When most people hear the word “hula,” they picture grass skirts, swaying hips, and fragrant flower leis. An ancient tradition, dancers gracefully illustrate song lyrics with their hands and arms. My family even drives halfway around Kauai to watch a little girls’ hula show at least once on every vacation.
But mention the same word to my family, and our minds immediately race to war—full-on battles, defending our territory with sharp knives, and every man for himself.
We get that way when it comes to dessert.
At Keoki’s and Duke’s, their menus offer hula pie: a towering pyramid of macadamia nut ice cream on top of a thick oreo cookie crust and finished off with whipped cream and hot fudge. (We always ask them to hold the extra nuts and add more fudge instead.) Within 3 minutes of the server setting down the plate, we’ve already licked it clean and contemplated ordering a second.
Because my brother and I really dislike nuts in our ice cream, we thought about making our own hula pie for years. Mom even purchased the special hula pie plate!
When I finally bought the ingredients, I decided to downsize to reduce the dangers from fighting over the fudge and oreo bits. (We’ve had a few too many near-stabbing experiences!) I created individual portions instead, so I just set spoons on the table—no steak knives necessary for defending our crust anymore!
These are so addictive! Feel free to add chopped macadamia nuts on top for a more authentic dessert (or just pour on extra chocolate syrup like my family!).
- Split each oreo sandwich in half, and scrape off the cream center with a knife.
- Lightly coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray, and press 3 tablespoons of frozen yogurt into each of the 12 cups. Gently push one oreo cookie on top of the frozen yogurt. Place the pan in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
- Using a knife, pop each mini hula pie out of the pan. Top with 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup and 1½ teaspoons of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Kauai isn’t the only island with hula pie! Here are the other restaurants—there are even a few in California too!
- Duke’s (Waikiki, Oahu)
- Hula Grill (Waikiki, Oahu)
- Duke’s Beach House (Ka’anapali, Maui)
- Kimo’s (Lahaina, Maui)
- Hula Grill (Ka’anapali, Maui)
- Leilani’s (Ka’anapali, Maui)
- Sunnyside (West Lake Tahoe, CA)
- Sandy’s Beach Grill (Huntington Beach, CA)
- Duke’s (Huntington Beach, CA)
- Duke’s (Malibu, CA)
- Jake’s (Del Mar, CA)
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