Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Printable Version)

Delicate chocolate cups filled with strawberry blend and crunchy pistachio topping, offering an elegant, easy-to-make dessert.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Chocolate Cups

01 - 7 oz dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped
02 - 1 tsp coconut oil

→ Strawberry Filling

03 - 8.8 oz fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
04 - 1 tbsp honey or agave syrup
05 - 0.5 tsp orange blossom water

→ Pistachio Crunch

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

→ Garnish

09 - 8 small whole strawberries
10 - Edible gold leaf

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cupcake liners.
02 - Melt dark chocolate and coconut oil together in a heatproof bowl over a double boiler, 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 constantly until sugar melts and nuts are golden, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Cool on parchment paper.
06 - Once chocolate cups are firm, gently remove paper liners. Fill each cup with the strawberry mixture.
07 - Sprinkle a generous amount of pistachio crunch on top. Garnish each cup with a whole strawberry and a touch of edible gold leaf if desired.
08 - Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for optimal texture and flavor integration.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • They look like you spent hours perfecting them, but you can have them ready in under two hours from start to finish.
  • Fresh strawberries and that golden pistachio crunch create a textural contrast that keeps each bite interesting and exciting.
  • The combination is naturally gluten-free and works beautifully for dinner parties, date nights, or just impressing yourself on a Tuesday.
02 -
  • If your chocolate seizes or gets grainy, start over—there's no saving it, and it's better to begin fresh than to serve gritty chocolate that breaks the entire experience.
  • The pistachio crunch must cool completely on parchment paper before you break it into pieces, otherwise it sticks to itself into one unusable clump.
  • These cups taste best when served cold, but not straight from the freezer; take them out about 5 minutes before eating so the chocolate softens enough to be actually enjoyable instead of rock-hard.
03 -
  • Make the chocolate cups up to two days ahead and store them in an airtight container in the fridge; add your strawberry filling and pistachio crunch just a few hours before serving for maximum freshness and textural contrast.
  • If you want to go the vegan route, use high-quality dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut butter instead of regular butter for the pistachio crunch, and the result will be nearly identical in flavor and texture.
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