Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

The vanilla cream filling for this pie is flexible and can  be used for most other cream pies.  MikesPieHole.com will continue to add other cream pie recipes as time goes on.

At MikesPieHole.com, we feel every cream pie should be made with a graham cracker crust.  The texture and taste of the cracker crust work better with a cream filling.  I also prefer whipped cream on top instead of meringue. We encourage you to take the graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping pledge!

Ingredients:

One graham cracker crust

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1/3 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

4 egg yolks

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. You need to start this pie the day before you plan to serve it.  The filling needs to completely cool and set, which requires sitting in the refrigerator overnight.
   
2. Note: in the name of ease and convenience, MikesPieHole.com will allow you to use shredded coconut purchased from your local grocery store. But we encourage you to make your own shredded coconut. It requires another day of prep.
   
   1. Buy a fresh coconut.  A fresh coconut should feel heavy for its size, and you should hear and feel the liquid sloshing around in the coconut when shaken.
      
   2. De-husk the coconut and peal the flesh with a vegetable pealer. (You can find numerous videos/articles on the internet describing how to clean a coconut.)
      
   3. Shred the white coconut flesh.
      
   4. Saute the shredded coconut over medium heat in a mixture of 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar. Saute the coconut until the water is cooked out.
      
   5. Spread the coconut out on parchment paper or waxed paper overnight to cool and dry.
      
3. Make and bake the graham cracker crust.  Let cool.
   
4. In a medium sauce pan mix together the sugar, flour, corn starch, and salt.  Stir in the milk.
   
5. Over medium heat, stir and cook the mixture until it becomes think and bubbly.  Reduce heat and continue stirring for two minutes. Using a whisk will keep lumps from forming in the pudding.
   
6. Remove from heat and temper in the egg yolks.  To temper the yolks, beat them slightly.  Stir in about a cup of the hot milk mixture. Then stir the yolk mixture back into the hot milk mixture.
   
7. Return the milk mixture to the heat and stir until it returns to boiling. Cook and stir two minutes longer.
   
8. Remove from heat.  Add vanilla, butter, and one cup of the shredded coconut. Pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
   
9. Sometime the next day, make the whipped cream and cover the coconut cream pie. I use a pint of heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup of powder sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. That is whisked in a KitchenAid mixer at medium speed (or higher) until I get the desired stiffness.
   
10. Toast the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded coconut under a medium broiler until golden brown. This toasting process requires diligence.  It only take a few seconds for your coconut to go from white, to a beautiful golden brown, to a scorched black. So keep a close eye on your coconut while it is toasting.
    
11. Sprinkle your beautiful golden brown toasted coconut on top of the whipped cream.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.