Coconut Cream pie is one of those old fashioned pies that people don’t make often enough anymore. Cool and creamy with sweetened coconut flakes, the nostalgia of grandmas making this in their kitchens is real. First, you need to blind bake a pie crust. While the crust is cooling, you make the coconut cream pie filling on the stovetop. Add the coconut filling to the empty crust (once it too has cooled) and then refrigerate it until chilled and set. Once it’s cold enough you top with homemade whipped cream and top that with toasted coconut flakes and white chocolate shavings. YUM! If you want a crust how-to please see my Butter Pie Crust recipe.
Crust
1 prepared deep-dish pie crust, blind baked and cooled
For the filling:
3 Large egg yolks, at room temperature
¾ cup (143g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (236ml) heavy whipping cream
1 can (13.5 oz) Full-fat coconut milk
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons (10ml) Coconut extract (or sub vanilla extract)
1 ½ cups Sweetened shredded coconut
For the topping:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
5 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
½ cup Toasted Coconut (optional garnish)
4-ounce shaved White chocolate bar (optional garnish)
Make the filling:
In a small bowl gently whisk the egg yolks until foamy and set aside.
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the flour, granulated sugar, heavy cream, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Heat over medium-low heat. Start by continuously stirring to dissolve the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the filling is warm to the touch and slightly thickened but not boiling.
Take about ½ cup of the hot filling mixture and whisk into the egg yolks to temper the egg yolks. Pour the egg yolks back into the pan of filling and whisk to combine.
Continue stirring until the pudding starts to bubble slightly and thicken. Once big bubbles start to pop at the surface, cook for at least 60-90 seconds while continuously stirring. The filling should be thickened like pudding.
Pour the pudding through a fine sieve into a medium-sized bowl. If needed, you can use a whisk or spatula to help push it through the sieve. Optional: strain a second time through the sieve, washing in between.
Stir in the coconut extract and shredded sweetened coconut and mix well. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and chill on the counter for 1 hour.
Then pour the filling into the baked pie crust. Cover the top of the pudding again, directly on the surface. Refrigerate 2-4 hours until it’s completely cold.
Make the topping:
Prepare the whipped cream. Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and use a stand or electric mixer with a whip attachment to beat the heavy cream at a high speed until the cream thickens to soft peaks.
Add the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Remove the saran wrap and spread as much of the whipped cream over the filling as you would like, or use a large piping tip to decorate the pie.
Garnish with toasted coconut and white chocolate curls. To make the white chocolate curls, use a vegetable peeler and drag it across the edges of the chocolate bar, allowing it to fall on top of the pie. Alternatively, you can make white chocolate shavings by thinly slicing the white chocolate.
