Kendra's Treats

Jordan and I visited a macadamia nut farm while we were in Hawaii and brought home a huge (5 lb!) bag of macadamia nuts with us =).  They were super cheap and I knew I’d use them eventually. I know I’ll be making some White Chocolate Macadamaia Nut Cookies with some of them, but first I wanted to try to recreate a pie I had while in Hawaii. Obviously, coconut cream pie is not uniquely Hawaiian, but you do see coconut cream pie and macadamia nut pie everywhere. The coconut cream pies that I saw were pretty much what you expect from a regular coconut cream pie that you’d find anywhere else. The macadamia nut pies were sort of like pecan pies but with macadamia nuts – delicious! And then sometimes you’d find a coconut cream pie with macadamia nuts either in the filling, crust, or both. That’s what I was trying to recreate here – macadamia nuts ground up in the crust and chopped nuts in the filling. The macadamia nut flavor doesn’t overpower the coconut flavor but adds a subtle complexity. I like regular coconut cream pie, but if you’re looking to take your traditional coconut cream pie to the next level try this recipe. I like mine best while it’s still warm, but it’s good cold too. Enjoy!

Coconut Cream Macadamia Nut Pie
for the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, cold
4-5 tbsp ice cold water

for the filling: 
13.5 oz can lite coconut milk
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

for the meringue:
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
6 tbsp white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor, combine flour, nuts, coconut, and salt. Pulse until nuts are finely ground.
2. Add in butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until mixture forms a ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface. Using rolling pin, roll into large circle about 1/8″ thick. Place in 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
3. While crust is baking, combine all filling ingredients except nuts in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Stir in chopped nuts. Pour into baked crust.

4. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in bowl of stand mixer. Whisk until foamy. Add sugar gradually and beat on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread onto hot filling. Garnish with shredded coconut and chopped nuts if desired (I used about 2 tbsp each). Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.