Sample of the fried ice cream Yasmeen Early makes. Image courtesy of @hilwaice on Instagram.

If you happened to be on any social media this past summer, you probably caught a video of the viral Dubai chocolate bar, milk chocolate slabs stuffed with a pistachio, kataifi and tahini paste. If you miss its taste or are curious to try it for the first time, you can order the ice-cream version of it on Wellesley’s campus at Hilwa Ice Cream Co.

I sat down with Yasmeen Early ’26, who transformed the classic Dubai chocolate bar into Levantine-style fried ice cream and brought it to Wellesley.

Seeing the social media storm of Dubai chocolate, Early started making the chocolate recipe. After revisiting the pistachio filling over and over, she decided — sweltering in the Maryland heat — that it would be amazing in ice cream. 

However, Hilwa Ice Cream Co. was more than a viral TikTok trend, it was also rooted in Early’s heritage and fond family memories. Early’s family hails from the Levant region, close to the West Bank in Palestine, and her heritage inspired her to create a twist on classic Middle Eastern flavors. 

“Growing up, I ate a lot of Palestinian desserts, like “baklava” and “kunafa.” Those played a really big role in meshing those flavors with ice cream,” Early said.

Early pays homage to her heritage and family, naming her business after her great-grandmother, Hilwa. In Arabic, Hilwa means something along the lines of sweet, nice and beautiful.

Her grandmother, or “siti” as Early calls her, also played a huge role in inspiring Hilwa to get up and running. She immigrated to the US at the age of 17 when her family was displaced from East Jerusalem and moved to Ramallah. 

Her grandmother has been a fan of all the desserts Early created in the summer. In fact, Early would make a sugar-free version of her ice cream for her grandma, who is a type two diabetic. The sugar-free version is now also available upon request. 

“I love her, and she was the main person who, like, supported me back home,” she said.

In Early’s ice cream recipe, she mixes flavors like pistachio butter and tahini, along with kataifi, a thin shredded phyllo dough. These ingredients gave ice cream more of a traditional Middle Eastern taste, reminding her of other Levantine and Palestinian desserts. Early’s family has been involved in every step, tasting her experiments and supporting her before she began to sell the ice cream. 

Early wants to make the Levantine-style ice cream affordable and available to everyone. Early makes three main flavors – salted caramel vanilla, cookie dough and fudge vanilla swirl – but also offers specialty flavors upon request and lactose-free vanilla. The ice cream comes in cups as well as pints, for those just trying out the ice cream to long-time fans. Even though Early is juggling everything as a full-time student, she is committed to getting the ice cream to her customers as quickly as she can, usually available within a week for pick up or delivery. 

One cup of ice cream is around $7 and a pint for around $13. While the prices may be daunting for some, Early said the ingredients are expensive and she puts lots of time into handcrafting the ice cream. 

“I put a lot of time, effort and love into my product and craft each batch with care and … love and deliciousness,” she said.

Early is eager to have more people try the unique Levantine dessert, in the future. While she only operates in Wellesley and ships to the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area, she one day hopes to have her business sold in Middle Eastern markets. 

She is also planning on holding a fundraiser for Gaza in the next month, hoping to raise money to support Palestine while also having people try her product. 

In short, Yasmeen Early has blended viral and beloved flavors with traditional Levantine desserts to make a unique product. Hilwa Ice Cream Co. has gotten positive feedback from a variety of Wellesley students.

“I want people to step out of their comfort zones and try something new, and experience new flavors, experience new textures,” Early said.  

She hopes that her business can help people taste the beauty of her Palestinian roots, but also her passion for creating ice cream and her dedication to accessibility and quality products. As of now, her order form is ready and waiting — if you’re ready to take a flavorful leap of faith. 

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Valida Pau

If you or someone you know at Wellesley is interested in having a business or product featured in the News, please contact [email protected] or Phoebe Rebhorn at [email protected]