People are traveling across the world to try the viral ‘millennial Willy Wonka’ chocolate bar
This confection is raising the bar.
Thought going all the way to the store for candy was extreme? Chocoholics are traveling across the world to get their paws on a special bar that’s only available in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“This is worth every bit of the hype and is still getting,” gushed one satisfied candy lover on X. “Not denying that it’s pricey, but we have paid more for mass-produced chocolate.”
Aptly named the Can’t Get Khanafed Of It, this $20 sweet treat entails a milk chocolate bar filled with crispy khanafeh (a traditional Middle Eastern pastry), pistachio cream and tahini spread.
The confection is produced by Dubai-based company Fix Dessert Chocolatier, which specializes in tea, filo pastry and other Middle Eastern-inflected chocolate bars like the cocoa version of Bernie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.
“We take a lot of time and effort, and put a lot of love into our bars,” Fix Founder Sarah Hamouda, 38, told CNN while describing these high-octane holy grails.
The so-called “millennial Willy Wonka” started the candy company in 2021 as a side hustle, reportedly inspired by the cocoa cravings she experienced during pregnancy, hence the name (which stands for “freaking incredible experience”).
However, many products nowadays, it gained worldwide traction due to TikTok. A now-viral ASMR video showing foodfluencer Maria Vehera eating a Can’t Get Khanafed Of It bar in her car currently boasts over 60 million views.
“WOW, JUST WOW!!! Can’t explain how good these are!” she gushed in the caption. “When a chocolate, a dessert and a piece of art meet this is what you get!”
Hamouda claimed that this internet fame caused Fix’s daily orders to go from single digits to 500 with CGKOI becoming her bestseller, the Daily Mail reported.
Alas, this molten monster is only available in Dubai via Chatfood or Deliveroo, but that hasn’t stopped international cocoa heads from going to great lengths to get their hands on one.
“Whoever is traveling back from Dubai to London could you get me a fix dessert chocolatier chocolate bar cause I’m dying to try it,” pleaded one fan on X.
Another wrote, “Why do they only deliver in Dubai I will literally fly there just to try these chocolates.”
“It’s insane what’s been happening,” exclaimed Hamouda, who’s reportedly gotten messages and video responses from people from Canada to Argentina praising her creation.
Indeed, it appears that the flavor was worth the pilgrimage for many. “The Fix Dessert Chocolatier chocolate has arrived. I do hope my cousin appreciates it,” fawned one fan. “The thick and robust bars evoke memories of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a cherished childhood book, with the original film holding a high place of importance in my life. Love it.”
The taste is a credit to the meticulousness and care with which these chocolate bars are created. All the sweets are handmade — including the colorful designs — and each is packed and filled using a signature mold.
“For me, it’s really important (to maintain) the quality and the ingredients of our products,” said Hamouda.
Unfortunately, this intensive process mitigates the number that Fix can churn out. Despite capping sales of the 200-gram bars at 500 orders per day, they often sell out within minutes.
Fortunately, some TikTokkers have managed to circumvent the scarcity by MacGyvering their own Can’t Get Khanafed Of It at home.
Fortunately, even off-brand imitations proved sumptuous, per TikTok foodie Suzy Hendrix, who cobbled one of these bars together using ingredients sourced from her neighborhood Middle Eastern Supermarket.
“I can’t take it anymore, I’ve been watching people enjoy this viral pistachio chocolate bar, only sold in Dubai. I had to try and make it,” she gushed in a video with nearly 20 million views. “And it was everything I dreamt it would be.”
