Easy Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Print)

Luscious cups of chocolate and fresh strawberries layered for a simple, elegant treat.

# Components:

→ Chocolate Layer

01 - 7 oz dark chocolate (60% cocoa minimum), chopped
02 - 4 fl oz heavy cream
03 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Biscuit Base

04 - 3.5 oz digestive biscuits or tea biscuits, crushed
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

→ Strawberry Layer

06 - 8.8 oz fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
07 - 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

→ Garnish

08 - 6 whole strawberries
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios, optional
10 - Edible gold leaf, optional

# Directions:

01 - Combine crushed biscuits with melted butter. Divide evenly among 6 serving cups, pressing gently to form a compact base layer.
02 - In a heatproof bowl, combine chopped chocolate, heavy cream, and butter. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring thoroughly between bursts, until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly before use.
03 - Toss sliced strawberries with powdered sugar and let rest for 5 minutes to release natural juices and develop flavor.
04 - Layer chocolate mixture over the biscuit base in each cup, then top with macerated strawberries and accumulated juice.
05 - Crown each cup with a whole strawberry, a sprinkle of chopped pistachios if desired, and edible gold leaf for an elegant finish.
06 - Refrigerate for 1 hour minimum before serving to achieve optimal texture and flavor development.

# Chef Secrets:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you actually spent twenty minutes being sneakily efficient.
  • No baking skills required means even the most kitchen-anxious friend can pull this off and feel like a pastry chef.
  • Those Instagram-worthy layers actually taste as good as they look, which is rarer than you'd think.
02 -
  • If your chocolate seizes (becomes grainy and clumpy), it's usually because water got into it or you overheated it—this is unfixable, so start over with new chocolate and you'll be glad you did.
  • The cooling time between chocolate and strawberries matters because warm chocolate will wilt fresh strawberries, turning them into mushy disappointment.
03 -
  • Buy your strawberries a day or two before you plan to make this so they reach peak ripeness and flavor intensity rather than being picked too early for shelf life.
  • If you don't have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate over a double boiler, stirring constantly until smooth, then proceed as normal—the result is identical.
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