Amid the constant flow of new microtrends and TikTok-viral recipes, only a few food trends tend to stick around for a while — but one sweet, pistachio-topped treat aims to be an exception.

Dubai-style Ghirardelli truffles just landed on shelves, and this milk chocolate-covered nest of toasted kataifi and pistachio filling is the latest release proving the Dubai chocolate trend isn’t dead. In contrast to previous versions of the viral dessert, Ghirardelli’s truffle-like pieces offer a bite-sized taste of the indulgent treat that flooded foodies’ social feeds last year. It has all the fixings of a classic Dubai bar: Thick pistachio cream, crunchy toasted dough, and smooth milk chocolate.

About two years after Fix Dessert Chocolatier launched the inaugural version exclusively in Dubai — ironically dubbed “Can’t Get Knafeh of It” — consumers still aren’t satisfied. In this iteration, Ghirardelli says it’s tapping its 170 years of chocolate-making experience to create an “everyday indulgence.”

On the social media front, we’ll give Ghirardelli some credit: It seems they’ve been paying attention to online chatter about the trend. Platforms like TikTok offer a trove of taste tests, consumer reviews, and unsolicited brainstorming sessions on the right ratio of fried dough to pistachio paste. Too much cream can overwhelm the palate with sweetness, while some argue that thick layers of chocolate obscure the nuttiness.

Many chocolatiers’ interpretations of Dubai chocolate are outrageously indulgent — often, overflowing with pistachio paste for a social media moment, à la Nuts Factory — making it tough to enjoy as an everyday treat.

Ghirardelli’s individually wrapped chocolates retail for $14 per four-ounce bag and are available in time for the holidays, a prime season for trying new treats with family. (Including your chronically offline in-laws, who finally caught wind of the social trend.) They’re offered on Ghirardelli’s website starting this week and will be in select national retailers next month.

Unlike Lindtwhich launched a chocolate bar exclusively at Walmart last July, Ghirardelli has not yet undertaken a full-scale Dubai-style rollout. (Both brands are owned by Swiss company Lindt & Sprüngli, by the way.) California-based Ghirardelli tested a pistachio- and toasted dough-topped sundae in select stores earlier this summer. It features vanilla ice cream swirled with pistachio butter, hot fudge, toasted kataifi, white chocolate, sea salt, and a square of caramel Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate.

Other major brands have put their own spin on the trend. Shake Shack rolled out a now-viral pistachio shake in select cities this year, while IHOP introduced diners to a luxuriously oversized pancake stack in August.

Now that Dubai chocolate has lost its exclusivity factor, will consumers still crave it? Ghirardelli is certainly willing to bet on it.

Dubai chocolate launches in 2025