Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

By carvalhohm

Classic coconut cream pie with a smooth rich custard topped with toasted shredded coconut. If you're a fan of coconut you have to give this recipe a go, it's delicious!

Ingredients

• COCONUT CREAM:
• 1 can coconut milk
• Half-and-half or heavy cream (enough to add to the coconut milk to make 3 cups)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flaked coconut, toasted*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 recipe graham cracker crust (recipe below) or traditional pie crust
• Fresh whipped cream, lightly sweetened
• GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
• 12 whole rectangular graham crackers
• 1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Pie:

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will become very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut extract and the vanilla extract (at this point you can also stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut, although, I prefer to use it all to garnish the top of the pie). Pour the custard into the baked and cooled pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours or until firm. Top with whipped cream and the toasted coconut.

Crust:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Finely crush graham crackers in a food processor or in a Zip-loc bag with a rolling pin. Pour crumbs into a bowl and add sugar, stirring to combine. Drizzle butter over the top and mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until the crust is just barely beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.

Notes:

*To toast coconut, spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 325°F, tossing often, until lightly toasted, about 12 to 15 minutes.