Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches

Made with only 5 ingredients, these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches are a fun spin on the viral Dubai Chocolate Bars. With a variety of textures, these 2-bite roaches are perfect for Halloween!

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An overhead view of a brown marble board with  6 Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches with pistachios and toasted kataifi tossed around.

If you happen to be a fan of the unique flavor and texture combination of Dubai Chocolate, you just might love (biting the heads off) these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches!

I love the combination of dates and my homemade pistachio butter. I love the combo so much that I have it for breakfast often.

When my sister had a get-together at her place, I even took some dates stuffed with pistachio butter for dessert. Everyone there raved about those dates. Unfortunately (for me), there were no leftovers for me to take home that night.

So, when I came across some chocolate peanut butter cockroaches, @chefgenevieve shared on her IG account, I had to recreate those with a Dubai Chocolate spin.

By the way, if you are wondering...

What company makes Dubai chocolate?

A Dubai-based company called Fix was the first company to sell Dubai Chocolate. Filipino chef Nouel Catis Omamalin and British Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda were the creators behind these bars.

What we refer to as The Viral Dubai Chocolate Bars were called "Can't Get Knafeh of It" and were made with an irresistible (to some of us) combo of pistachio butter, tahini paste, toasted kataifi, and creamy milk chocolate. Fix is currently selling 6-packs of these bars, with a unit price of $120 per pack. Or, you could also make a more budget-friendly option by making these healthy-ish Dubai Chocolate Cups.

Getting back to these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches…

Instead of stuffing dates with peanut butter (like @chefgenevieve did) or simply pistachio butter (like I love), I figured I would toast some kataifi and mix it into my homemade pistachio butter, then use this to stuff the dates that would be the "body" of the cockroaches.

I am not a great decorator, and so these chocolate cockroaches are a bit on the messy side. But they are so delicious. And fun to make and eat!

5 ingredients needed to make Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches on a wood board.

What are the ingredients needed to make these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches?

You will need:

  1. Pistachio butter
  2. Butter (to toast the kataifi),
  3. Kataifi,
  4. Dates, and
  5. Milk Chocolate chips.

How to make these messy Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches?

These are pretty easy to make,

Step 1: First, add the butter to a pan and set it over a stovetop set to medium heat.

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Step 2: Add in the kataifi and stir until it starts to brown. Then, remove it from the stove and let it cool slightly.

Step 3: Mix the toasted kataifi into the pistachio butter.

Dates stuffed with homemade pistachio butter and toasted kataifi

Step 4: Cut the dates in half and spoon a little bit of the pistachio kataifi mix into the date cavity. Repeat with all the date halves.

Step 5: Then, melt the chocolate. I did this by placing the chocolate into a microwave-safe dish and microwaving it for a couple of 30-second intervals. Spoon the melted chocolate into a frosting bag or plastic bag and snip off the end.

Adding chocolate to the back of the stuffed dates

Step 6: Carefully squeeze some melted chocolate on the back of the body of the stuffed cockroach. Then, place the date, chocolate-side down, on a piece of parchment paper set on a board or flat plate.

Step 7: Pipe a chocolate head, antennae, and legs. Repeat this on the other pistachio kataifi-stuffed dates.

Step 8: Set the parchment paper in the fridge for the chocolate to harden and enjoy!

Cross section of Date Pistachio Chocolate Cockroaches

Recipe Tip

When melting the chocolate in the microwave, microwave it for 30 seconds. Then, take the chocolate out of the microwave, give it a stir, and return it to the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds more. You don't want to overheat the chocolate as it will burn.

Variations

While I used homemade pistachio butter, store-bought pistachio butter or cream could be used instead.

If you are looking to keep the prep work down, you could get a tub of Dubai Chocolate Bar filling on Amazon and use some of that.

I used milk chocolate to make these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches. However, you could also use dark chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of each.

And, cockroaches aren't the only thing you can make. You could get fancy and grab a mold from the many selection results of "Halloween molds" on Amazon. And, use that to mold your own spider, skull, and pumpkin-shaped Dubai Chocolate creations.

I am willing to bet your Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches (and creations) are a lot less messy than the ones you see here today!

Easy Messy Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches

Love Dubai Chocolate?
Then check out these other Dubai-Chocolate-inspired treats:

1
Slicing into the Dubai Chocolate Roll Cake
Dubai Chocolate Roll Cake
This Dubai Chocolate Roll Cake is a delicious dessert consisting of a layer of flourless oat chocolate cake that is rolled up with a filling of dark chocolate ganache and pistachio cream with kataifi. The rolled cake is slathered with a chocolate mousse, drizzled with more chocolate ganache, and decorated with pistachio kataifi bites.
Check out this recipe
2
Dubai Chocolate Stuffed Muffin Tops
Dubai Chocolate Stuffed Muffin Tops
These Dubai Chocolate Stuffed Muffin Tops are a decadent portable snack or dessert. This is a small batch recipe that results in 4 Chocolate muffin tops that are stuffed with homemade Dubai Chocolate Cups.
Check out this recipe
3
Easy Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Easy Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cake
This Easy Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cake consists of layers of a (dare I say it) moist strawberry cake topped with a pistachio kataifi pastry mixture, fresh strawberries, and melted chocolate.
Check out this recipe
4
Easy Dubai chocolate chia pudding.
Dubai Chocolate Chia Pudding
Chia pudding gets some Dubai chocolate bling in this delicious Dubai Chocolate Chia Pudding! In this recipe, pistachio kataifi chia seed pudding is topped with pistachio kataifi bites and chocolate, for a decadent, nutrient-heavy treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert, or snack.
Check out this recipe
5
Easy 3 ingredient Dubai Chocolate Cups
Easy Dubai Chocolate Cups
Inspired by the viral Dubai Chocolate Bar, these easy Dubai Chocolate Cups are a treat that's hard to resist. Sweet, crunchy, and creamy, these pistachio chocolate cups are made with only 4 ingredients.
Check out this recipe
An overhead view of a brown marble board with 6 Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches with pistachios and toasted kataifi tossed around.

Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Shashi
Made with only 5 ingredients, these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches are a fun spin on the viral Dubai Chocolate Bars. With a variety of textures, these 2-bite roaches are perfect for Halloween!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • First, add the butter to a pan and set it over a stovetop set to medium heat.
  • Add in the kataifi and stir until it starts to brown (2 to 3 minutes). Then, remove it from the stove and let it cool to room temperature.
  • Mix the toasted kataifi into the pistachio butter.
  • Cut the dates in half and spoon a little bit of the pistachio kataifi mix into the date cavity. Repeat with all the date halves.
  • Then, melt the chocolate. I did this by placing the chocolate into a microwave-safe dish and microwaving it for 30-second. Then, I removed the dish, stirred the chips, and microwaved them for 20 seconds. At this point they were melted.
  • Spoon the melted chocolate into a frosting bag or plastic bag and snip off the end.
  • Carefully squeeze some melted chocolate on the back of the body of the stuffed cockroach. Then, place the date, chocolate-side down, on a piece of parchment paper set on a board or flat plate.
  • Pipe a chocolate head, antennae, and legs. Repeat this on the other pistachio kataifi-stuffed dates.
  • Set the parchment paper in the fridge for the chocolate to harden.
  • And, when the chocolate is set ~ enjoy!

Notes

While I used homemade pistachio butter, store-bought pistachio butter or cream could be used instead.
If you are looking to keep the prep work down, you could get a tub of Dubai Chocolate Bar filling on Amazon and use some of that.
I used milk chocolate to make these Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches. However, you could also use dark chocolate, white chocolate, or a combination of each.

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Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 24mg | Potassium: 115mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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2 Comments

  1. What a fun, spooky twist on chocolate! These Dubai Chocolate Cockroaches look hmmm, I guess delicious - but I’m definitely not touching them! Thanks for the thrilling recipe, haha

  2. Oh - at first I thought you had somehow used actual cockroaches in this recipe, Shashi. Then I realized it's October, and this is a great recipe for the season! Well done. 🙂 I do love Dubai chocolate, but I hate how expensive it is. $20 for 1 bar!? I like the homemade approach much better!

5 from 2 votes

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