Crazy for Coconut Cream Pies

I love coconut.  I've known coconut all my life.  I can remember summer days in Lawis and having my cousins and friends challenging each other  to see who can climb up the coconut tree the fastest, the winner cutting down a fresh coconut fruit to drink and snack on.  We would run around with coconuts drilled with straws for easier consumption, it was like our Sunny Delight or Kool Aid.  Coconut is definitely known for its sweet usage.  I found this coconut cream pie recipe that called for fried pie dough.  I decided to just bake it on a regular  store-bought  pie crust to save time. Enjoy!

This recipe is from Cuisine at Home: Issue No 70 August 2008

Total Time:  30 minutes + chilling time

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge.
1 cup of whole milk
1 cup of coconut milk
Remove pan from burner


Whisk together in a bowl:
1/2 cup of cream of coconut
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 t. kosher salt





Add 2 eggs, whisk until smooth, then gradually whisk in 1/2 of the hot milk.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the milk remaining in the pan and cook over medium heat until thick, whisking often.

Boiling filling for 1 minute to thicken and eliminate the starchy taste.

Off heat, stir in:
1 1/2 cups of shredded & toasted coconut
2 T. salted butter
1/2 t. vanilla extract


.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skim from forming; chill filling until cold.

Take store bought pie crust and cut into half.

Place 5 T. cold filling in the center of each dough pieces.

Dab water around the edge of the dough, then fold dough over the filling and press edges together to seal tightly.

Crimp edges of the pies with a fork to reinforce the seal, then trim off ragged edges with a pizza cutter.

Transfer pies to parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze until dough is firm, 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and arrange formed pies on parchment-lined baking sheets,

Brush them with an egg beaten with 1 T. milk, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
 
Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes.


Drizzle pies with coconut and melted chocolate before serving.

For the melted chocolate, I melted 1 cup of milk chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of cream of coconut over medium-low heat in a small sauce pan.