Chocolate Pistachio Kunafa Cookies | Dubai Viral Chocolate Cookies
Inspired by the world-famous Pistachio and Kunafa Chocolate bars from Fix Chocolatiers in Dubai, these double chocolate cookies are soft and chewy with crunchy pistachio, Kunafa, and Tahini filling. It's the perfect combination of textures and flavors.
Equipment
- Electric or hand whisk
- silicon spatula
- Frying pan
- Baking tray
Ingredients
Double chocolate cookie dough
- 125 grams all-purpose flour
- 55 grams cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 115 grams unsalted butter softened
- 100 grams brown sugar
- 100 grams white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 150 grams chocolate chips combination of milk and dark chocolate
Pistachio Kunafa filling
- 25 grams unsalted butter
- 65 grams Kunafa dough
- 100 grams pistachio butter
- 20 grams tahina
Instructions
Double chocolate cookie dough
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
- In a stand mixer (or a bowl with an electric mixer), add the softened butter*, and both the sugars and cream together on high speed for 3-5 minutes until well combined. The mixture should be nice and creamy. Make sure not to overmix at this point!*
- Add the room-temperature egg* and vanilla essence into the butter mixture and whisk together until well combined. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated into the butter and there is no liquid left in the batter.
- With the mixer on slow, add the dry ingredients into the batter and keep mixing on low speed until everything is well incorporated and there are no streaks of flour remaining in the mix. You will have a nice, thick dough at this point.
- Add the milk and whisk again until completely incorporated.
- Finally, add the chocolate chips to the dough and mix on high speed for a few seconds just to incorporate them in, don’t over-mix.
- Wrap the prepared cookie dough tightly in cling film and let it chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or ideally overnight.
Pistachio Kunafa filling
- Heat a saucepan and add butter to it. Let it melt, then add the Kunafa dough and mix. Continue cooking on medium heat, mixing every few minutes, until the dough turns golden brown and crispy. Take off the heat and place the dough on a paper towel to remove any excess butter.
- Mix the dried dough with the pistachio paste and tahini and chill it for at least 1 hour, until set.
- Once the filling is set, portion it out in teaspoon sizes and roll them to form balls.
Filling and baking the dough
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
- Portion the chilled cookie dough into 55 grams dough balls each, and flatten each ball with the back of a spoon, creating a deep indent in the center. Place the filling portions into the center and shape the dough around it to form cookie dough balls. Make sure the filling is properly covered with the dough so that it does not leak out while baking.
- Place the cookie dough balls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Make sure to leave enough space for each cookie to spread. You can also freeze the dough balls in a ziplock bag after this step for up to 1 month.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sides are set but the center us still soft. The cookies will continue to cook once they are taken out of the oven.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, carefully top them with a few chocolate chips and shape them with a round cookie cutter if required.
- Let them chill for at least 20 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
Storage
These cookies can be stored for up to a week in a refrigerated airtight box. Don’t forget to heat them in the microwave before serving
Make ahead
The cookie dough can be frozen after the filling step for up to 1 month. Thaw the dough before baking.Tips & tricks
- Softened butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature but not too warm. If the butter is too soft, your dough will end up being too soft, causing the cookies to spread too much in the oven and deflate after you take them out
- Room temperature eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature as well, cold eggs also lead to the deflation of cookies
- Mixing the butter and sugar: Don’t mix the sugar and butter mix for longer than 2 minutes or you may overmix it and end up making cakey cookies.
- Chilling the cookie dough: Don’t skip the chilling step! Chilling your dough allows the sugar to combine within the dough a lot better, creating chewier, thicker cookies