Coconut Dream Pie

Happy Pi Day! Yep, today’s 3/14 and what better way to celebrate than with pie! (Like I need an excuse to make a pie, but I’ll use it.) I decided to make Coconut Dream Pie for the occasion. It wasn’t my first choice, but I wanted something easy to whip together and I also wanted something that wouldn’t be too over-the-top and blow my calories for the day. I’m working from home today, so me + alone with pie = very dangerous. Plus this pie has a unique crust and my curiosity just had to find out how it worked.

Coconut Dream Pie

So, how’s it taste?

It didn’t blow me away and won’t be taking the place of a real coconut cream pie anytime soon, but it was pretty good. I loved the crust. It’s a corn flake crust with a bit of honey and sugar. The crust is fantastic. Slightly sweet and crunchy. It’s super crumbly and hard to get out of the pie plate though. I cut the first piece straight from the refrigerator, so I’m wondering if letting it warm up a bit will help the crust come loose from the plate better. I had to really scrape to get it all out.

The filling is tasty, but it took me a few bites to like it. It’s really thick. Between the 1/4 cup of cornstarch and gelatin, I wasn’t surprised. It needs to be thick, but it’s almost too much so. After a few bites, I enjoyed it more. It’s not as coconut-y as I’d like, but the flavor goes well with the corn flake crust. It has a rich, heavy aftertaste that I don’t care for. You know how when you eat something fatty, there’s a slight film in your mouth? That’s what this feels like after you eat it. I think it’s from the coconut milk. It’s 180 calories per slice, but I didn’t pay attention to the recipe being 12 servings. That’s a really small slice. My pie slices are more around the 8-servings size, which bumps up the calories for this pie to 270 each. For 270, I feel like I should’ve picked a tastier pie. It wasn’t a terrible pie, but I wouldn’t make it again.

Coconut Dream Pie

Family Circle, Eat What You Love and Lose
makes 12 small servings
per serving: 180 calories, 8g fat, 2g protein, 0g fiber, 25g carbs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups corn flake crumbs
5 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 can (about 11.8 oz.) sweetened coconut milk (roughly 1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp. coconut extract
8 oz. frozen light nondairy whipped topping, thawed
3 tbsp. sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425F.

2. Stir corn flake crumbs, butter, honey, and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture evenly on bottom and up sides of a 10-inch round pie plate.

3. Bake crust for 10 to 11 minutes or until slightly golden around edges. Remove pie plate to wire rack; let cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, stir together remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin in a medium saucepan. Stir in coconut milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly, about 8 minutes. Stir in extract. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

5. Once cooled, fold in whipped topping. Spread filling evenly in baked crust. Garnish with toasted coconut. Refrigerate 2 hours until set.