Okinawan Purple Sweet Potato Haupia Pie Bars
Sweet potato haupia pie is a classic local Hawaii style dessert. I like to make mine with a graham cracker crust, but traditionally it would use pie or shortbread crust (see notes). This recipe is meant for an 8x8" pan, but you can easily double it for a 9x13" dish.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 16 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tbsp melted butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup purple sweet potato puree (180g, from about 1-2 sweet potatoes)
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 pinch cardamom (optional)
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 12 oz can coconut milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- 1
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 3
Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and salt
- 4
Press crumbs firmly onto the bottom of a greased 8x8" square baking pan
- 5
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes while you prepare the sweet potato filling.
- 6
Purple Sweet Potato Filling
- 7
Cook your sweet potatoes to make a puree: you can do this in the microwave, in the oven, or by boiling - however you would normally make a baked or roast potato. I typically use the microwave: poke holes in your sweet potatoes with a fork, cover, and microwave for 6-7 minutes or until you can very easily pierce through the sweet potato. Peel the skin off the potatoes and mash the insides. You can do this a few days ahead of time and save the puree in the fridge.
- 8
Take one cup of sweet potato puree and mix with the sugar, egg, heavy cream, cardamom, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- 9
Spread the filling over the graham cracker crust. It will be a thin layer.
- 10
Bake until set - about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Then set your pie to cool in the fridge.
- 11
For the Haupia
- 12
While your baked sweet potato layer is cooling, make the haupia.
- 13
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and water in a separate bowl to make a slurry.
- 14
Pour can of coconut milk in a pot and heat on stovetop.
- 15
When the coconut milk is just starting to bubble, pour in your cornstarch slurry very slowly while continuously whisking the hot coconut milk in the pot. It's important to keep stirring to avoid lumps.
- 16
Cook the haupia, continuously whisking, until the mixture has thickened to a pudding like consistency. Do not let the mixture boil, but a few bubbles are okay.
- 17
Take the haupia off the heat. Then, very gently spread over the purple sweet potato filling.
- 18
Place the pie into the fridge to let the haupia layer set. I like to leave it uncovered in the fridge until the top has become dry to the touch, then I cover with plastic wrap.
- 19
When the pie has fully cooled and the haupia is set, you can cut it into squares to serve.