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Dubai chewy cookies are the viral no-bake treat blowing up out of South Korea: a stretchy chocolate dough made from melted marshmallows, cocoa powder, and powdered milk gets wrapped around a pistachio cream and crunchy kataifi center, then rolled in cocoa powder. There is no flour and no baking, just melt, fill, and shape in about 20 minutes.
I started a little series where I test the viral recipes I keep scrolling past but have never actually tasted, and this one shot straight to the top of my list. The Dubai chewy cookie has been everywhere lately, and I had to know if the hype held up.
The flavor delivered exactly what you would hope, deep chocolate and nutty pistachio, and I would happily give it an 8 out of 10. The one catch is the texture of the dough while you shape it. If you grew up a Nickelodeon kid, it reminded me a lot of Gak, slowly oozing through the gaps in your fingers, so it’s a little messy to work with. Still worth it.
If you’ve already ridden the Dubai chocolate wave with my 3-ingredient Dubai chocolate cups, this is the chewy, candy-like cousin. Same pistachio-and-kataifi magic, brand new texture.
You can also take that pistachio kataifi filling in a completely different direction with these Dubai Chocolate Covered Strawberries, which pack the same filling inside dark chocolate dipped strawberries for a no-bake treat that comes together fast.
What Makes These Dubai Chewy Cookies So Good
It’s a study in contrast. The marshmallow dough is soft and stretchy with a deep cocoa flavor, and it wraps around a center of smooth pistachio cream and brittle, toasted kataifi. You get chewy, creamy, and crunchy all in one bite, which is exactly why the original Dubai chocolate bar went viral in the first place.
They land somewhere between a cookie and a candy, in the best way. If you love that no-bake, candy-shop energy, they’re right at home next to my ube Dubai chocolate bar.
What Is a Dubai Chewy Cookie Made Of?
A Dubai chewy cookie is made of a marshmallow-based chocolate dough wrapped around a pistachio kataifi filling. Melted marshmallows mixed with cocoa powder and powdered milk create the signature stretchy, chewy texture, while sweet pistachio cream and toasted kataifi give the center a rich, crunchy contrast. There is no flour and no oven involved anywhere in the process.
What Is the Viral Dubai Chewy Cookie?
The viral Dubai chewy cookie is a no-bake treat that took off online for its dramatic, stretchy pull and its Dubai-chocolate-inspired filling. It borrows the flavor of the famous Dubai chocolate bar, the same knafeh-style pistachio and kataifi combo, and packs it into a soft, chewy cookie you can make at home. The Baking Tools has a good rundown of how the trend caught fire.
What Is the Dubai Chewy Cookie Called in Korea?
In Korea, the Dubai chewy cookie is nicknamed “dujjonku,” a mashup that nods to Dubai and to the country’s love of chewy candy. As the South China Morning Post reported, it went viral there after a K-pop-linked social post before spreading worldwide.
Tips for the Best Dubai Chewy Cookies
1. Toast the kataifi for maximum crunch
If your kataifi isn’t already toasted, toss it in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and crisp. That crackle is the whole point of the filling, so don’t skip it.
2. Melt the marshmallows low and slow
Melt them in butter over low heat and stop when they’re about half melted. Rushing on high heat scorches the marshmallow and makes the dough stiff instead of stretchy.
3. Grease your hands before shaping
The dough is sticky, Gak-level sticky, so lightly oil your hands or dust them with cocoa powder before you wrap the filling. It keeps the dough from gluing itself to your fingers.
4. Chill the filling first
Keep the pistachio-kataifi mixture in the fridge while you make the dough. A firm, cold filling is much easier to spoon into the center and seal inside the cookie.
5. Roll in cocoa to finish
A final roll in cocoa powder gives the cookies their matte, truffle-like coating and tames any lingering stickiness on the outside.
Storage and Leftovers
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days; the chewy texture is at its best on day one or two. The fridge will firm them up, so if you store them cold, let them come back to room temperature before eating for that signature stretch. They also freeze well for up to a month. For another chewy, stuffed treat, try my mochi-stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 oz Pistachio Cream
- 1/3 cup Toasted Kataifi
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 5 oz marshmallows
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (plus 2 tbsp more for dusting)
- 1 tbsp powdered milk
How to Make Dubai Chewy Cookies
- Mix the pistachio cream and toasted kataifi in a bowl and place it in the fridge to firm up. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp cocoa powder and the powdered milk.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat, add the marshmallows, and stir continuously until they are about half melted.
- Sift the cocoa-and-milk-powder mix over the marshmallows. Stir and fold until you have a solid dark-brown dough, then transfer it to parchment paper and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
- Tear the dough into 4 pieces. Press each into a disk in your hand, spoon a quarter of the pistachio filling into the middle, then wrap the dough around it and roll into a ball.
- Roll each ball in the remaining cocoa powder to coat completely.
- Serve right away, or chill briefly to firm up.
If you try these Dubai chewy cookies, leave a star rating on the recipe card below and let me know in the comments where they land on your own hype scale. Your ratings help other viral-recipe chasers find the post.
Dubai Chewy Cookies
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 4 cookies 1x
Description
These viral no-bake Dubai chewy cookies wrap a stretchy chocolate marshmallow dough around a pistachio cream and crunchy kataifi center, rolled in cocoa powder.
Ingredients
- 5 oz Pistachio Cream
- 1/3 cup Toasted Kataifi
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 5 oz marshmallows
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder (plus 2 tbsp more for dusting)
- 1 tbsp powdered milk
Equipment
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the filling. Mix the pistachio cream and toasted kataifi, then chill. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 tbsp cocoa powder with the powdered milk.
- Melt the marshmallows. Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat, add the marshmallows, and stir until about half melted.
- Make the dough. Sift the cocoa-milk-powder mix over the marshmallows and fold until you have a solid dark-brown dough. Cool on parchment for a couple of minutes.
- Fill and shape. Tear into 4 pieces, press each into a disk, spoon in a quarter of the filling, wrap, and roll into a ball.
- Coat. Roll each ball in the remaining cocoa powder and serve.
Notes
- Toast the kataifi first if it is not already toasted; the crunch is the whole point.
- Melt the marshmallows low and slow to keep the dough stretchy, not stiff.
- Grease or cocoa-dust your hands before shaping; the dough is very sticky.
- Keep the filling cold so it is easy to seal inside the dough.
- Texture is best on day one or two; bring refrigerated cookies to room temperature before eating.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 15mg