A tried and true recipe like this coconut cream pie needs no “improvement”, nor “elevation”, just faithful re-creation. It’s simple, quick, easy and extremely delicious.
This was my grandmother’s birthday gift to me every year until she was well into her nineties. A better gift than any toy, game or even a gold watch. I still enjoy it annually for Easter Sunday dinner and relish the many, many memories.
Let’s Make Coconut Cream Pie!
Making the filling is a matter of whisking the ingredients over medium heat until you get a pudding like consistency, then add the butter, coconut and vanilla extract. Remove from heat and let it cool while you make the meringue. Yes, I said meringue, but I know that a gigantic whipped cream topping is all the rage. One of our local diners offers this pie served both ways and my server says the meringue out-sells the whipped cream 2:1.
For my part I prefer meringue because that’s the way Grandma made it. If you prefer whipped cream I won’t judge. The most important thing is that you love it!
When the filling is cooled and the meringue is ready, fill the pre-baked crust, cover edge to edge with meringue, sprinkle a little extra coconut on top if you like and bake for 10-15 minutes until the tips turn golden brown.
Coconut Cream Pie
A delicious combination of coconut, eggs, milk and sugar
Ingredients
- 1–1/3 cups sugar + 4 TBL divided
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 eggs – yolks and whites separated
- 4 TBL corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon shredded sweet coconut
- 1–1/3 TBL unsalted butter
- 3/4 TBL pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 pie crust
Instructions
- Place the pie crust in the pan and prick the bottom with a fork. Pre-bake it @450 for 10 minutes or until golden brown and set aside
- Reduce oven heat to 350
- Pour the milk in a heavy bottom sauce pot and whisk in the sugar, egg yolks, corn starch and salt over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency, then remove from heat
- Stir in the butter until melted, then the sweet shredded coconut and vanilla extract then fill the pie crust and smooth it edge to edge
- Make the meringue while the filling is cooling
- Whip the egg whites until they begin to stiffen, continue to whip while sprinkling 4 TBL of sugar and then cream of tartar
- Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form
- Spread the meringue over the pie. Spread it out with a spatula all the way to the crust edges to make a seal and create peaks to make it pretty
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut on top, bake 10-15 minutes @ 350 until the meringue tips turn golden brown
- Remove from oven and cool before serving, about 30-45 minutes