Creamy, sweet, crunchy and oh so coconutty. Try this Triple Coconut Creme Pie for your next special occasion! | Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Rodelle. Thank you for supporting brands that help support Vanilla And Bean. All opinions are my own.
A celebration is underway, so I’ve whipped up this rich, creamy and crave-worthy, triple coconut creme pie for y’all. I’m so happy you’re here, to join the celebration and enter to win a generous giveaway from Rodelle Kitchen.
One year ago this week, I published my first post on Vanilla And Bean with my all-time favorite cake. Some of you may remember it or have even made it. You’ll notice how things have changed around here.
For Vanilla And Bean’s anniversary celebration my sister threw a party. She made her specialty, deep dish pizza and salad, while the wine flowed. One friend made my favorite, Hummingbird Cake and another brought me a 10-pound bar of bittersweet chocolate from Guittard. It’ll be chocolate 24/7 coming up next on Vanilla And Bean! You like chocolate, right?
There’s nothing like the love and support of cherished friends and family. It was an evening to remember.
There is much to celebrate. Entering into the food blogging world, the only related things I knew were how to bake, cook, write content and recipes, edit and use a handful of computer applications. The techy stuff and photography stymied me for at least a year prior to beginning this blogging journey.
I finally got out of my own way, embraced the unknown and started. Starting is sometimes the hardest part.
The best part of blogging? Connecting with Vanilla And Bean readers, other bloggers, those who are making things I create here, and inspiring creativity in the kitchen. Oh and being fearless in the kitchen, even when I get the thumbs down from Rob.
Pie, on the other hand, is not hard for me to start. I needed little motivation to get this beauty going. This one is a friend and family favorite and one that I hope will become one of yours, if you’re a coconut fan, of course.
I first tasted triple coconut creme pie years ago after moving to Whidbey Island. A trip to not-too-far-away Seattle gave me the opportunity I had craved for far too long.
I had my eyes focused and Google maps app set on Dahlia Bakery, a tiny bakery owned by the renowned Chef and restauranteur, Tom Douglas. I’d heard about this place numerous times and was told they have the best coconut creme pie on the planet. Legendary. It became my mission in life.It did not disappoint.
What everyone said was true.
I had a new mission: Make this pie. After all, being a few hours from Seattle, I can’t just pop in anytime I want one. One must learn how to create the greatest simple pleasures in life…..
like Triple Coconut Creme Pie.
Vanilla beans are an essential component of this recipe, so it’s not time to skimp! Vanilla and coconut are like bourbon and caramel: a perfect pair. Vanilla is deliciously mellow and brings out the best in coconut. Not only are vanilla beans beautiful, they take any dessert and make it extra special. Some say, gourmet.
I usually make this pie over a two-day period; making most of the components on day one, then baking, whipping the creme, and assembling the second day. This allows time for the dough to rest and fully hydrate overnight in the fridge.
I prefer this because I find the dough easer to work with. However, if you’re short on time, resting the dough for an hour before rolling it out is adequate, although you may have to finesse the dough a bit more.
Pie dough freezes well, so it can be made weeks in advance and frozen. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and it’ll be ready to use the following day. Having a chunk of dough or a rolled out crust in the freezer is convenient when last-minute planning calls for pie.
Depending on how you prefer to finish the pie, whether piping the whipped cream on or just piling it up, will determine the amount of time spent on assembly. Piping takes longer, but I like to make swirls and practice my technique when I have time.
Feel free to pile the whipped cream on top and spread it around if you want something a bit less fussy.
Thank you for reading! For your kindness, support, each like, follow, comment and note across social media platforms. Y’all are the best! Cheers to you, my friends, and here’s to another fabulous year of cooking, creating and having some fun in the kitchen!
the recipe
Triple Coconut Creme Pie
Ingredients
For The Crust:
- 4 Tbs Cold Whole Milk + 1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 52 g, 4 g
- 1 C + 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour 190 g
- 1/2 C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut 44 g
- 1 Tbs Granulated Sugar 10 g
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt 2 g
- 1/2 C Unsalted Butter cubed in 1/2" cubes, placed in freezer for 20 minutes prior to using (1 Stick, 106 g)
For the Coconut Pastry Creme:
- 2 C Whole Milk 178 g
- 1/2 C + 2 Tbs Granulated Sugar divided (146 g)
- 2 C Unsweetened Shredded Coconut 178 g
- 1 in Vanilla Bean split half lengthwise and beans scraped
- 2 Large Organic Whole Eggs
- 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour 26 g
- 1/4 C Unsalted Butter room temperature, 1/4" cubes (60 g), 1/2 Stick
For the Whipped Creme:
- 2 C Heavy Creme chilled (468 g), 16 oz
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste 5 g
- 1/4 C Powdered Sugar 36 g
For Garnish:
- 3/4 C Large Flake Unsweetened Coconut 365 g
- 1/3 C White Chocolate Cuverture 60 g
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In a small bowl, whisk the milk and apple cider vinegar together then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, shredded coconut, sugar, sea salt, and cold butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is thoroughly covered in the flour mixture and are about the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Begin gently incorporating the flour mixture into the milk mixture. It will be shaggy and feel dry. You're doing it right. Dump the loose mixture out onto lightly floured work surface. Use a bench scraper to gently fold and press the dough over and onto itself. It will not be sticking together very much at this point. Fold a few more times, then pat out into a 1/2" round disk. Wrap tightly, pressing the dough further into shape if needed and place in fridge for at least one hour, or overnight.
Rolling the Dough and Baking the Crust (see note):
- On a lightly flouered work surface, begin rolling out the dough to a 12-13" circle. Fit into a 9" pie plate, trimming excess, if any, to a 2" overhang. The dough should be about 1/8" thick. Turn dough under along rim of the pie dish and flute edges. Dock the bottom of the crust by pricking it 8-10 times with a fork. Chill at least one hour before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line the pie crust with parchment, then fill it with either pie weights or beans. Bake the dough for 30 minutes on the middle oven rack. Remove the pie weights or beans and parchment and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from oven and cool completely before assembling the pie.
Make the Pastry Creme:
- Combine milk, 1/2 the sugar, coconut, and scraped-out vanilla bean and seeds into a medium saucepan. Cook on medium high stirring occasionally until little bubbles start appearing around the edges of the milk, after stirring.
- In a spouted large bowl or 4 C measuring cup, vigorously whisk the eggs, last 1/2 of sugar and flour until well combined. Once the milk mixture is ready, slowly pour about one cup of the the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. Then add the egg mixture into the saucepan with the milk/coconut mixture while whisking. Whisk over medium high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick and has reached 212F, 4-5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Pour the pastry creme into a stand mixing bowl with a paddle attachment. Remove the vanilla bean (rinse it well, dry completely and add it to your sugar bowl). Mix on low speed for 15 minutes. While mixing, add the butter, one cube at a time. This will cool the pastry cream and make it silky smooth! *If a mixer is unavailable, mixing by hand and incorporating the butter will work fine.
- When the pastry creme has reached room temperature, place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and wrap tightly. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days, if needed.
For the Whipped Creme:
- Add the heavy creme and vanilla bean paste to mixing bowl of stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl to whip by hand. Begin to whip on medium speed. As soon as it starts to thicken, sift in the powdered sugar. Continue whipping until the creme stands up on its own.
For Garnish:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Toast coconut until it's golden, about 7-8 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- For the white chocolate, if using a bar of white chocolate, use a vegetable peeler to make curls. If using wafers or chips, rough-chop the white chocolate.
To Assemble:
- In the baked and cooled pie shell, spread all the pastry creme over the crust. Using an offset spatula, smooth the pastry creme.
- The whipped creme can be pipped or piled, your choice. If piping, take about 1 cup of the whipped creme and make a mound, smoothing it out so that it is higher in the center (like a pitcher's mound). Using a large star tip, fill a piping bag with the remaining whipped cream and pipe closed circles around the outer edges, finally working all the way to the center of the pie.
- Garnish with coconut and white chocolate.
For Service:
- Allow the pie to set out for about 15 minutes before service.
- Cut pie into 6-8 wedges, then garnish with any remaining coconut and chocolate.
Notes
