Looking for out-of-the-box dessert recipes? Here are our favorite Arab dessert bloggers:Arab culinary influencers have taken Instagram by storm over the past few years, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers with their creative desserts and (mostly) easy-to-follow recipes. From unbelievably fluffy cakes that melt in your mouth to crumbly pastries, these dessert legends have mastered the art of turning simple ingredients in your pantry into masterpieces. We present you this list in the hopes that it will inspire you to bake, and not just salivate.

FROM EGYPT-

Cleobuttera, run by Tasbih Sallam, is a favorite at Enterprise. One of the most well-known dessert bloggers in Egypt, with over 150k followers on Instagram, her recipes have gone viral more than once, even internationally. Discovering baking at a young age, Tasbih developed her skills, experimented with different recipes, and her baking went from a hobby to a career. While she is currently still on hiatus, she has left behind a wealth of recipes for us to try — and favorites we keep coming back to.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE- While her renowned (and frequently copied) Mesh Om Aliis a classic, we were impressed with her pistachiomafroukehtruffles when we tried them out. Packed with flavor, and packaged in a beautiful and colorful bite-sized ball of goodness, this truffle makes pistachio the star of the dish. The truffles are made with ground pistachios mixed with semolina and rosewater, then filled with delicious cream and rolled around in even more pistachio, before getting topped with a dried rose petal, and delicious sugar syrup.

LIBYAN DESSERTS-

What started out as Libyan architect Lubna Ben Halim’s hobby account has become home to hundreds of mouthwatering baking recipes. Early followers of her account begged her to post the recipes to her appetizing and beautifully decorated creations. She obliged, and lulukitchenly was born. With a particular knack for food photography and styling, Ben Halim has a talent for making desserts look extremely appetizing. Her feed is filled with authentic Libyan desserts from magrood — a date-filled semolina cookie — to lemon curd pavlova and fig and ginger ice cream.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE- We humbly present the strawberries love swiss roll for nomination. The pillowy vanilla sponge cake is rolled over a thick cloud-soft layer of pink strawberry cream, and topped with chopped strawberries, mixed berries, and fresh mint. You can find the recipe for this swiss roll (along with all of Lubna’s other desserts) on her website.

FLAVORS FROM THE GCC-

Emirati chef Bader Najeeb became the host of his own cooking segments on national television at the age of 17, a culmination of being immersed in the world of baking for four years. In 2018, one year after graduating from university, the accountant-turned-baker went on to study at the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, where he specialized in chocolate and sugar arts.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE- Making chocolate sounds daunting, but these orange cinnamonpralines look good enough to make us want to try. The pralines are made up of a delicate dark chocolate shell filled with a smooth chocolate crème tempered in a beautifully citrusy orange purée.

If you live in the UAE and you’re too lazy to do the work, we’ve got good news: Najeeb also sells his creations on his website (though you might want to check his shipping policies before you make an order).

FOR OUR HEALTH-CONSCIOUS FRIENDS-

Hematology lab technician by day and healthy(ish) dessert influencer by… other times of day, Kuwaiti chef Abdulaziz Alreshoud has taken Instagram by storm with delicious, plant-forward treats. Alreshoud routinely encourages people to experiment with healthier alternatives for plant-based ingredients already in use — like switching out white sugar for the less processed and more nutritious date sugar — but has the sense to recognize that sometimes butter is just necessary. If you want to indulge in dessert but want to eliminate some of the less healthy ingredients, this is the account for you.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE- Alreshoud’s Apple Baklava substitutes some of the traditionalrecipe’s sugar content with apples. The crispy layers of phyllo coupled with the tender caramelized apple had us rethinking our puritanical dessert principles, we’re brave enough to admit.

AND FOR THE PASTRY OBSESSED-

Pastry pro Karim Bourgi — born in Senegal to Lebanese parents, professionally trained in Paris, based in the UAE, and jetsetting masterchef instructor — has left no stone unturned in the pastry world. His dedication to creating desserts almost too beautiful to eat is reflected in his laundry list of awards (most recently best pastry chef in the MENA region) and extensive portfolio, consisting of a festival of chantilly, crémeux, and whipped ganache.

OUR FAVORITE RECIPE- If you want to dip your toes in the delicious world of professional confectionery, we suggest you start with this recipe for madeleines. It might seem like a simple treat, but make no mistake: Making a good genoise sponge takes skills.

Unfortunately, most recipes for Bourgi’s masterpieces are hidden behind a USD 65 paywall, though you can gain access to the 16-recipe Pastry Collection book instantly because it’s an ebook. Bourgi also offers baking courses for recipes like fuji roll and travel cakes, ranging between EUR 49-80.

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