*Coconut Custard Pie

Pie is an absolute favorite in my house, my husband nine times out of ten requests either chocolate or pie, or chocolate pie... Although I am typically a fan of adorable little cup cakes, or  delicate coffee time treats such as muffins and sweet breads, a great pie now and then surely does hit the spot. Whomever coined the phrase "easy as pie" must have had this recipe in mind. Typically really awesome pie is not "easy peasy" necessarily, often it does take some love and care to make a well crafted pie. Especially if you want a classic flaky pastry crust! This recipe however is pretty straight forward and easily assembled in a short amount of time. The tart crust is a combination of melted butter, flaky and tender coconut, crushed waffle cones as well as "maria cookies" which are almost like a short bread but not quite as buttery and sweet. The filling is a slightly sweet and creamy custard speckled with wonderfully nutty tasting toasted coconut. This is a great treat for any time of year when you've got a hankering for coco-nutty goodness.

Coconut Custard Pie:


Crust:
8 waffle ice cream cones
1 sleeve of maria cookies
(about 1 3/4 cups of crumbs total)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Custard Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons corn starch
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon butter (melted)

1 1/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted (reserve 1/3 for topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons coconut extract

To prepare the crust-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor or by hand crush the ice cream cones as well as cookies. Combine crumbs with melted butter, brown sugar, salt and coconut. Press into the bottom of a tart pan or approximately a 11" pie plate. You can use a glass or measuring cup to press the crumbs into the dish or you can use your fingers. Once the crumb mixture is evenly distributed place into the preheated oven and bake 10-15 minutes until the coconut is toasty and your crust is golden brown.

To prepare the filling-
Place the coconut onto a dry sheet pan or any oven safe baking dish. Bake approximately 3-5 minutes until lightly golden in color. Once you can smell the coconut it is usually perfect. Keep in mind it will continue to darken slightly after it is out of the oven.

In a small sauce pot or in a microwave safe bowl combine sugar, egg yolks, corn starch milk and butter whisk until smooth. Gently bring to a boil over medium low heat. (If your using the  microwave method you will microwave about 1 minute at a time stirring in between each minute interval.) Once the mixture has come to a boil set it aside stirring now and again to make sure its thick and not burning. Combine with 1 cup of toasted coconut and pour into the baked crust. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup of toasted coconut over top of the custard and refrigerate until cold, about 2-4 hours.

Serve cold or room temperature with whipped cream if desired.