Hawaiian Strawberry Pie

This Hawaiian strawberry pie is a spot on dupe of the Baker’s Square pie of the month for May. Since June is almost here, it’s the perfect time to share it. Crushed pineapple, walnuts, cream cheese and silky custard make up the most decadent filling, all topped with strawberries, homemade whipped cream and shredded coconut.

this recipe

Make the Crust

I used a traditional flour/lard crust for this pie, but a graham might also work here. I did a few tests with a graham crust, and found that it kind of got in the way when there’s already a lot of flavor going on with the strawberry and pineapple.

A few key things to remember when making the crust:

• Keep the lard cold. Both when cutting it into the flour and before the crust itself gets baked. Just wait to take the lard out of the fridge until you’re ready to use it, and refrigerate the dough once it’s in the pie plate. Cold fat gives you a flakier crust!
• Make sure the water is ice cold before adding it to the fat/flour mixture. Again, making sure everything is cold keeps things flakier.
• Use rice, beans or pie weights during the first 15 minutes of baking to keep things flat. After 15 minutes, remove the weights (carefully!) and bake for another 15 minutes until everything is golden brown.
• Let it cool completely before filling, or the pie may be runny.

Filling

I spent a lot of time tweaking this, and finally landed on the most perfectly creamy filling that tastes exactly like Baker’s Square. Initially, I folded in a little whipped cream, but it took too much away from the cream cheese and pineapple. The way the recipe is written, you get a layer of tropical filling, strawberry topping, and that light whipped cream with the crunch of coconut.

Garnish

I just used some homemade whipped cream and toasted coconut to garnish this Hawaiian strawberry pie. There’s already lots of nice, bold flavors with the pineapple and strawberry, so you don’t need to go crazy with the toppings. Along with the walnut in the filling, the coconut adds a really nice crunch to the whole thing.

Hawaiian Strawberry Pie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Megan
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour + 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert, Pies & Pastry
• Method: Oven, Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Creamy, sweet and tropical, this pie is packed with strawberry, pineapple, walnuts and topped with toasty coconut.

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

For the pie crust:

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 3 TB cold lard (100 grams)
• ice water (amount will vary, have 1 cup handy)

For the filling:

• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 TB cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

To top the pie and garnish:

• 21 oz strawberry topping/pie filling
• 2 cups homemade whipped cream (store bought would also work fine)
• toasted shredded coconut, as desired

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Make the crust and pre-bake. Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the cold lard into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well with a fork after each one until the dough pulls together and cleans the sides of the bowl. This could take anywhere from 5-8 tablespoons of water, depending on the humidity and temp of your kitchen.
2. Once the dough has pulled together, form it into a ball and generously flour a countertop/flat work surface. Lightly flour the dough ball as well. Roll out the dough into a circle that measures about 1/8″ thick.
3. Carefully line a 9 inch pie plate with the dough circle and fit it snugly down into the pie plate. Tuck the edges underneath and flute them. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C, and refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes while the oven warms up.
4. Once the crust has chilled for 30 minutes, remove it from the fridge and line with parchment paper. Add rice, beans or pie weights to the parchment, and bake for 15 minutes. The edges of the crust should be beginning to brown. Carefully remove the parchment and rice/weights and set them aside in a heatproof container or bowl. 
5. Poke several holes in the bottom of the crust, and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
6. Make the filling. Add the egg, egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch in a heatproof mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until thick and pale yellow, and set aside.
7. In a saucepan or saucier, scald the milk until wisps of steam rise from the surface. Do not boil. Slowly stream the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly and quickly to temper the eggs without curdling. Add the tempered liquid back into the saucepan, and continue to cook over medium heat while whisking constantly. It shouldn’t take longer than 6-7 minutes for the custard to thicken. Once it starts to bubble, continue to whisk for an additional minute more.
8. Remove from the heat and pass the custard through a sieve to catch any stray bits of cooked egg. Whisk in the vanilla extract and cold butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard (this prevents a skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely chilled. 
9. Once the custard has chilled, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until creamy and smooth. Add the sweetened cream cheese, drained crushed pineapple, and walnuts to the custard and fold together until everything is completely combined. Add to the pie crust and smooth out the surface.
10. Add the strawberry topping and garnish with the whipped cream and coconut. Leftover pie should be refrigerated and eaten within 3 days.

---

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 253
• Sugar: 15.7 g
• Sodium: 163.1 mg
• Fat: 15.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 26.7 g
• Fiber: 1.7 g
• Protein: 3.2 g
• Cholesterol: 30.7 mg