Dandelion Chocolate Unveils “Winter Tales” Collection, As Middle Eastern-Inspired Confections Continue To See Interest
American DTC chocolatier Dandelion Chocolate has launched its new Winter Tales Collection — a limited-edition assortment of 20 bonbons created in collaboration with Houston-based chocolatier Mostly Chocolate. The collection draws on Lebanese family holiday traditions and features five festive flavors: Hazelnut Comet, Gingerbread, Peppermint Crunch, Turkish Coffee, and Almond Toffee Crunch. Each confection is made with Dandelion’s signature 70% Tumaco, Colombia chocolate, known for its mellow flavor profile.
Mostly Chocolate’s co-founder, Dany Kamkhagi, brings his family’s Middle Eastern culinary heritage into the collaboration. Among the standout creations, Hazelnut Comet — a silky gianduja-filled bonbon with popping candy under a star-speckled shell — also features in Dandelion’s Advent Calendar this year. The combination of nostalgic Middle Eastern elements and modern craft chocolate techniques highlights a growing interest among global chocolatiers in regional storytelling and ingredient traditions from the Middle East.
While Dandelion’s Winter Tales leans into personal heritage and festive nostalgia, it also arrives amid a global movement ignited by Dubai chocolate — the pistachio kunafa creation that put Dubai and the wider Middle East on the chocolate map. Brands such as Coco Jalila in the UAE, Godiva in Hong Kong, and Läderach in Switzerland have since built on this pistachio-kunafa signature, driving the continued momentum of the Dubai chocolate trend. Its success has also opened the door to a broader wave of Middle Eastern-inspired creations, as chocolatiers explore flavors like rose, saffron, dates, and Turkish coffee — translating the region’s dessert heritage into contemporary chocolate form.
Middle Eastern Flavors In Chocolate: Trends & Themes
Dubai Chocolate adaptations: What began as a viral social media trend has evolved into a full-fledged product category with chocolatiers adapting the original Dubai Chocolate bar into a variety of formats, propelling pistachio into one of the top flavors among product launches worldwide. Examples include Kilwins’ Dubai Truffles and Läderach’s Dubai Pralines and FrischSchoggi Dubai Dark.
Date-sweetened and no-refined-sugar formulas: Dates are increasingly used as a natural sweetener, blending indulgence with perceived health benefits. Examples include Meybona’s new range sweetened with dates, Vivani’s Dark Date Sugar, and Beyond Good’s Dates & Sesame 100% Cocoa Bar show this clean-label shift.
Regional dessert adaptations: Iconic Middle Eastern desserts like kunafa, halawa, and mahlabee are being reimagined in chocolate formats. Examples include Elate Chocolates’ Mahlabee bar in the UK and FIX Dessert Chocolatier’s You Karak Me Up chocolate bar which is inspired by flavors of Karak Chai, a spiced milk tea beverage popular in the Middle East.
The rise of “Angel Hair” chocolate: Following the global success of Dubai chocolate, a new contender is emerging drwing inspiration from Turkey — Angel Hair chocolate, featuring pişmaniye, or Turkish cotton candy. The trend centers on texture: a light, airy sweetness layered with pistachio and chocolate, offering both novelty and familiarity. It’s fast gaining traction across markets, positioning Angel Hair as potentially the next major Middle Eastern-led confectionery wave. Alyan (Turkey), Patislove (International), and The Harvest (Indonesia) have all launched Angel Hair chocolate bars, while brands like Bolçi, Vanelli, and Fiorella are expanding the concept with new variants featuring pistachio cream, raspberry, or pink chocolate coatings.
Middle Eastern aromatics seeing interest: Flavors such as rose, saffron, and cardamom — long used in regional desserts — are increasingly shaping global chocolate innovation. Bon Chocolats (USA) introduced a dark chocolate bonbon infused with rose water; Elate Chocolates & Dates (UK) unveiled its saffron-infused Mahlabee flavor; and FIX Dessert Chocolatier (UAE) launched You Karak Me Up, blending cardamom and saffron into a milk chocolate creation inspired by Karak Chai.
Expansion of premium chocolate into the Middle East: Luxury chocolate houses are entering the region, signaling confidence in the Middle Eastern market’s appetite for high-end confectionery. Swiss luxury chocolatier Läderach’s new stores in Cairo and Istanbul underline this regional growth.