Coconut Cream Pie is one of my husband’s favorite desserts, and it is one of the first pies he wanted me to learn to bake for him after we were married.
We lived several hundred miles away from our families then, and there was no internet to search or YouTube to watch, so I relied on the one cookbook that I had received as a wedding gift. I studied that cookbook, and I still refer back to it today. My recipe for today’s Coconut Cream Pie comes from that reliable old cookbook, my Better Homes Cookbook. The copyright date in my cookbook is 1965.
Coconut Cream Pie
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups coconut, divided
1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell
In a double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cook 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return to hot mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla; mix well. Stir in 1 cup coconut; cool to room temperature. (To prevent a crust from forming, put clear plastic wrap directly on top, touching surface of the hot pudding across to the sides of pan. When cooled pour into baked pastry shell.
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread atop pie sealing to pastry. Sprinkle top of meringue with 1/3 cup coconut. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 12 – 15 minutes or until meringue is golden.
In my opinion, a double boiler is an important tool for making a cream pie. It’s just too easy to stick and scorch the cream filling in a regular saucepan.
Slightly beat the egg yolks, but don’t add them to the mixture until you have mixed some of the hot mixture in with them.
Stir some of the hot mixture in with the egg yolks before mixing the egg yolks into the whole batch. Cook for 2 minutes longer after adding the egg yolks.
Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla; . . .
. . . then stir in coconut. Let cool to room temperature.
Pour filling into prepared pastry shell.
Top with meringue.
Spread meringue to edges to seal and sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 – 15 minutes; set your timer so you don’t over brown.
Coconut Cream is my husband’s favorite pie so I should give the first slice to him.
Anita this look georgeous, I bookmarked, gloria
Coconut Cream: Great pie, or the greatest pie?
What a beautiful pie! Love your pictures!
Okay, you have me beat. My BH&G cookbook is c.1975 and it's pretty dog eared and torn. But I still use it ALL the time! I totally LOVE anything coconut. This looks great!
http://thebiggreenbowl.blogspot.com
great pie .. sounds so delicious .. thanks for the lovely recipe and instruction..
This is absolutely my most favorite pie. Ever. And I've never actually made one. Now that I don't live in the south anymore and can't find these around very often, I really need to learn to make them. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It looks amazing!
YUM! I love coconut cream pie! I've never thought to make one myself, though. You make it look doable. Your instructions are so helpful!
Hi Anita,
Good heavens girl, that pie is beautiful and just looks delicious! Your tutorial is excellent with easy to follow directions. Hope you have a wonderful holiday week end and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come back soon!
Miz Helen
Hi Anita
Just popping over from Miz Helen's. I always remember coconut cream pie from "Gilligan's Island" when I watched as a young girl. Always wanted to make it. I've got a good excuse now. What a great recipe. Thanks so much. I'm your newest follower.
Anne @ Domesblissity (Australia)
xx
I am not much of a coconut lover. But I am sure grandpa would love this pie. I can't say no to his requests so I will have to try this.
New follower stopping by from Sweet Indulgences Sunday. Hope you stop by for a visit.
My six-year-old has been asking me to make a coconut cream pie. I don't know if he would actually like it but he heard about it on one of his favorite shows. This one looks delicious! I know that my husband and I would enjoy it even if my son changed his mine. Thanks for sharing on Sweet Indulgences Sunday.
Delicious! I haven't had coconut cream pie since childhood! Have to make this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
-Lynn
Your pie is beautiful:@)
Yum! Enough said.
This looks SO good. I am not a coconut buff but this looks just too delicious to pass up. Saw you on Maniac Monday Link Party. And am so glad I did. I am now following you. I see you have in a past post put up your mothers pie crust recipe. Would love to see what she does. Sure wish I had a piece of your pie right this very minute. YUMMMM…..
Nann
Thanks so much for linking up to the Manic Monday link party…it was a huge success! Make sure you check back Sunday when I feature the top 3 posts. I’ll be hosting another Manic Monday linky party this week- the theme is “Favorite Things”…details will be posted at noon.
-Melissa
http://www.serendipityandspice.blogspot.com