Coconut Cream Pie

By beth_h

This has been a favorite recipe of mine for many years, my daughter calls it "A Family Secret", recipe and will not give it to anyone.

Ingredients

• 9 " baked pie shell (I use Pillsbury)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preparation

Step 1

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir at least half of the hot mixture graduallly into egg yolks. Stir this mixture back into hot mixture, in sauce pan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla and coconut. Pour into baked pie shell. Press plastic wrap over hot filling. Refrigerate about 2 hours or let cool at room temperature until set. Remove plastic wrap and top with Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe to follow) and toasted coconut.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons powered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to soft/firm peak form, spread over cooled pie filling and top with 1/4 cup toasted coconut. You can toast coconut in oven or cookie sheet until golden brown, or in skillet on stovetop, stirring constantly.