Kwento Kwentuhan

Maui Sweets & Treats

What are you craving for?

Liza A Pierce of “A Maui Blog”

All photos: Liza Pierce

Craving for some sweets and treats on Maui? This article is for you! After indulging ourselves with the delicious Filipino snacks and desserts during Barrio Fiesta last weekend, it got me thinking of the various sweets and treats we have available on here on Maui, represented by other cultures. Let us take a look at some of these Maui local treats:

Shave Ice from Ululani’s Shave Ice uses real fresh fruit to develop their wonderful syrup flavors.

Shave Ice is not the same thing as a snow cone, as locals will be quick to tell you. Many shave ice companies serve ice cream at the bottom of their shave ice but traditional shave ice is finely shaved and covered in one to three flavors of syrup; this might be topped with li hing mui powder or condensed milk. Ululani’s Shave Ice is the most popular shave ice on Maui. I think Ululani Shave Ice is the best. They don’t use just sugar water syrup for flavor—their flavors are actually real fruit made into syrup.

Guri-guri is a cross between ice cream and sherbet and is only served at Tasaka Guri-Guri in Kahului. No trip to Maui is complete without stopping by. This treat is truly loved by Maui locals because many have wonderful childhood memories associated with it. What is guri-guri? Well, it is not exactly ice cream nor sherbet nor frozen yogurt but it’s like those three combined. And it is indeed a refreshing treat! They are located at Maui Mall in Kahului.

Mochi is a Japanese rice flour dessert. Traditional mochi is not very sweet. You can, however, find specialty flavors such as chocolate or butter mochi, all over Maui. Ice Cream Mochi is a variation of this and it is what it sounds like—mochi wrapped around a small ball of ice cream. It is available in supermarkets as well as on several sushi restaurant menus.

Donut on a Stick and Cream Puffs are super yummy but there’s more! Go to Komoda Store and Bakery and find out. Komoda Store and Bakery is a family-owned business in Makawao which has been around for a very long time (105 years as of this writing). When you’re going Upcountry, be sure you stop by this place. It’s not a fancy bakery but the treats are delicious! Make sure to go early because they always sell out quickly.

Malasadas are round Portuguese donuts covered in sugar. There’s nothing quite like hot malasadas. It’s a doughnut without a hole; a ball of yeast dough fried into perfection—golden brown on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Malasadas are best when you eat them “hot” (as in just fried and immediately served). It is usually rolled in sugar but now you can also get them stuffed with cream of various flavors inside. There are many places you can get malasadas. I recommend Sugar Beach Bakery and Home Maid Bakery in South Maui, Komoda Store and Bakery in upcountry and you can also find them at Zippy’s in Kahului.

Hula Pie is a unique and decadent dessert served at all T S Restaurants on Maui—these include Kimo’s, Leilani’s on the Beach, Hula Grill and Duke’s.

Hula Pie is the most loved dessert at Kimo’s and is also available in other T S Restaurants such as Leilani’s, Hula Grill and Dukes. It is a pie made of macadamia ice cream stacked high on scrumptious chocolate cookie crust. A layer of cool chocolate fudge sits atop of the ice cream, along with whipped cream and toasted macadamia nuts. It is my husband’s favorite dessert. We live in Kīhei and on special occasions we drive to the west side to get this treat.

Polynesian Black Pearl Dessert – One of the most photographed desserts on Maui and certainly most beloved too. This lilikoi mousse in a pastry sea shell is a culinary work of art. It is insanely delicious. Available only at Mama’s Fish House.

Handcrafted Artisanal Do-nuts by Donut Dynamite made from scratch featuring local ingredients such as poi, liliko‘i, calamansi and more. Deliciousness at its best. Each donut is made with love and is a work of art by Madame Donut. Located in Wailuku. Place order online at donutdynamite.com then pick up at the shop.

Banana Bread – Originally, this delicious banana bread made at Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread was only available at her kiosk on the Keanae Pensinsula. It’s one of the popular stops on the Road to Hāna. When the pandemic happened and the road to Hāna was closed to visitors, Aunty Sandy and her team pivoted and created a “bake at home mix” of their original famous banana bread. You can now buy them at their Food truck in that Food truck place across the road from Costco Gas station.

Cookies from The Maui Cookie Lady are artisan cookies, hand rolled in small batches using locally sourced ingredients.

Artisan Cookies – The Maui Cookie Lady deliciously yummy artisan cookies, hand rolled in small batches using locally sourced ingredients when available. The owner Mitzi is one of the sweetest persons you’ll meet. This cookie business was started out of love and gratitude (read the story on her website). It is not like a regular cookie, it is huge with decadent flavors such as Kona Coffee Espresso, Pineapple Lychee Passion with Hibiscus Flowers, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut and more!

Do you have a favorite Maui local sweet treat? Let us know! Post a photo of it on social media and tag us by using the hashtag #FilAmVoiceSweets

Liza Pierce of A Maui Blog is an Interactive Media Strategist in Hawai‘i. She started blogging in 2006 and she loves talking story online and spreading Aloha around the world. She’s been living on Maui since 1994 and considers Maui her home. A wife, a mother, a friend…and so much more. She loves Jesus; Maui Sunsets Catcher; Crazy About Rainbows; End Alzheimer’s Advocate. Her life is full and exciting here on the island of Maui. Liza is currently the Interactive Media Strategist with Wailea Realty Corp.