Better Homes And Gardens Cookbook Coconut Cream Pie

Mike Garten

Coconut cream pie is the stuff that dreams are made of: Crispy, flaky pie crust filled with a thick, creamy coconut custard and topped with mounds of homemade whipped cream. Well, it doesn't have to be a dream anymore. Our straightforward recipe walks you through every step, from mastering pie dough to whisking together an easy custard to whipping cream into light, fluffy peaks. It's basically just 3 parts that come together to make one unbelievable pie, perfect for Easter dessert or any time your sweet tooth kicks up a serious coconut craving (we have coconut cake for that, too).

Part one: Bake the pie crust

For this pie, the crust is baked completely before the filling goes in, which is known as a fully blind-baked pie crust. Here's how it's done:

-Roll out the pie dough and fit into your pie plate, then prick the surface with a fork and freeze for 15 minutes. Line the pie with parchment and fill with pie weights

-Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

-Remove the weights and parchment and bake the pie another 10 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and fully cooked.

-Cool the pie crust completely before adding the filling.

Part two: Make the custard

Don't worry if you've never made custard before, it's basically just a mixture of milk or cream (or in this case, coconut milk), sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks. Here are the coconut cream pie filling ingredients:

-Coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk from a can here, the "light" kind won't yield the right texture. Make sure not to shake the cans before using: Coconut milk naturally separates and you'll use the cream that rises to the top to make the whipped cream topping for the finished pie.

-Sugar

-Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps thicken the custard so that when you cut into the pie, you get a nice, clean slice.

-Egg yolks: These add richness and body. They are cooked gradually by adding the hot coconut milk in small increments— add the hot milk too quickly and they will scramble!

-Virgin coconut oil: Make sure you read the label before purchasing and look for "virgin" or "unrefined" coconut oil, "refined" coconut oil will have little coconut flavor.

-Lemon juice: A little bit of lemon adds just the right amount of tanginess to contrast all the sweetness

-Vanilla or coconut extract: Enhance the coconut flavor with a few drops of coconut extract or balance it with vanilla extract instead.

Once it's done, the coconut filling needs to chill in the refrigerator at least 5 hours or overnight, so it's the perfect make-ahead dessert!

Part three: Whip the cream

Once you make homemade whipped cream, you'll never go back to the can. Just try it out for yourself— whipped cream is basically two ingredients (heavy cream and sugar) and takes about two minutes to whip. We enhanced ours with a little coconut cream from the can of coconut milk. You can whip with an electric mixer or simply a whisk, which will just take a little more forearm strength.

Generously swoosh and swirl the whipped cream on top of the cooled pie, then finish with a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes. Enjoy!

Yields: 12 servings

Total Time: 7 hours 0 mins

All-purpose flour, for surface and rolling pin

1 1/2 c.

large unsweetened coconut flakes

13.5-oz cans unsweetened coconut milk (do not use light), unshaken

1/2 c.

granulated sugar, divided

1/4 c.

cornstarch

large egg yolks

1/4 c.

virgin or unrefined coconut oil (do not use refined)

1 tsp.

fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp.

pure vanilla extract or coconut extract

1/4 tsp.

kosher salt

2 tbsp.

confectioners' sugar

1 c.

heavy cream

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Heat oven to 375°F. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll out pie crust to approximately 13-inch circle and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, folding excess under and crimping edges. Prick surface and sides lightly with a fork and freeze 15 minutes. Place crust on baking sheet, line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake in bottom third of oven 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Return to oven and bake until golden brown, tenting edges of crust with foil if they get too dark, 18 to 23 minutes more. Let cool.
Meanwhile, toast coconut on parchment-lined large rimmed baking sheet, stirring halfway through, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
Make custard: Open both cans of coconut milk and, scrape ¾ cup solid coconut cream off tops of cans into a small bowl, then cover and refrigerate. Add remaining contents of both cans to a 4-cup measuring cup and stir well to combine (you should have about 2½ cups). Transfer coconut milk to a medium saucepan along with ¼ cup granulated sugar and stir to combine; bring to a boil.
While coconut mixture is coming to a boil, in a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar. Whisk in egg yolks until smooth and lightened in color, 1 minute. When coconut milk mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat and, in small increments, gradually whisk into egg mixture. Transfer mixture back to pot and, whisking constantly, return to a boil. Then cook until thickened, whisking, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat and whisk in coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Continue whisking every so often until custard has cooled slightly, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to cooled pie crust and press on piece of plastic wrap so it touches and covers surface. Refrigerate until firm, at least 5 hours and up to overnight.
When ready to serve, place metal bowl of an electric mixer in freezer 10 minutes. Warm reserved coconut cream (you can microwave at 50% power in 20 second increments) until just melted but not warm. Stir confectioners' sugar into coconut cream until dissolved then pour mixture into chilled bowl. Using whisk attachment, whisk in heavy cream on low until blended, then increase speed gradually to high and whisk until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
Gently peel plastic film off pie and dollop coconut whipped cream on top, creating swoops with back of metal spoon. Top with toasted coconut and serve

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving):About 480 calories, 40 g fat (30.5 g saturated), 5 g protein, 140 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber

Did you make this recipe? Comment below!

Samantha MacAvoy Samantha MacAvoy joined the Good Housekeeping food team in March 2020, where she writes about the latest tasty offerings from the Test Kitchen, must-try food trends, and top tips for home cooking success.

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