Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Indulge in the perfectly balanced flavors of Coconut Cream Pie by our October Featured Chef, Abby Maher, and take a delightful journey of light, sweet flavors, and perfectly balanced textures. From the fluffy meringue topping to the light creamy center and a buttery, crispy crust finish, every bite is a blissful experience that will leave you feeling inspired. This pie is ideal for gifting or enjoying with a loved one and will leave any recipient asking for another slice! 

Coconut Cream Pie

By: Abby Maher

Pie Ingredients 

• 9-in pie pan
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 cups raw milk (or whole milk)
• 1 cap full of coconut flavoring (1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon of USWM Anchor Butter
• 3/4 cup sweetened coconut

Pie Directions

• In a 2 qt. In a saucepan, add sugar, flour, and salt and stir together.
• Next, put your egg yolks into a cup with your milk. It helps to whisk the egg yolks in about half a cup of milk before adding to the other cup and a half, then add this slowly to your sugar, flour, and salt mix.
• Constantly whisking while adding the milk. Cook this on medium to medium/high heat until it gets bubbly. You will know when it’s ready when the bubbles break, and you can still see where they have been. But keep stirring, or it will burn. Hesitate long enough to check the bubbles. This will take about 10-12 minutes on medium heat.
• You want the pudding to be slightly thick at this point; it will continue to set up when letting the pie rest.
• Take it off the heat and add the coconut flavoring, tablespoon of butter, and coconut. Mix well.
• Pour into the baked pie shell (See Abby’s Apple Pie with BONUS pie crust recipe!). Top with meringue (see recipe below), sprinkle the top with coconut flakes, and bake until golden brown.

Meringue Recipe

This has taken me a few years and a lot of trial and error to be comfortable with, and even then, if the weather isn’t just right, the meringue will weep. Often causing you to weep yourself, but remember, the pie doesn’t have to be perfect or pretty to taste great. I have never had someone complain about a weeping pie. I will normally just suggest you sort of pour it off before cutting. You will know what I mean when your first meringue weeps.

Meringue Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• Heaping ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla – optional. Truthfully, I normally forget.

Meringue Instructions

My grandma is appalled by this, but I always start with 5 egg whites. She will say 2 is plenty, but we disagree! I like the height!

• Set your oven temperature to 325.
• With my 1976 Kitchen Aid mixer ready to whip, I add 5 egg whites and the cream of tartar to the bowl, and on slow to medium speed (the toggle at about half), I start to whisk the egg whites; I let the mixer go.
• For about 8 minutes or until soft peaks form. At this point, I will gradually add my sugar, making sure it is fully dissolved. This is important so that it does not weep later! You can taste test to determine if you feel sugar granules or not. When the sugar is dissolved, I quickly turn up the speed (3/4 up on the speed toggle). Continue to whisk until the whites make stiff peaks. These will stand and stay put when it is ready. The whole process takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.
• While doing this, I put the pie (crust and pudding) in the oven so it’s nice and hot for the meringue.
• Pull the pie out of the oven and top it with the meringue, spreading it across the pudding, ensuring it seals to the crusts. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks with the meringue. For coconut cream, sprinkle the top with coconut flakes and put it back in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let the pie cool and enjoy!

If there are leftovers, I typically lightly cover them with plastic wrap and place the pie in the fridge, but often, there isn’t any to share with the fridge! Make sure to take a peek at our US Wellness Meats Discover Blog for more scrumptious recipes from our featured chefs.

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