Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Print Version)

Elegant chocolate cups with fresh strawberries and crunchy pistachios deliver vibrant rich flavors.

# Ingredient List:

→ Chocolate Cups

01 - 7 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
02 - 1 teaspoon coconut oil

→ Strawberry Filling

03 - 8.8 oz fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
04 - 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
05 - 0.5 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

→ Pistachio Crunch

06 - 2.1 oz shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
07 - 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar or coconut sugar
08 - 0.5 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Garnish

09 - 8 small whole strawberries
10 - Edible gold leaf (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cupcake liners.
02 - Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water using a double boiler method, stirring until smooth.
03 - Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into each liner and use the back of a spoon to coat the bottom and sides. Chill for 15 minutes until set. Add a second layer of chocolate for sturdier cups and chill again until firm.
04 - Mix diced strawberries with honey and orange blossom water. Set aside.
05 - Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pistachios and sugar, stirring until sugar melts and nuts are golden (2 to 3 minutes). Cool on parchment paper.
06 - Once chocolate cups are firm, gently remove paper liners.
07 - Fill each chocolate cup with the strawberry mixture. Sprinkle a generous amount of pistachio crunch on top. Garnish with a whole strawberry and a touch of gold leaf if desired.
08 - Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for best texture.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • They look fancy enough for guests but take just 25 minutes of actual hands-on work, leaving you calm instead of frazzled.
  • The contrast between creamy chocolate, juicy berries, and that shattering pistachio crunch keeps your palate endlessly entertained.
02 -
  • Never let the chocolate bowl touch the simmering water directly, or it will seize into an unusable mess—the steam around it is enough to do the job gently.
  • Pistachios burn faster than you think, especially on medium-high heat; watch them like they owe you money, because that nutty fragrance hits suddenly and then they're bitter.
03 -
  • Line your tin with liners before you start melting chocolate—those two minutes of prep prevent rushed mistakes and save your muffin tin from a chocolate staining.
  • Buy your strawberries the day you plan to make these; they're most juicy and fragrant at their peak, which transforms the entire dessert.
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