This delicious Coconut Cream Pie by Shirley Byrd of Brandon won the Mississippi Magazine Recipe Contest in 2014, and I have enjoyed serving it ever since. It is so easy; the creamy filling is quickly prepared in the microwave. It is the perfect dessert for a supper club dinner or girls for lunch, and it is absolutely the ideal sweet ending for a Mother’s Day celebration! Enjoy!
1 (9-inch) pie crust
Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake crust lined with pie weights on parchment paper for 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Cool.
FILLING:
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
In a bowl, mix egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring at 2-minute intervals until thick. Stir in butter, vanilla, and coconut. Cool. Pour into pie crust; chill for 3 hours.
Topping:
½ pint heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
For garnish: toasted sweetened flaked coconut
For topping, in a bowl, with mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar. Top pie with whipped cream, and sprinkle with toasted coconut. To toast coconut, place coconut on cookie sheet in 350-degree oven for 7 to 9 minutes.
Yield: 6-8 servings