Dubai Chocolate Cookies

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If you love Dubai Chocolate, these cookies are about to become your new obsession. Featuring a rich, fudgy chocolate cookie base filled with a generous amount of pistachio filling, giving the perfect cookie:filling ratio. Not only do they taste amazing, but they look bakery-worthy and are still easy to make.

Baking Tips

  • Take your cookies out of the oven when they “barely look done”. You can check this by using a toothpick to poke the cookie: it should come out with a few crumbs, but large chunks of raw batter. You can also check the bottom of the cookie, and it should be relatively the same color as the top. if the bottom of the cookie has darkened too much or turned too crispy, your cookies are overbaked.
  • To crush the pistachios for the topping, I recommend putting them in a sealed ziplock bag, and using anything heavy and easy to hold (if you don’t have a pestle) to crush them
  • Your cookies can hold more pistachio filling than you think so add as much as you can, even if it seems like the sides of the dough coating the filling are too thin.
  • If you prefer a greater ratio of cookie to filling, add less filling, and make your cookie dough balls about 1.5 inches in diameter

How to Store

  • If you want to prepare the cookie dough 1-3 days in advance, you can store it in a sealed plastic wrap or ziplock. Just make sure it is tightly wrapped
  • If you want to store the dough long term, I recommend freezing it for no more than 2-4 months for optimal flavor
  • The pistachio filling can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months
  • You baked cookies should be stored either in an airtight container with sealed lid, or in a plate with aluminum foil/plastic wrap to seal. They can be stored at room temperature, but I recommend leaving them in the fridge if it will take you longer to finish them.

Equipment

  • Standard electric mixer
  • Timer
  • Cookie baking sheet + parchment paper
  • OPTIONAL: pestle for crushing pistachios

Ingredients for Cookie Dough

  • 1 stick (8tbs) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbs milk of choice
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder (any brand is fine)

Pistachio Filling Ingredients

NOTE: You may have extra filling. If you don’t want any extra, half the filling recipe.

  • 1 1/4 cup peeled pistachios (I bought mine pre-peeled + packaged)
  • 1 tbs white chocolate chips
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter (melted)
  • 2-3 tbs heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbs + 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbs powdered sugar
  • 2 cups Konafah frozen shredded filo dough

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients

  • 1 tbs unsalted butter (softened)
  • 2 tbs powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs cocoa powder
  • 3 tbs heavy whipping cream
  • OPTIONAL: 1 tbs crushed pistachios for topping

How to Bake

Start with the pistachio filling:

  1. Take your peeled pistachios and blend them up to form crumbs. You may have to mix them around the blender and blend in intervals to do so efficiently. Its ok If there are some bigger chunks but try to get everything as close to crumbs as possible
  2. To the blender, add in the powdered sugar and granulated sugar and blend once again
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, white chocolate, and the heavy whipping cream. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring the mixture in between, until everything is completely melted
  4. Add in the butter mixture to the pistachio crumbs, and blend until your paste forms.
  5. Pour the pistachio paste into a larger bowl, and fold in the shredded konafah dough (ensure it is shredded into very small pieces, you may need to use scissors to cut the pieces down). Place your pistachio filling in the freezer and let it sit while we start the cookie dough.

For the Base: (Find ingredient list above)

  1. To start the base, combine the butter and sugar in a bowl. Its ok if this mixture is clumpy.
  2. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and combine until you a frosting-like texture
  3. Then, add in the cocoa powder and mix in
  4. In a separate bowl combine the flour and baking soda, and add those into the mixture. Fold the dry ingredients in until your dough form
  5. Take your pistachio filling out of the freezer. By now, you should be able to form tiny balls out of the filling without it sticking to your hands. If you can’t, leave it in the freezer for longer
  6. Begin by taking a handful of dough and roll it between your hands until it forms a smooth ball, just about 2 inches in diameter.
  7. Use your thumbs to pinch a hole int eh center of the cookie dough ball. I recommend making the hole deeper rather than wide, keeping the sides thick
  8. Create smaller a ball with about 1.5-2 tbs of pistachio filling and place it inside the hole you made in your cookie dough ball.
  9. Use your hands to coat the cookie dough around the pistachio ball until it is completely covered. Roll the ball between your hands some more until it is smooth on the outside
  10. Place the cookies in the freezer for an additional 20 minutes and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Once they are done chilling, bake them for 18-20 minutes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Ensure the cookies are spaced out

For the chocolate glaze

  1. While the cookies are in the oven, in a small bowl, combine the softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy cream and mix everything together.
  2. When the cookies finish baking, microwave the glaze for 20 seconds so it becomes runny
  3. While the cookies are still hot, use a small spoon to drizzle the glaze on top.
  4. OPTIONAL: Top with pistachio crumbs