Not Walnuts Or Pecans — Brownies Are Far Better With This Mix-In

Ooey gooey and undeniably chocolatey, brownies are the ultimate all-American dessert move. But you can make it better. While many people rely on walnuts or pecans to add texture, pistachios' distinctive sweet and delicate flavor, vivid green color, and association with a certain trendy chocolate dessert add an irresistible appeal.

You have no doubt seen a range of unexpected foods getting the Dubai chocolate treatment, from milkshakes to bagels, and pistachios are key to that equation. Pistachio pieces add texture, a nutty and buttery sweetness, and even visual appeal. They're one of three key ingredients for viral Dubai knafeh bars, and incorporating them into brownies takes hardly any time or effort. What's more, you can add pistachios to the brownie equation in multiple ways and even serve your brownies with pistachio ice cream.

Invitingly vibrant and green in hue, pistachios liven up many a sweet treat. To add their welcome flavor to brownies, all you need to do is toss a few handfuls of chopped pistachios into your batter and scatter some on top to finish. Or spread some pistachio paste over the top for an extra hit of pistachio goodness. You can also swirl heated pistachio cream into the batter. 

Brownies are one of the best desserts to add pistachios to because they don't end with just nuts. To double down on the Dubai angle, add pistachio pieces and a spoonful of tahini to your brownie batter along with a swirl of pistachio cream or paste. Then, sprinkle toasted kataifi (shredded phyllo) on top for crunch and sweetness as they cool. You can even mix the kataifi topping with pistachio paste if you want to go full Dubai chocolate. Or get extra fancy and drizzle pistachio paste in lines across the top of your brownie batter and drag a toothpick perpendicularly through them to create a feathered effect worthy of any bakery case.