Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie and some seriously burned croutons.

About 1 pm I decided to toast up some bread to make delicious garlic croutons. Then went out to the store. Came back around 4 pm, to some not so delicious garlic croutons, still "toasting" in the oven. oops. 

Unfortunate Croutons

Now the desire to make Coconut Cream Pie wasn't out of the blue. The company I work for has some. . um. . AWESOME perks. Like we get to taste test all sorts of goodies. Last week we tested Turtle Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie, and . . Coconut Cream Pie. 3 days in a row of amazing pie and a very happy tummy (maybe not so happy pants). That was, as I'm sure I don't need to tell you, a super good week. Then I started thinking about these pies, their crusts, their fillings, their textures- and I HAD to make one. So I settled on my favorite: Coconut Cream Pie. I kinda combined a few different recipes to get the perfect mix of vanilla, coconut, and creamy. Its probably my new favorite (.. I feel like I say this every time a recipe turns out really good)- even my Dad who's not a 'sweets' person was devouring it.

(what was left after 4 hours and 2 people))

This is a 3-step process. Not really extremely difficult, but not really super quick either. I listed a super short version of this recipe at the end, using store-bought components instead of homemade (not that I would recommend store-bought over homemade, but if you're in a hurry. . . i guess. . .)

The following recipe is written for a 9-inch pie plate. HOWEVER, if you would like to put it in a 9 by 13 rectangular pan, double the recipe!

Coconut Cream Pie

For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups shortening
5-7 Tbs. cold water (or even . . coconut water. . oooh)

1) Cut shortening into flour, until shortening is in pea-sized pieces. Stir in water as needed, until just combined.
2) Roll out on a floured surface, and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool.

For the Vanilla Coconut Pudding:
2 2/3 cups whole milk (1/2 evaporated milk and half water is a great substitute for whole milk!)
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (don't do the flour substitute, just use cornstarch)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups sweetened, flake coconut

1) In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk and egg well (so they are COMPLETELY) incorporated. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in coconut. Pour into cooled crust. Place in refrigerator for a few hours, or until chilled.

For the Whipped Cream and Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup coconut

1) Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy. Spread on top of chilled pie.
2) Spread coconut on a pan. In a 350 oven, toast for about 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle evenly on top of the pie.



To Make This Super Fast:
1) Store-bought refrigerated Pie Crust dough, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
2) Prepare a box of vanilla pudding mix, stir in 1 cup coconut (or more to taste), pour into cooled pie crust. Put in the fridge until chilled.
3) Spread an 8 0z container of Cool Whip on the top.
4) Toast 1 cup coconut in a 350 degree oven for 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden. Sprinkle evenly over pie.