Gordon Ramsay Dubai Chocolate Stuffed Cookies Recipe

These cookies hide the filling from the viral Dubai chocolate bar, toasted kataifi pastry mixed with pistachio cream, inside a thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie. You get crackly edges, a gooey middle and a nutty crunch in the center. It’s my take on the trend, not a Gordon Ramsay recipe. Makes 10 large cookies in about 2 hours, including chilling.

Kataifi and pistachio cream are both easy to find online or at a Middle Eastern grocer, and you don’t need any special equipment.

At a glance

• Makes: 10 large cookies
• Prep: 30 minutes
• Chill: 1 hour
• Bake: 12–14 minutes

Ingredients

For the pistachio kataifi filling

• 50 g kataifi (shredded phyllo) pastry, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup (85 g) pistachio cream or pistachio butter
• 2 tablespoons white chocolate, melted
• Pinch of salt

For the cookie dough

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (255 g) milk or dark chocolate chips

To finish

• 4 oz (115 g) dark or milk chocolate, melted, for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons crushed pistachios

Where to find the special ingredients

Kataifi is shredded phyllo pastry, usually sold frozen in Middle Eastern or international grocery stores, or online. Thaw it fully before chopping. Pistachio cream is soft and spreadable; if you have the thicker pistachio paste instead, loosen it with a teaspoon of melted white chocolate or neutral oil.

Method

1. Toast the kataifi

Toast the chopped kataifi with the melted butter in a skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep golden and crisp. This toasting is what keeps it crunchy inside the cookie instead of turning soggy. Let it cool completely, then mix it with the pistachio cream, white chocolate and salt. Chill for 15 minutes so it’s firm enough to scoop.

2. Make the dough

Cream the butter and both sugars for about 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl, mix them in until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Stuff the cookies

Flatten about 2 tablespoons of dough in your palm, add a teaspoon of filling, cover it with another 2 tablespoons of dough, and pinch the edges completely closed. Roll it into a tall, thick ball.

4. Chill

Refrigerate the balls for at least an hour, or freeze them for 20 minutes. Cold dough is what keeps these thick and bakery-style instead of thin and spread out.

5. Bake

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake on a lined sheet for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look a little underdone. They finish setting on the tray; leave them for 10 minutes.

6. Finish

Drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Break one in half to show off the filling.

Variations

• Sweeter: use milk chocolate for the drizzle.
• Tahini: stir a teaspoon of tahini into the filling for a nutty, slightly savory note.
• Minis: use 1 tablespoon of dough and half a teaspoon of filling per cookie.

If the filling leaks

Either the dough wasn’t sealed all the way round, or the balls weren’t chilled long enough. Pinch the seams firmly and don’t skip the chill.

Storage

Baked cookies keep for 4 days in an airtight container or 2 months in the freezer. Unbaked stuffed dough balls freeze for up to 3 months; bake straight from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes. That makes them easy to bake fresh for a party.

Cookie Recipes

Dubai Chocolate Stuffed Cookies

Thick, bakery-style chocolate chip cookies stuffed with a crispy pistachio-kataifi filling inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Prep
30 minutes

Cook
14 minutes

Total
2 hours

Serves
10 large cookies

🖨 Print Recipe

Ingredients

50 g kataifi (shredded phyllo) pastry, finely chopped1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted1/3 cup (85 g) pistachio cream or pistachio butter2 tablespoons white chocolate, meltedPinch of salt1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar2 large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1 1/2 cups (255 g) milk or dark chocolate chips4 oz (115 g) dark or milk chocolate, melted, for drizzling2 tablespoons crushed pistachios

Instructions

01

Toast the kataifi filling

Toast the chopped kataifi with the melted butter in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until deep golden and crisp. Cool completely, then fold into the pistachio cream, melted white chocolate, and a pinch of salt. Chill 15 minutes.

02

Cream the butter and sugars

Cream the softened butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.

03

Mix the dough

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then mix into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

04

Stuff the cookies

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, flatten in your palm, and spoon a teaspoon of the chilled filling into the center. Top with more dough and seal the edges completely so the filling won't leak out.

05

Chill

Place the stuffed dough balls on a tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or freeze for 20 minutes, so the cookies stay thick during baking.

06

Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake on a parchment-lined sheet for 12–14 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look slightly underdone. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes.

07

Finish and serve

Drizzle the cooled cookies with melted chocolate and scatter with crushed pistachios. Slice one in half for the classic reveal shot before serving.

Chef Tips

• Toast the kataifi dry first — this gives the filling its signature crunch instead of turning soggy inside the cookie.
• Seal the dough completely around the filling, or it will ooze out during baking.
• Don't skip the chill step — cold dough is the difference between a thick, bakery-style cookie and a thin, spread-out one.
• Pull the cookies when the centers still look a little soft — they firm up as they cool and stay gooey inside.

Love the Dubai chocolate flavors? Try my Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Tart. For another stuffed cookie, there’s the Biscoff Cookie Butter Stuffed Cookies, or try the Chocolate Peanut Butter Roll Cake.