About Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars
These Dubai chocolate millionaire shortbread bars are a cookie version of the viral chocolate bar!
The shortbread bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust from my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. The shortbread crust is topped with a crunchy, creamy filling made out of kataifi (shredded phyllo dough) and sweet pistachio cream. This layer is then topped a layer of decadent dark chocolate ganache.
This is a modern Middle Eastern take on the popular Scottish cookie bar made with chocolate, caramel, and shortbread: Millionaire Shortbread Bars!
For more homemade cookie bar recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Brownies, Blondies & Bars Recipe Collection. Popular recipes include these Chewy and Fudgy Purple Ube Brownies and these Pistachio Pudding Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting.
What is Dubai Chocolate?
In 2023, a Tiktok video of a girl eating a “Can’t Get Knafeh Of It” chocolate bar from FIX Dessert Chocolatier went VIRAL. The video showed her taking a bite into a thick milk chocolate bar filled with crunchy phyllo dough and vibrant green pistachio cream.
This chocolate bar has been dubbed the “Dubai Chocolate Bar” and taken the world by storm. You can read more about it in this New York Times article: “How Dubai Chocolate Took Over the World”.
Since then, the internet has been flooded with recipes on how to make your own version at home (since sadly, FIX only sells the bar in Dubai), as well as other dessert recipes inspired by its flavors. I’ve been experimenting with the flavors myself! First, this Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Tart (Complete With A Crunchy Kataifi Filling!) and now these Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this delicious, homemade cookie bar recipe, let’s talk about key ingredients, where to find them, and any potential substitutions:
Ingredient Sources and Substitutions
Alkis Kataifi (Shredded Phyllo Dough)
This is the dried shredded phyllo dough I use for my Dubai Chocolate desserts! It’s a huge bag—you’ll likely have plenty leftover to make this recipe multiple times and experiment with other kataifi recipes!
What is Pistachio Cream?
Pistachio cream is similar to Nutella, but without the chocolate and made with pistachios instead of hazelnuts! However, don’t confuse it with nut butter. While nut butter tends to be made exclusively from nuts, pistachio cream contains other ingredients like sugar, milk powder, and olive oil. These ingredients give the cream an extra smooth and velvety texture.
I know from recipe testing that it’s important to use pistachio cream and NOT pistachio butter. Pistachio butter, especially the homemade kind, will be a lot more chunky and have the texture of a natural chunky peanut butter. It also won’t be as sweet.
Pisti Pistachio Cream
This is the pistachio cream I use to make any pistachio dessert that calls for it. Although you can get it online, Costco also sells it for half the price! However, it’s a seasonal item and typically only available during the winter months.
Love the sound of pistachio cream but scared to commit to a big jar of it? Use any leftovers to make another Dubai Chocolate dessert, Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Tart, or one of the most popular drink recipes on my site: Iced Pistachio Latte (A Fancy Starbucks Copycat).
Making The Shortbread Cookie Bars
Now, check out photos of some key steps in the recipe. Use this section as a guide to help you achieve the right textures and colors when putting your Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars together!
How To Make An Easy Shortbread Cookie Crust
Making Dubai Chocolate Filling With Kataifi And Pistachio Cream
Last But Not The Least: Creamy, Dreamy Dark Chocolate Ganache
Best Recipe Tips
All About That Perfect, Buttery Shortbread Crust
Troubleshooting Ganache
- Ganache can sometimes “split” or “break”, meaning the fat in the chocolate separates to give the ganache an oily, separated appearance. This can happen when the ganache is stirred too quickly or at too low a temperature. So when whisking, aim for a slow but steady motion!
Decorating The Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars
- The original Dubai chocolate bar is decorated with green and yellow paint splatters. In my recipe for Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Tart, I used melted white chocolate. This time around, I used green and yellow candy melts. But this is totally optional—your bars will taste delicious even without decoration!
Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Pie Beans
I love these Pie Beans by my friend Erin McDowell. You get a generous bag of pie weights shaped like beans. The “beans” are made from silicone and can withstand up to 700°F.
Get the Recipe:
Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars
Servings: 16 cookie bars
These Dubai Chocolate millionaire shortbread bars are inspired by the viral chocolate bar and a Middle Eastern version of the popular chocolate and caramel cookie bar! The bar is made with 3 layers: classic butter shortbread, crunchy pistachio kataifi phyllo dough, and chocolate ganache.
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For The Crunchy Pistachio Kataifi Filling
For The Chocolate Ganache
For The Dubai Chocolate Millionaire Shortbread Bars
buy the book
Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
