Perfect Dubai Chocolate Brownies

The worldwide appeal of Dubai chocolate continues unabated, so what better way to start The Sealed Bakery’s blog than with a recipe for Dubai Chocolate Brownies!

What is Dubai chocolate?

Filled with a combination of pistachio (either finely ground or a paste) and crispy kataifi pastry (shredded filo dough), the chocolate bar became a global sensation with its contrasting textures and sweet, nutty flavour. The brownie recipe below uses vermicelli pasta in place of kataifi pastry to provide the crunchy layer, but you could use panko breadcrumbs or baked and crumbled filo pastry if you prefer.

Ingredients for the brownie batter

For the brownie batter (or use 1 x 415g pack Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix):

• 200g unsalted butter

• 230g caster sugar

• 65g light brown soft sugar

• 45g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

• 45g cocoa powder

• 2 eggs

• 85g plain flour

Ingredients for the vermicelli layer and ganache topping

40g butter

100g vermicelli pasta, broken up

190g pistachio spread

60ml double cream

170g dark chocolate (54%), finely chopped

½ tbsp golden syrup

20g white chocolate

Steps

1. First make the brownies as follows or if using a brownie mix, prepare according to the pack instructions and bake in a 20cm square tin.

2. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan) and line a 20x20cm tin.

3. Put the butter in a large saucepan followed by the caster sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Place the pan over a low heat and leave for 5 minutes, without stirring, until the butter has completely melted and enveloped the other ingredients.

4. Once the butter and chocolate have fully melted, remove the pan from the heat (don’t worry if the sugar is still slightly granular at this point).

5. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, whisk a little, then pour into the pan and whisk the mixture together until it is glossy and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

6. Add the flour to the pan and whisk again briefly until just combined. Make sure you get into the corners of the pan with the whisk to catch any pockets of flour which haven’t been mixed through.

7. Pour the mixture into your lined tin, tilting the tin to encourage the mixture to fill the edges in an even layer.

8. Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, until the brownie no longer wobbles when gently shaken. Leave to cool in tin.

9. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the vermicelli. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vermicelli is a deep, golden brown. Be careful to keep an eye on it as it can burn easily.

Cook the vermicelli in the butter until golden brown.

10. Reserving two tablespoons of pistachio spread, stir the rest through the toasted vermicelli to thoroughly combine. Spread the mixture over the brownie base, making sure you get right to the corners of the tin.

11. Heat the double cream in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling (take off the heat when you start to see tiny bubbles appear around the edge of the saucepan). Place the dark chocolate in a bowl and pour over the hot cream, stirring until all the chocolate has melted. You may need to place the bowl above a saucepan of gently simmering water to melt all the chocolate, but try not to stir it too much as it could go lumpy. Stir in the golden syrup and then pour over the vermicelli layer.

12. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave in 15-second bursts and drop spoonfuls on top of the dark chocolate ganache layer, along with the reserved pistachio spread. Use a toothpick or skewer to ripple through the topping and create a pattern.

13. Cool in a fridge for an hour before using a sharp knife to cut into 16 squares.