the optional food coloring, and stir until you get the desired color. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. You can garnish with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or crushed pistachios.
Blanche Shaheen is an Emmy Award winning journalist, host of the YouTube cooking show called Feast in the Middle East, and cookbook author. For more authentic and classical Middle Eastern recipes, you can purchase her cookbook, “Feast In the Middle East here: https://secure.mybookorders.com/mbo_index.php?isbn=9781545675113 For her cooking video tutorials, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/blanchetv Her recipes can also be found at https://feastinthemiddleeast.wordpress.com/
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