Hula Pie
Ice cream pie that’s modeled after Kimo’s famous dessert and is surprisingly simple to assemble. This dessert is a MUST for summer or, you know, a time when you can’t actually travel to Maui like you might want to.
The story
Guys, you NEED to listen to this podcast. This was an episode of Armchair Expert with guest John Legend. It was SO good.
I always think of John as a musician with the voice of an angel, but wow. He’s eloquent, intelligent, educated, wise. I want to be his friend.
And if you feel (as I did) that “defund the police” is dangerous idea, listen to this.
Okay, now for something special that I LOVE: hula pie. As far as I can tell, it’s originally from Kimo’s in Lahaina, Maui. But a few other restaurants on the island serve it, along with the network of Duke’s restaurants, like Duke’s in Huntington Beach and Sunnyside in Tahoe City.
Can you tell we like this pie? I’m always vaguely aware of my proximity to a hula pie.
The first time I tried to make a hula pie from scratch was years ago for my now-husband’s birthday. Back then, we went all out. We made a ton of ice cream from scratch, placing it in a bowl to get the traditional dome shape. It was a lot of work, especially getting the dome out of the bowl without melting the ice cream. Below I do give directions on how to make a true Kimo’s style hula pie, with a dome of ice cream and a flat pie crust.
However, I found I like it just the same in a traditional pie shape. You get a different crust-to-ice-cream ratio, but I don’t see how extra crust is bad. That’s always my favorite part of hula pie, a bite with fudge, whipped cream, and a chunk of that frozen Oreo pie crust.
It’s heavenly.
It’s honestly quite a simple recipe. There are a few different elements, but none of them take a long time to make. The longest part is waiting for the ice cream to freeze enough to slice.
If you’re dreaming of a tropical escape this summer but can’t get one (thanks, covid), try this pie.
How to make this recipe
First, make your Oreo pie crust. You could buy one, but I really don’t recommend that. Freshly homemade has a better taste and the texture is more ideal to complement the ice cream filling. Just grind up whole Oreo cookies, stir in melted butter, then press into pie pan. If going for the dome shape, press only into the bottom of a springform pan that’s the same diameter as the metal or glass bowl you’ll shape your ice cream in.
Freeze the crust while you make the macadamia nut ice cream.
You can soften vanilla ice cream and stir in chopped, unsalted macadamia nuts. But I felt homemade was better and just as easy. In this post I give various options for how to make it, from using two ziploc bags to a full on ice cream maker. I chose the ice cream ball, as it made the perfect amount for a small pie pan.
Whisk ice cream ingredients, sans nuts, until sugar is dissolved then churn using your chosen method (although it’s not really churning in the baggies or ice cream ball).
5-10 minutes before it’s done, stir in chopped macadamia nuts. Finish churning then pour into frozen crust. Alternatively, pour into a round glass or metal bowl lined well with plastic wrap, filling all the way to the tippy top of the bowl then place your frozen, flat crust right on top. It’s important to place the crust onto the soft ice cream so they adhere while the ice cream freezes. If needed, you can leave 1/2” room, let the bulk of it freeze, then spread a thin layer of soft ice cream onto the top of this frozen bowl and attach the crust. This is a little easier if the ice cream is already very soft and needs to be frozen ASAP.
Freeze for an hour or two. Then make the hot fudge, pour on top, sprinkle with reserved chopped nuts, and freeze another 20 minutes. For the dome, flip bowl over onto serving platter or cutting board, remove bowl and plastic wrap, then pour hot fudge and freeze immediately.
Cut with a very sharp knife run under warm water. To make it traditional, serve with more (hot) fudge and whipped cream.
Tips for this recipe
Increase incrementally
If using a larger pie pan, you’ll want to increase the crust and ice cream. The crust recipe talks about your options depending on the pie pan. Of course, if making a dome pie, you’ll need less crust and may have leftovers. In that case, I highly suggest a deconstructed hula pie sundae. 😍 For the ice cream, you’ll need at least a double batch if making a dome (depending on the size bowl), and about 1.5 to double batch if using a large pie pan, depending on its depth. Best to be cautious and make extra.
Work quickly with freshly made ice cream
Even if you’re softening pre-made ice cream, it gets soupy fast. Watch it carefully and work quickly when spreading it in your pan or bowl. Also be sure you’ve churned it long enough, so that none is liquid when you spread it in your pan.
Soft ice cream adheres best to the crust
Whether making my cheater version or going for the traditional dome, you need the ice cream to be soft—either from softening store bought or by using freshly churned ice cream—to get it to stick to the crust. It’s obviously more of an issue with the dome, but just know you can’t just scoop out hard ice cream and push it into your pan. It will separate from the crust when you slice it.
Where to find macadamia nuts
Since these are critical to this recipe, you can’t really sub another nut. I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, And Sprouts. But if your local store doesn’t seem to carry them and you don’t have any of those I mentioned nearby, you can try another natural or specialty food store, since they’re an “exotic” item.
Quick Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
- prep time: 40-45 minutes
- freeze time: 1-2 hours
- total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yields: 6-8 servings (if making a small, 8" pie)
Ingredients:
- one batch Oreo pie crust (adjust amount per your pie pan)
- one batch macadamia nut ice cream (see not for increasing amount for dome shape or larger/deeper pie pan)
- half batch hot fudge sauce (or more, depending on your preference)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (canned will do, too)
- extra chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions:
- Make the pie crust, per instructions (literally grind up cookies, add melted butter, stir, and shape into a pie crust). Freeze while you make the ice cream (or at least 30 minutes).
- Make the ice cream, per instructions. Alternatively, you can let a half gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream soften about 30 minutes or so, until you're able to stir in about a cup or so of chopped macadamia nuts (you use more nuts in this method because you're using a full half gallon as opposed to the 2 cups made in the homemade recipe).
- Pour macadamia nut ice cream into the frozen pie crust and spread evenly. Freeze about an hour, until firm.
- Make hot fudge and let cool a couple minutes. Pour over pie as liberally as you'd like. Freeze another 30 minutes or so.
- When ready to serve, whip the cream into soft peaks using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer. Or, mix in a large bowl with a regular old whisk like the crossfit beast you are.
- Cut using a sharp knife warmed under hot water. Pour more hot fudge over each slice and serve with fresh whipped cream and reserved chopped nuts.
Store leftovers in the freezer, sealing very tightly with plastic wrap AND foil to avoid freezer smells seeping into the ice cream. Trust me, this is necessary. Leftovers will last 2-3 weeks. Enjoy!