Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

Despite the crazy weather this week, spring is in the air! Somehow coconut reminds me of summer & that warmer weather is on the way. Maybe it's all that Hawaiian Tropic coconut flavored sunscreen I used as a kid or that there's no better summer drink than a frosty Piña Colada, either way, coconut encapsulates summer vibes to me! So to celebrate that, I am sharing my favorite Coconut Cream Pie recipe with you this week. Enjoy!

P.S. we've decided to start using more plant-based alternatives as substitutes for traditional dairy products when possible so you'll start seeing notes in my recipes when I tried out a plant-based dairy (correct term!? is dairy just from cows!?) product instead! I'd be curious to hear what you use in your version!

Happy baking & don’t forget to tag @nickxfritz_munich in your snaps because we love seeing your creations!

Quantity: 1 pie, serves 10

Ingredients:

Shortbread pie crust:

• 125g / ½ c butter, cold
• 100g / ½ c sugar
• 1 egg
• 190g / 1 ½ c flour
• ½ TL / ½ tsp salt
• 1 TL / 1 tsp lemon zest

Coconut cream filling:

• 100g / ½ c sugar
• ½ TL / ½ tsp salt
• 290ml / 1 ¼ c milk (I substituted rice milk here, worked perfectly!)
• 1 TL / 1 tsp vanilla
• 30g / ¼ c cornstarch
• 400ml unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 120g / 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions:

To make the shortbread crust:

I don’t know about you guys, but I hate rolling out pastry crust so I’m gonna share a little pie crust hack with you. I like to call this recipe a “press-in” shortbread crust! Once the dough is ready, you can press it directly into the pie dish using your hands!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 190°C & butter your pie dish
2. Use a pastry cutter to combine the sugar & cold butter. Once combined, add the egg & mix well
3. Add the flour, salt, & lemon zest & mix with the pastry cutter until all the flour is incorporated. This will take a few minutes so have some patience if it stays very crumbly for a while & keep mixing. If you feel that it is not mixing in, add a little water to help it a long. The final texture should be a malleable shortbread dough that sticks together in big chunks but is not wet or sticky
4. Once fully mixed, use your hands to press the dough into your buttered pie dish. Aim for a ¾ - 1 cm thick layer all around & don’t forget to line the sides as well!
5. Bake for 10-13 minutes until the edges are golden. Once baked, remove from oven & set aside to cool

Coconut cream filling:

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk & coconut milk in a saucepan
1. Pro tip: to avoid the cornstarch creating lumps in the mixture, pour a small portion of milk into a separate bowl & whisk in the cornstarch until it is fully incorporated. Pour the whisked coconut milk & cornstarch mixture into the saucepan with the sugar, salt, & remaining coconut milk
2. Cook over medium-high until thick & bubbling, stir frequently to avoid the bottom burning
3. In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until fluffy. Remove the coconut milk mixture from the heat & slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking as you pour
4. Return the egg & coconut milk mixture to the saucepan. Bring it to a boil for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove it from the heat & whisk in the vanilla & shredded coconut
5. Pour the whole mixture into your prepared pie crust & let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour
6. Top with whipped cream & toasted coconut. Enjoy!

 Happy Baking!

Post a pic and tag us @nickxfritz_munich with your version!

Every Thursday we post a new recipe! Sign up for our newsletter on the "Recipes" page & get the recipes right to your inbox every Friday!