I'm definitely a "pie person," but I'm definitely NOT a Coconut Cream Pie person. Until now, that is! All the recipes I tried before turned out mostly-flavorless, with insultingly stringy raw coconut strands all throughout, gag. (I love coconut flavor but cannot handle the texture.) THIS Coconut Cream Pie recipe is easy and homemade, with all the flavor and none of the weird. The trick is toasting the coconut to within an inch of it's life until it's golden and crispy. And did I mention the layer of caramel we are adding in? Oh yeah.
1(13.5 ounce) canunsweetened full fat coconut milk
10tablespoonsgranulated sugar(this is 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoonkosher saltuse half the amount of table salt
1teaspoonvanilla bean pasteor vanilla extract
1teaspooncoconut extract
1tablespoonbutter
For the crust:
1 and 1/2cupssweetened shredded coconut
14full sheetsgraham crackers
1/4cupgranulated sugar
1teaspoonkosher saltuse half the amount of table salt
7tablespoonsbuttermelted and cooled
1largeegg yolk
For the whipped cream:
2cupsheavy whipping cream**cold
1/4cuppowdered sugar
2tablespoonsinstant vanilla puddingdry powder
1/4teaspoonkosher saltuse half the amount of table salt
1/2teaspooncoconut extract
To garnish:
3/4cupunsweetened coconut flakestoasted, to garnish (large flakes)
2 ounceswhite chocolatefrom a good quality bar
the extra graham crumble
Instructions
Make the caramel: If you are committed, make your Caramel Sauce* from scratch so that it has time to cool to room temperature. (It really is the best choice, but store bought caramel works too.)
Make the coconut filling: In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add 4 egg yolks, 1 cup half and half, and 1/4 cup cornstarch. Use a flat whisk to beat it very well, until you are sure there are no cornstarch lumps.
Add a 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk, 10 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Beat again, but don't stress about getting the coconut milk lumps out.
Set the pot on the stove over medium heat and stir with a flat whisk constantly for about 7-8 minutes, digging into the corners of the pot. The mixture will start to thicken and eventually bubble into a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat down to medium low and continue whisking constantly for about 60-90 seconds, until the foam has receded completely, and the top is smooth.When you drag your whisk across the top, it should leave well defined marks. It will feel pretty thick, like pudding. If you are inexperienced, a thermometer can be handy; it should reach 200 degrees.
Remove from the heat. Whisk in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, and 1 tablespoon butter.
Pour the coconut custard into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly on top. This helps prevent a film from forming. Put it in the fridge and chill for about 2 hours. Sometimes I cheat and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to give it a head start, but be sure to start a timer and move it to the fridge eventually; you don't want to freeze the edges.
Toast the sweetened coconut: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 2-3 minutes, stir it thoroughly, then bake another 2-5 minutes until golden brown, check every 2 minutes. Do not walk away; keep a close eye on it so you don't scorch it. You want the flakes to be a very deep golden, hardly any white left. When it's cooled enough that you can handle it, carefully transfer the hot coconut flakes to your food processor.
Toast the unsweetened coconut garnish (large flakes): You don't need this until later, but your oven is on and it takes just a couple minutes. Spread 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes out on the same baking sheet (any kind of coconut will do; I like this kind because they usually come in larger, prettier flakes, perfect for garnishing.) Bake at 350 for 2 minutes at a time, stirring every time you check. Don't walk away! Toast until they are a deep golden brown. Toast a little longer than you think. Try to get all the white toasted out. Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl. Set aside to garnish your finished pie. Don't bother washing the baking sheet, we need it again later. Leave the oven on for the crust.
Make the crust and crumble garnish. To the food processor that has the 1 and 1/2 cups toasted coconut, add 14 full size graham crackers sheets, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Give it a sniff and knock yourself out.
Add 7 tablespoons melted butter and 1 egg yolk. Yes I know this feels weird, trust guys, trust. Run the food processor until you have a mixture that is the texture of wet sand.
Add about three quarters of the amount of graham mixture to a 9-inch pie plate. Use your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust on the bottom and up along the sides of your pie plate. You want it to be evenly thick. Press all along the top edge with your thumb, to pack it together into a nice crust for each piece of pie.
Place the pie pan on one side of the same baking sheet that you toasted the coconut on. Dump the remaining quarter of the graham mixture onto the other side of the baking sheet. Use your measuring cup or a drinking glass to press the crumble into a flat disc, it doesn't have to be perfect. We will be crumbling this later to garnish the top of the pie.
Bake the pie pan and the graham crumble on the baking sheet in the 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until fragrant and very lightly turning golden. It will look a little more bubbly than your average graham crust, that's ok. Immediately after you've taken it out of the oven, use a spoon to reshape the sides of the crust a bit if they have slumped down. Set the crust and crumble aside to cool.
Once cool, break up the graham crumble on the baking sheet into bite size pieces, add to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to use as a garnish later.
Add the caramel to the pie crust. Once your pie crust is completely cool, use the back of a spoon to spread 1/2 cup of caramel sauce on the bottom of the pie crust. Place the caramel-pie crust in the fridge to chill if your custard is not chilled yet.
Stabilized whipped cream: Add 2 cups heavy whipping cream** to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix (the powder. This keeps your whipped cream from deflating!) Add 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract.
Beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. Use your whisk attachment if you have a stand mixer. Scrape the sides. Keep an eye on it and don't walk away. Over beaten whipped cream is so sad (I accidentally do this all the time). You want to stop beating when your whipped cream is still very smooth. You should be able to hold a beater horizontally and the whipped cream stays up. Don't beat it so much that you can see air bubbles. It should not look textured.
Scrape half of the stabilized whipped cream into a covered bowl and chill in the fridge. (This will be used to garnish the top of the pie; if it's easier, you can add it straight to a piping bag set up with a large star tip, and place in the fridge.)
Add custard to the whipped cream: Thoroughly whisk the chilled coconut custard filling so there are no lumps. Scrape the custard into the bowl with the remaining half of the whipped cream. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the custard into the whipped cream. Be careful, you don't want to deflate the whipped cream. Once it's combined (a couple streaks are ok), spoon the filling into the caramel-bottomed pie crust.
Cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic against the filling, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight it great.
Assemble and serve: Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled pie.
If you haven't already, add the remaining whipped cream to a pastry bag with a large star tip, and pipe the reserved whipped cream on top of the pie. You can also just spread it on top with a spatula.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with the toasted unsweetened coconut flakes (large flakes).
Sprinkle with the extra graham crumble that you baked alongside the crust. (If you don't plan to eat the whole pie now, reserve some of it for adding later so it stays crunchy.)
Use a vegetable peeler to shave curls from the end of the white chocolate bar directly onto the top of the pie. If the bar starts getting soft and melty, pop it in the freezer for a couple minutes before continuing.
Slice the pie using a sharp knife, cutting the crust on the bottom. Lift each piece confidently with a pie server. The first slice is always the ugly duckling, don't stress.
Serve each slice of pie with extra caramel sauce drizzled on top if you know what's good for you! Pass any remaining garnishes (coconut, graham crumble, white chocolate curls, caramel sauce) at the table for your guests.
Notes
*I tested this recipe with store-bought caramel sauce. I used Smucker's ice cream topping. It didn't go as well as I would have hoped; the caramel oozed a lot more once the pie was cut into. Still tasty, but I highly recommend making your own Caramel Sauce if you have the time. If you want to try spreading out the steps of this pie, make your crust ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours on the counter, or freeze the baked crust, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 weeks. The coconut custard can also be made up to 48 hours ahead of time and chilled; don't freeze it.**Cream is what rises to the top when you milk a cow. It is sold in the dairy section near the milk and is sometimes labeled “heavy cream”, “whipping cream” or “ultra heavy whipping cream”. They are all the same thing. The different names refer to different fat content levels. Any type will do for this recipe. (The high the fat content, the richer your pie will be.)