On every tropical trip, my family walked over to the extravagant Hyatt hotel in the late afternoon on Tuesdays and Saturdays. (We stayed in condos nearby; we were too messy to spend a week cramped in one tiny room!) After strolling around the lush gardens and lagoon-style pool, we claimed couches on the terrace for the evening entertainment.
The night began with a traditional torch lighting ceremony. Natives ran down between the ferns, one sounding through a conch shells while another two handled the flames. Then Leilani stepped on stage to sing both sweet and lively Hawaiian songs while her little hula girl students danced in front.
If we behaved during the day and didn’t beg too much at night, our parents sometimes treated us to smoothies during the show. My brother favored fruity flavors like guava and strawberry, while I chose chocolate (and rarely shared a single sip!).
We never asked for piña colada smoothies though. Our young taste buds considered coconut “icky,” and Mom feared that the bartender would forget to make them virgin. But had I know piña coladas contained pineapple — one of my favorite fruits — I would’ve ordered them every time!
The hint of cinnamon adds a fun twist to the traditional piña colada flavors!
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pineapple, 2 tablespoons flour, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining flour, cinnamon, sugar, and shredded coconut. Cut in the coconut oil with the back of a fork.
- Pour the pineapple mixture into the prepared pan, and sprinkle with the flour mixture. Cover the pan with tin foil, and bake covered at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-13 minutes, or until the coconut begins to brown. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
Note: This is best served the same day it’s made; the topping can turn a little soggy from the pineapple juice!
Oh, I love this! Pineapple is so refreshing!
Thanks Dorothy! It was hard not to eat the fresh pineapple as I diced it for the dessert…
I love how the taste of pineapple and coconut instantly transports you to the tropics! This is a great idea for a summer dessert – a nice change from the classic apple crumble. I’ll have to give this a try!
Thanks Em! I felt like I was already on vacation when I baked this crumble last week, which was a really nice change of pace from the normal hectic workweek. I hope you enjoy it!
Oh my gosh, YES! I hated coconut when I was younger, and now I LOVE IT! Plus it’s SO good for you! Real coconut of course, not the sugary bagged stuff. This looks delicious, and I hope you are having a BLAST on your vacation!
It’s true! I’m slowly starting to add a little more coconut into my diet. Before, all I ate were the samoa (err, caramel deLite) Girl Scout cookies! Thanks Brittany; we’re definitely enjoying ourselves despite the all of the afternoon rain! 🙂
What is WITH that “caramel deLite” business, anyway?!?
No idea… I suppose that it’s slightly more helpful to first-time cookie orderers because it describes the taste a bit better. But really, why not just stick with SAMOA? It sounds exotic, just like the coconut part!
YUM!! I have frozen pineapple in my freezer right now, I think I’m going to make this into two individual versions for Mr. Webb and I tonight! And then I’m going to close my eyes and pretend that I’m also on a tropical vacation! 😉
PS- fun fact, I misspell “pineapple” almost every time I write it… I want it to be “pinNeapple!”
I hope they turned out!! Somehow I’m not surprised you have small scale baking on the brain… 😉
That crumble looks delicious! I LOVE pineapple!
Thanks Karey! It’s one of my favorite fruits too, but I’m actually allergic! Such a bummer… I found out 5 years ago, but if I take an allergy pill before I eat any, I’m just fine. 🙂
I’m pineapple obsessed. I also love a good crumble. This works perfect, can’t wait to try!
Thanks Pamela! I hope you enjoy it. I actually ate the entire crumble myself — I was home by myself and unsupervised all weekend!