Are you a sweet and salty fan?
I’m raising my hand right now because that is easily one of my favorite combinations.
But here’s the thing:
I’ve always gravitated toward flavor combinations that are unique and different—the kind that don’t overload the palate with a mountain of sweetness.
And I have a secret about this dubai chocolate-inspired cannoli recipe:
You don’t have to buy the unusual kataifi – the cripsy crunch that’s found in those bars!
In this version, the cannoli shell itself acts as the “crispy piece” of your Dubai chocolate experience. Genius!
I know dubai chocolate is a viral trend, and if you like viral trend recipes, check out my Starbucks copycat strawberry matcha loaf recipe here.
If you’ve never had a cannoli before, it’s a classic Italian dessert where a wonderful, sweetened ricotta based cream is stuffed inside a crispy shell. Usually, the shell is also dipped or decorated with chocolate, sprinkles, or nuts. The whole combination of savory notes from the ricotta plus sweet cream, crunch, and chocolate is just an amazing palate explosion.
I really wanted to invent my own Dubai chocolate-inspired recipe, but I have a little confession:
I am not using actual Dubai chocolate! But…
My kids said it tastes just like the viral dubai chocolate bars. Winning!
Instead of the traditional ricotta, we are making a homemade pistachio butter and a fresh homemade whipped cream. Since this recipe doesn’t have ricotta, it’s a great option if you aren’t a fan of soft cheeses. We’re going to dip the cannoli shells in dark chocolate and crushed pistachios, fill them with that pistachio cream, and then we’re going to enjoy it (I like to show myself eating in my videos so you know it’s legit. No AI made this recipe!)
By the way, the video is here:
To be honest…
I invented this dubai chocolate cannoli recipe on the fly. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was going to work out, and I told myself if it didn’t, it was okay—my family would enjoy the experiment one way or another! But it turned out to be literally one of the best things I have ever tasted.
As you know, I’m not a huge dessert eater; my blog is usually full of health-focused recipes that aren’t overly sweet. But this? This is the exception you have to try.
Dubai Chocolate Cannoli
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Fill a 2 qt pot halfway full of water, and bring it to a boil.
- Add the pistachios, and boil for 3 minutes.
- Strain the pistachios, then rub them with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. Set aside to dry.
- Roughly chop 1/2 cup of pistachios, not the pistachios that you boiled, those are for the cream filling.
- Melt the dark chocolate and 1 Tbsp oil in a glass bowl in 30 second increments. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth. While hot, dip the ends of the cannoli shells in the melted dark chocolate, shake off the excess, and lay on wax paper. Sprinkle the edges with chopped pistachios. Set aside until cool.
- In a glass bowl, add 1 Tbsp oil, the white chocolate chips, and 1/4 c of the milk. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until melted.
- In a blender, add the pistachios, salt, and the melted white chocolate mixture. Pulse until blended. Then, add 1/4 c of milk and blend, scraping as needed.
- In a piping bag or large Ziploc bag, add the pistachio butter, trying to get the butter on one half of the piping bag.
- Rinse out your blender. Add the ingredients for the whipped cream, and blend on high, checking every 20 seconds for the cream to be thick, but still creamy. It shouldn’t drip off a spoon. But, don’t blend too much, or it will turn to butter.
- To the piping bag, add the whipped cream, pushing it on the empty half so that the bag is a blend of half cream/half butter. Alternately, you can fold the butter and cream together and place in bag. Cut the tip, and pipe the cream into the cooled cannoli shells. Garnish the ends with mini chocolate chips and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Video
*Please consult your health professional for health and nutritional advice.
How do you make Dubai chocolate inspired cannoli?
First, you need those cannoli shells!
Where to find cannoli shells?
In your grocery store, look in the baking aisle, or the Italian or specialty section of your grocery store.
I personally use the Alessi brand.
But here is a quick heads-up:
There is almost always at least one broken shell in the box. I started with a box of six, and we ended up with five perfect shells to use. Just keep that in mind when you’re grabbing your ingredients so you have enough for everyone!
Alright, let’s go!
Boil pistachios to use in homemade pistachio butter in a later step
We’re going to start by making the homemade pistachio butter. You’ll take one and a quarter cup of shelled pistachios—no need for them to be salted or flavored. We’re going to add them to a pot of boiling water and boil the pistachios for 3 minutes.
Once they’re done, drain the pistachios and place them on a clean kitchen towel on your counter.
Give them a good rub to remove those little skins; they come right off!
Go ahead and set aside the pistachios to dry while you’re getting your cannoli shells ready.
Dip the cannoli shells in dark chocolate and pistachio
While those pistachios are drying, we’re going to prep the shells. Take a separate half-cup of pistachios and roughly chop them. Remember, we are NOT chopping the pistachios that we boiled—this is a separate set!
Next, take one cup of dark chocolate chips and place them in a bowl with one tablespoon of oil (I used avocado oil). Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the dark chocolate is smooth and melted.
While the chocolate is still melted, dip the ends of your cannoli shells. I like to use a spoon to help coat the top of the shell. We just want the edges to be dipped!
Once coated, dip those chocolate edges into your chopped pistachios and set the shells on wax paper until they are cool and dry.
Make the Homemade Pistachio Butter
Now, let’s make that savory pistachio butter filling using the boiled pistachios (the ones with the skins removed). In a glass bowl, add a tablespoon of oil, some white chocolate chips, and a quarter-cup of milk. Microwave this in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the white chocolate is melted.
In a blender, add your skinless pistachios, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and that melted white chocolate mixture. Pulse until it’s blended. Add another quarter-cup of milk and blend again, scraping the sides as needed.
Pro Tip: This should turn out with a consistency similar to peanut butter. It’s okay if it looks a little grainy, but you want it blended as much as possible.
If you want it thinner to eat on another recipe, like toast, you can add another quarter-cup of milk, but I wanted mine thick so it wouldn’t drip out of the cannoli!
In a large Piping Bag (or a Ziploc bag), add the pistachio butter on one side lengthwise. In a minute, we are going to add the whipped cream to the other half so you can pipe them together.
Make Homemade whipped cream
Rinse out your blender and add the ingredients for the whipped cream: one cup of heavy cream and two tablespoons of powdered sugar. Blend on high, checking the cream every 20 seconds. You want it thick and creamy—it shouldn’t drip off a spoon. Just be careful not to over-blend, or you’ll end up with actual butter! This is how it should look:
To your piping bag, add the whipped cream to the other half so you can pipe them together. I gently used a spatula to push the whipped cream as far down as I could. Alternately, you can just fold the butter and cream together and place them in one bag—that works just as well!
Cut the tip of your bag and pipe the cream into the cooled cannoli shells.
To finish them off, garnish the ends with mini chocolate chips and give the shells a light sprinkle of powdered sugar.
You now have an amazing dessert! If your family is anything like mine, they’ll come home, see these on the counter, and say, “Wait, are you serious? We get to have this after school?!”
This would be such an impressive party food, too!
