Chocolate Haupia Pie with a Graham Cracker and Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Crust

Chocolate Haupia Pie is one of my favorite desserts that I first had in Hawaii many years ago while visiting the North Shore of Oahu. I’ve made it many times at home with a traditional flour crust, but this time I decided to change it up a bit by making a thicker crust made with graham crackers and Mauna Loa’s Dry Roasted Chopped Macadamia Nuts.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Crust

• 8 graham crackers
• 1/2 cup Mauna Loa Dry Roasted Chopped Macadamia Nuts
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. salted butter, melted

Haupia and Chocolate Pudding

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
• 1 tbsp. coconut extract*
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup chocolate – shaved, or broken into chunks (I used Belgian chocolate with 33% cocoa)

Whipped Cream Topping

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup Mauna Loa Dry Roasted Chopped Macadamia Nuts, chopped
• Chocolate shavings, optional

Directions

Graham Cracker Macadamia Nut Pie Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place graham crackers, macadamia nuts, and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined.
3. Transfer mixture into a bowl. Pour in melted butter and combine.
4. Firmly press the crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Haupia Pie

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together milk, coconut milk, coconut extract and 1 cup sugar.
2. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water.
3. When the coconut milk mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring over low heat until thickened—about three to five minutes. To test thickness, dip a spoon into the pudding and see that the mixture sticks.
4. Divide evenly into two bowls.
5. Melt chocolate using a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, boil water in a pot, place chocolate bits into a Pyrex bowl, or similar bowl, and place atop boiling water.
6. Mix the melted chocolate into one of the bowls of coconut pudding, then pour mixture into the pie crust, spread and let sit.
7. Pour the remaining bowl of coconut pudding on top of the chocolate-coconut pudding mixture and spread smooth being careful not to mix the two layers. Refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours.
8. Prepare the whipped cream by rigorously whisking the heavy cream and sugar for about 3 minutes.
9. Layer the whipped cream on top of the pie, and sprinkle with shaved chocolate and chopped Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts.

* You can substitute the coconut extract with vanilla extract. Using vanilla gives the pudding more richness and tones down the coconut flavor.