At the upcoming State Fair of Texas, confectioner Stephen El Gidi will offer up his own Dubai chocolate-inspired dessert — a base of rich Belgian chocolate and a pistachio spread layered like a sweet lasagna over cheesecake in a cup.

It’s definitely a departure from the typical corn dogs and cotton candy.

From the West Coast to Middle America, dessert creators at state fairs are hawking their own confections based on Dubai chocolate, a milk chocolate shell filled with creamy pistachio, tahini and crispy kataifi, a Middle Eastern pastry.

The offerings derive inspiration from the original Dubai Chocolate, a bar created in 2021 by Sarah Hamouda, the founder of Fix Dessert Chocolatier, an online confectionary shop in Dubai.

The bar quickly went viral, with influencers touting its gooey, cr

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