When Dubai chocolate hit TikTok stardom last fall, its combination of pistachio cream and bits of filo dough enveloped in a rich chocolate bar made it the dessert darling of the social media world. Since then, it has made its way onto shelves and recipe websites alike.
So when pastry chef Tracy Dempsey was creating a lineup of sweet stuffed dates for her Tempe bake shop, she recognized a new flavor profile that would put a unique spin on the en vogue confection. The result is her Dubai chocolate-stuffed dates.
“Dubai chocolate is kind of trendy right now and I love pistachios and I love the idea of pistachio encased with crunchy filo bits in it,” says Dempsey, owner of Tracy Dempsey Originals. “Texturally, it’s a really nice bite. You have the soft dates, a little bit of crunch, that really beautiful silky pistachio with that incredible flavor and the chocolate.”
Tracy Dempsey Originals owner and pastry chef Tracy Dempsey starts the process to make her Dubai chocolate-stuffed dates.
Georgann Yara
“I thought, why couldn’t you treat this like a cannoli where you have a different filling in them?” Dempsey says of the caramel-like jammy fruit.
She knew of Dubai chocolate’s popularity and was inspired to create her own rendition, allowing dates to share the spotlight. Unlike the others on her date menu, however, these are not vegan nor gluten-free.
After the dates are stuffed with pistachio and filo, they are dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate and ready to be sprinkled with roasted salted pistachios.
Georgann Yara
Next, she uses a small cookie dough scooper to fill each date with a creamy pistachio paste and shredded filo mixture. After smoothing the filling, she dips the split tops into melted semi-sweet chocolate and finishes them off with roasted, salted pistachios.
In the end, Dempsey’s creation is a bite of heaven that offers her own twist on the popular treat.
In just a few weeks, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive with customers coming in just for the dates after seeing photos on her shop’s Instagram feed.
“I always like to have some sort of sweet offering for folks who don’t want to go overboard and indulge in something like a big tart,” Dempsey says. “They’re great little bites and packed with a little bit of energy so if you want a quick bite on the run, that would be a great one to have.”
