Coconut Cream Pie -

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5 from 3 votes

Coconut Cream Pie

Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

Pie and Filling Ingredients

2 cups sugar
¼ cup plus 2 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold milk
2 cups scalded milk (181ºF)
4 large egg yolks
1 ¼ teaspoon butter
1¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups coconut plus more for garnish
1 9" pie crust

Whipped Cream Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar granulated or powdered (See Recipe Notes: Sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep

Separate 4 egg yolks; beat lightly with a fork; set aside
Place metal mixing bowl and metal whisk (or beaters) in freezer (this is for the Whipped Cream)
Bake prepared pie crust in 375ºF for 13 - 15 minutes or until lightly golden; set aside

Make the Pie Filling

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt and cold milk; set aside
In a large saucepan on medium-low temperature, heat 2 cups of milk until the temperature of the milk reaches 181ºF (this is scalded milk) See Recipe Notes: Scalded Milk
Gradually add scalded milk to flour mixture, stirring constantly
Transfer this mixture back to the large saucepan See Recipe Notes: Cooking the Pie Filling
Stirring constantly, cook on medium heat until mixture begins to thicken (be patien)
The minute the pie filling is thick, remove the pan from the heat
Add butter, vanilla and coconut; combine well and allow to cool
Pour cooled pie filling (custard) into baked pie shell
Place pie in refrigerator for 1 hour

Make Whipped Cream

Remove metal bowl and metal whisk (or beaters) from freezer
Add sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream to bowl
Whisk together until the mixture forms stiff peaks

Toast Coconut

Put one cup of coconut in a dry skillet; heat skillet to medium
Allow coconut to toast in skillet; continually stir the coconut so it does not burn
Pour toasted coconut onto plate and allow to cool
Sprinkle over whipped cream topping prior to serving

Notes

Scalded Milk:

Scalded milk is milk that is heated to a minumum 181ºF. Heat the milk on medium, stirring frequently. Check the temperature and when the milk reaches 181ºF, it's done. Immediately remove from heat. You may see a slight film begin to form on the milk as it gets closer to 181ºF. That's okay. Let the hot milk cool a few minutes before adding it to the sugar mixture.

Cooking the Pie Filling:

This is the most critical part of the coconut cream pie recipe- getting the custard thick without burning it... The easiest way to do this is to start with a medium low stove temperature and stir constantly with a spatula.

It takes about 10 minutes of constant stirring on low heat to get the right result. You may have to adjust the stovetop temperature throughout the process, especially if you're cooking on electric. If you suspect the custard is burning, life the pan off the heat, continue to stir and reduce the stove temp.

If you find you've burned the custard, start over.

Keep an eye on the filling! Once it gets hot enough, it thickens FAST!

Sugar:

The Whipped Cream recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar; however, you can substitute with powdered, or confectioner's sugar. I find powdered sugar to be sweeter, so I recommend you start with 1 tablespoons of powdered sugar in the whipped cream.

Halfway through mixing, taste the cream and see if you want it sweeter. If so, add more powdered sugar.

Ingredient Adjustment for 8" Pie

If using an 8" pie shell, reduce each ingredient in the pie filling by ¼ and reduce the egg yolks to 3.

Nutrition