The extremely talented Adriana from Living Healthy with Chocolate blessed us with her delicious creativity. She stopped by to share these amazing morsels of heaven. Make sure to check her out. Enjoy the recipe :)
If you haven’t heard of Haupia before, you are in for a real treat! Haupia is a tradition Hawaiian dessert often eaten on its own or as a topping for chocolate mousse pies or wedding cakes. Haupia is traditionally made from coconut milk, sugar, coconut extract and a starch to thicken it. The consistency is similar to a gelatin or thick pudding. Some recipes also add additional fresh or dried shredded coconut to enhance that incredible coconut flavor.
Hawaii really is an amazing place to live, especially because I absolutely love fresh coconut and there is plenty of it here year around. If you ever come visit the islands, you can find Haupia served at most local restaurants and at traditional Hawaiian lu’aus.
How about the combination of coconut and chocolate? For this recipe I decided to mix my two favorite treats into one delectable dessert. To accomplish this I created a sweet chocolate crust to complement my coconut Haupia. The crust is made of raw almonds, pecans and cocoa, and sweetened with dates. This chocolate crust is then topped with my Haupia and drizzled with melted chocolate on top. The Haupia has a very smooth consistency. It also has a rich coconut flavor and a very subtle sweetness. To me, the less sweetener you add to the Haupia mixture, the more you will be able to taste the natural sweetness of the coconut. It is magical!
The last thing I would like to add is that you MUST serve this dessert along with some type of berry. I personally love this with fresh blueberries or strawberries.
For sure this traditional Hawaiian dessert will be a big hit with your friends and family, paleo or not. Enjoy!
Paleo Chocolate Haupia
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
Haupia
- ½ cup arrowroot powder
- ¾ cup water
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chopped or chocolate chips
Instructions
Chocolate Crust
- remove pits from dates and process in the food processor until creamy
- mix all crust ingredients until well combined and then evenly spread it on the bottom of an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment paper
Haupia
- combine the arrowroot powder and water in a bowl and mix until all the arrowroot has dissolved
- add the arrowroot mixture to a saucepan along with the coconut milk and raw honey
- slowly cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens
- remove from the stove and stir in the vanilla extract
- pour mixture over the crust and refrigerate overnight or until the coconut layer is firm
- cut into squares and drizzle with melted dark chocolate or chocolate chips. I like using a ziploc bag to drizzle the chocolate. Cut a small hole on one end of the bag and fill it with the melted chocolate.
****Disclosure: If you purchase any of the products linked in this post or products through the links on the right side of my page, I receive a small percentage from the respected affiliate programs****
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Pops
Made this today. I used coconut milk in place of the water to ensure I wasn’t watering down the coconut flavor. Cooked the mixture for 10 minutes on medium low to make sure it wasn’t undercooked. The result was so delicious. I’m from Hawaii and the texture is more gooey compared to making it with cornstarch, but it was still just as good. It is a cross between pudding and mochi. So good especially considering it is Paleo.
This is tricky with how long to stir the mixture. Definitely do not turn on the burner until all ingredients are in the pot and stirred up and dissolved. Once the fire is lit MAYBE 10 mins and you will be at the right consistency with constant stirring. If you stir too long it shifts from being white to turning almost clear – that’s how I knew I had stirred too long. Once it is thick like a pudding maybe 1-2 more mins of stirring…watch the color. It set very nicely and was very good although I don’t think it much of a coconut flavor…extremely mild.
I plan to try this recipe. Do you think a combination of arrowroot and adding a bit (TBSP) of gelatin would help it to set?
I can now report on using gelatin! I followed the comments above and dissolved ¼ c. bovine gelatin into the simmering coconut milk. (deleted water and arrowroot)….and followed the recipe otherwise. I can report that it gelled up nicely but I think it would be nice if the texture was softer, so I would use only ⅛ c gelatin next time! I might also sprinkle grated coconut on top (after the chocolate drizzle).
I followed all of your suggestions and we really enjoyed the haupia.
I wonder if you used collagen (gelatin) for the haupia instead of the arrowroot…how would it turn out?
That’s a really good question, and I’m not quite sure? :)
Try it!!!! :-) I would rather you give it a whirl then me! I have a huge jar of gelatin powder and not so many great recipes for it…
Just made this and they turn out great! Can’t wait to bring them to my Christmas Eve get together :0)
I’m so glad! I hope everyone loves them.
I really wanted to like this recipe. I got the consistency to firm up while on the fridge but once firm, it was not my favorite. I guess because of the arrowroot the texture was marshmallow like. I wonder if using coconut cream would be better instead…?!
That’s a very good question, though I am not sure how they would turn out exactly by using coconut cream. They are definitely not direct substitutes for each other, but if you try that out- do let me know :)
I was excited to see your recipe. I make haupia all the time, but I do not use arrow root powder. Original recipes use cornstarch. With all the concern over GMO corn I decided to try the arrowroot powder when I did not have cornstarch in my pantry. It was a runny mess. I have never gotten the coconut milk to firm up. I now use organic, non- GMO, cornstarch. It works everytime. I will be trying your recipe but not using arrowroot powder.
Let me know how it turns out please!
Thanks Daryl When I next make this recipe I will use organic ,non-GMO cornstarch.
George B, thanks for getting back to me. I used regular honey, not the solide type you described. But my coconut milk was full fat. I think it was the Arrowroot. I will try again in the near future since it is such a nice looking and delicious desert.
Be well,
TerriS
I have made this recipe several times using arrowroot powder and it works fine for me. I am guessing you need to cook it longer, until very thick and you could also try adding an additional 1/4 cup of arrowroot. Please let me know how it goes.
Terry, John,
What brand of coconut milk and honey did you use?
In order for this recipe to work you need to use full fat coconut milk. One thing I have noticed when using coconut milk is that different cans of coconut milk, even if they are from the same brand, vary in consistency a little. I haven’t figured out why this is, but I have definitely noticed the difference. One thing I do when picking a can at the supermarket is gently mixing the can and if I hear the water slosh around in the can I pick a different one. I always try to pick one that has a solid coconut milk inside and no water moving around. Maybe this happens over time if one can is older than the other, I am really not sure, but this will for sure affect the overall result when making this and other custard type desserts.
Also, they type of honey you use is very important because the honey adds moisture to the recipe. They honey I use is very solid and has a very thick consistency. If you use a honey that is runny and easily pours off the spoon you will be adding moisture to the haupia which will affect also how it firms up. The brand of raw honey I use is by YS Organic Bee Farms http://www.amazon.com/YS-Organic-CERTIFIED-Unprocessed-Unpasteurized/dp/B00014JNI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386788207&sr=8-1&keywords=raw+honey
For easy removable from the pan, line the pan with a large piece of parchment paper covering the bottom and all four sides.
I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions. Adriana
I too had the issue that John wrote to you, that the Haupia didn’t’ firm up .
How long should the mixture cook ? I stirred it and cooked it until it felt thicken.
Also how do you actually remove from the 8 x 8 pan?
Thanks
Terri S
I have not had good results using arrowroot powder when trying to make haupia. Original Hawaiian recipes use cornstarch. I use organic, non-GMO cornstarch and it works perfectly.
That’s a great suggestion. Maybe I will be able to try that out one day :)
I, too, had a less than firm topping. I cooked it as directed, let it rest in the fridge overnight and well into the afternoon of the next day. It was a sloppy mess. How long should the coconut milk mixture be cooked? It thickened, but without some guidance in the recipe (either a time suggestion or consistency suggestion) it’s not a recipe I would try again. :-(
Terri, I am sorry but I will ask who came up with the recipe to respond. What kind of coconut milk did you use?
I’m not sure what the carb count is on this. You can plug in the information to an app like myfitnesspal to get more information on that though!
I made this last night and I cooked the haupia mixture until it looked and felt like melted white chocolate. I then refrigerated it for 8 hours and the haupia is still soft and jelly/not firm. Did I cook it long enough? Will it firm up more if I let it sit in the fridge?
Did it thicken up as you were cooking it? I’m thinking maybe you didn’t cook it long enough.Re
Hi and Holy Cow! I’m new to all this as of this year, and am thrilled beyond words at this recipe — everything in there is on the “OK” list (as I’m understanding it — don’t know for sure about the arrowroot powder but that’s the only bit I’m not totally clear on and I’m willing to take the chance – LOL!) You’ve provided a very real help to me for our Christmas get-together this year, your post is so timely and SO very much appreciated! :D You’ve really helped. Thank you! ;D
I’m more than happy to help. Thank you for your kind words and happy holidays!
Do you think I could sub out cream for the coconut milk?
Debi,
You can definitely substitute coconut milk for heavy cream, but this will for sure change the overall taste of this dessert.
Agreed. Thanks Adriana.
You could try and let me know how it goes. It will change the taste of the dessert though.
Oh my god, this looks spectacular. I’ve never used arrowroot before. Do you think I could substitute gelatin for it? If so, would a 1:1 ratio work? Thanks! You’re a genius,
Is it powdered gelatin? That’s a good question. I know you can substitute them, but I’m not sure if you can directly
I was thinking the exact same thing! I’m sure you could use powdered bovine gelatin to replace the arrowroot. This would also make this dessert low carb, higher in protein, as well as GAPS and SCD friendly, since arrowroot is a starch. I would omit the water along with the arrowroot and use 1/4 cup gelatin. Heat the coconut milk just until the gelatin is dissolved, then mix in other ingredients. Pour over crust and refrigerate.
I would love to know if anyone tried to use gelatin and if so how it turned out and what quantities etc….
Oh holy cow… I know what I’m taking to my brother’s for dessert on Christmas Day!!! God, how I miss haupia!!! Mahalo for the early Christmas present brah… paleo haupia AND chocolate… what more could a girl ask for??? :)