“♫ I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts ♪ ♫” Today let’s channel the island tropics with Triple Coconut Cream Pie. Creamy coconut pastry cream loaded with a healthy amount of sweet coconut, finished off with whipped cream and more toasted coconut! When you don’t have the time to travel to paradise you can live a day, dreamily in coconut heaven at home!
Triple Coconut Cream Pie uses A LOT of coconut. I have great and undying gratitude to those that harvest coconuts for us. If you have ever tried getting coconut out of the shell you share this gratitude. And to further make sure Triple Coconut Cream lived up to it’s name, coconut milk! Yep, I replace some of the milk in the recipe with coconut milk instead of using extract. Don’t get me wrong, I love extracts, mainly vanilla; but using coconut milk was genius.
I switched things up and made a coconut cookie crust for this little island beauty. It made a very delicious difference. I used to mix coconut in my flour pastry crust, but coconut cookie crumbs is so much better. Just say No to the Dough, unless that is your preference.
The coconut pastry filling is cooked on your stove top and poured right into the prepared crust. Cover with some plastic wrap and pop into the fridge to cool.
While your pie filling is cooling it’s time to toast some coconut. Toasting coconut is very easy, HOWEVER, I have burned it more than once! I am easily distracted (squirrel) so I make sure I chaperone the toasting coconut the entire 5 to 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 350, spread 1 to 2 cups of coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Place in oven and in about 3 minutes stir, and watch! In about 3 more minutes stir again, and watch! Once it starts to brown, it continues to brown VERY QUICKLY! Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let cool. Once cooled your toasted coconut will last for weeks! Click on the link for printable instructions on toasted coconut.
Coconut cream pie also freezes quite nicely, especially if you’re saving that slice. Pie on in happy baking pie peeps!
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Coconut Pastry Cream
- 1/2 cup pure cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1-1/2 cups sweetened flaked or shredded coconut (toasted optional)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup butter, cut up into chunks
- 1 prepared graham or coconut cookie crumb crust
Coconut Cookie Crust (one 9-inch pie crust)
- 1-1/2 cups coconut cookie crumbs (Dutch girl cookies are fab)
- 1 tablespoon pure cane sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
Whipped Topping and Garnish
- 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup pure cane powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- Toasted coconut for garnish
Instructions
Coconut Cookie Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and sugar.
- Add melted butter while stirring with fork until thoroughly combined. Press into 9 inch pie plate and bake for 7 minutes at 350.
Coconut Pastry Cream Filling
- In a medium to large size sauce pan, mix sugar and cornstarch together (this step will help ensure there are no clumps of cornstarch).
- Whisk in milk, coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla into the dry ingredients.
- Over medium to medium-high heat, cook and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken and bubble (about 7 to 9 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Stir in coconut and butter until the butter is melted.
- Pour into prepared pie crust, place plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent skin from forming, and refrigerate until cool (3 to 4 hours).
- When pie has cooled, spread whipped cream over entire surface of pie, pipe swirls around the edges and garnish with toasted coconut.
Whipped Topping
- In an electric mixer (I like KitchenAid) whip the whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Use to garnish on cooled pie as above.
