Graham cracker macadamia nut crust filled with a coconut milk custard and topped with fluffy meringue.
I grew up eating coconut cream pies that were only flavored with coconut. If I was lucky, they had some shredded coconut mixed into the filling or crust. Now, there is nothing wrong with these pies. They’re delicious. But with the availability of coconut products nowadays, why use flavoring? This pie is made with coconut milk, cream, and shredded coconut for lots of yummy coconut flavor!
The filling for this pie is made with a mixture of eggs, coconut cream, and milk. These ingredients are heat sensitive and can curdle or separate if overheated. There are a few things you can do to avoid this. The filling should be hot enough to steam but not hot enough to simmer. I use a whisk to stir the custard about every minute or two to avoid curdling. If the custard starts to look oily on the surface, remove it from the heat immediately. The oil is coconut fat separating from the custard. A little separation is ok, but if full separation occurs the custard will be ruined.
The crust for this pie will puff during baking. Pie weights can be used to keep this from happening. If you don’t have weights, dry beans will also work. I often skip weighing down the crust. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, I press the crust back into shape using the bottom of a measuring cup. There is a risk of getting burnt, so be careful if you choose this method.
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 pkg graham crackers 9 crackers
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 stick butter melted 4 tbsp
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
Coconut Filling
- 1 can coconut milk 13.5 oz
- 1 can coconut cream 13.5 oz
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup shaved coconut garnish
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the macadamia nuts for 8-10 minutes. Cool and chop in a food processor. Add the graham crackers, coconut, salt and sugar to the food processor. Pulse until everything is finely ground. Pulse in the butter until evenly combined. Press the crust into a 9 inch pie pan. Place parchment over the crust and add pie weights. bake for 10-15 minutes or until evenly brown. Set aside to cool.
Filling
- In a saucepan mix sugar, salt, and flour. Add the yolks. Add the coconut milk and cream. Cook over medium-medium low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour into prepared crust. Cool completely before adding meringue.
Meringue
- Place shaved coconut on a sheet pan and toast in a 350 degree oven for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a small saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil. When the sugar starts to boil, turn the mixer on medium low. Cook the sugar until it reaches 240 degrees. The whites should be frothy at this point and the cream of tartar mixed in. Remove the sugar from the heat. In a thin stream pour the sugar into the whites while mixing. Whip until the meringue reaches stiff peaks and has cooled. Spoon on top of the pie and garnish with toasted coconut.
