Kimo's Original Hula Pie Recipe

Prepare and press crust

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) if you prefer a firmer crust (optional). Pulse chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form (about 30–45 seconds). Combine crumbs with melted butter and granulated sugar in a bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie pan, using the back of a measuring cup to compact. For a firmer set, bake the crust for 8–10 minutes, then cool completely. If not baking, chill crust in the freezer for 15–20 minutes to set.

Soften and blend base

Place the slightly softened vanilla ice cream in a large mixing bowl. Add the room-temperature mascarpone (or cream cheese), powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Using a sturdy rubber spatula or electric mixer on low, fold and beat until the mixture is smooth and homogenous but still thick — do not overheat or melt the ice cream. If the ice cream is too hard, let it sit at room temperature 5–10 minutes until workable.

Layer in crunch and fudge

Reserve 1 tablespoon of chopped toasted macadamia nuts for garnish. Gently fold the remaining chopped macadamia nuts and the 3 tablespoons of cooled, thick fudge sauce into the ice cream mixture, creating swirls but keeping some visible ribbons of fudge.

Assemble pie

Spoon the ice cream mixture into the prepared crust, spreading evenly and smoothing the top with a spatula. Cover the pie tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight for best texture.

Make whipped cream

Chill a medium mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla, and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form (about 2–3 minutes). Do not overwhip—stop when peaks hold but still look creamy.

Finish and serve

Remove the pie from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to make slicing easier. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the frozen pie. Drizzle the additional fudge sauce over the whipped cream in a decorative pattern and sprinkle the reserved toasted macadamia nuts across the top. Return to the freezer for a few minutes if the whipped cream needs to firm slightly before slicing. To slice cleanly, dip a sharp knife into hot water, dry it, and cut slices with a single smooth stroke, wiping the knife between cuts.