Dubai-Inspired Pistachio Chocolate Cookies
These gluten-free vegan pistachio chocolate cookies are inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate trend, featuring rich dark chocolate, crunchy pistachios, and tahini for the perfect balance of soft, chewy, and crunchy textures. Made with lower refined sugar ingredients like coconut sugar and monk fruit sweetener, they’re a decadent bakery-style treat with a luxurious Middle Eastern-inspired twist.
Equipment
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Wet:
- ½ cup vegan butter softened
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup monk fruit sweetener
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry:
- 1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground cardamom
Mix-Ins:
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy-free chocolate chunks or chop up a bar of unsweetened dark chocolate
- ⅓ cup roasted pistachios
Instructions
Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream Base
- In a stand mixer, beat vegan butter, coconut sugar and monk fruit sweetener until fluffy.Add tahini, non-dairy milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Whisk Together Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Add Chocolate and Pistachios
- Fold in chocolate chunks and pistachios.
Shape Cookies
- Roll two tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.Flatten balls slightly with the back of a fork.
Bake
- Bake cookies for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges are golden-brown (centres will still look soft).
Cool
- Remove cookies from oven and cool on tray before moving.
Notes
- Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for longer storage.
- Flour swap: All- purpose flour can be used 1:1 in place of gluten-free flour if gluten is not a concern.
- Cool: allow cookies to cool thoroughly before moving to avoid having them fall apart.
- Gluten-free flour: gluten-free flour blends can vary quite a bit. For bakery-style cookies, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum.
- Dough hydration: If the dough feels too dry, add 1 teaspoon of non-dairy milk at a time until the dough comes together.
- Don’t over-bake: these cookies continue to firm up as they cool so avoid over-baking.
- Add sea salt: a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top after baking balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavour.