Honey-Sweetened Coconut Cream Pie

You won’t miss the processed sugar in this honey-sweetened coconut cream pie. Smooth and creamy, every bite is perfectly delicious.

Hey, my friends.

I have been waiting so long go share this recipe with you. And today’s the day!

This honey-sweetened coconut pie is delicious. And that’s a huge understatement if I ever heard one.

Each bite is smooth and creamy and perfectly sweet.

A show stopper for sure.

How to make this honey-sweetened coconut cream pie

This pie is made in four layers: the crust, the filling, the whipped cream topping, and the toasted coconut topping. We’ll talk about each one in detail below.

First off, let’s talk about the crust

Mix up the crust ingredients in a food processor, adding the half the flour first so it mixes a little more evenly.

Then press the ingredients into a pie pan. Moist fingers work great, but when I’m feeling fancy I like to use this cute little tart tamper (aff. link).

Then it’s time to bake. The oven is preheated to 200 degrees, then turned up to 300 degrees when the crust is added. The pie crust is done when the edges are starting to turn golden brown.

Let’s talk about the filling

For best results, use full-fat coconut milk or cream in the filling. Lower-fat options will work, but they won’t be as creamy. You can also make it dairy free, but I do prefer the recipe as written. For a dairy-free adaptation: use all coconut cream and omit the butter in the filling.

To make it, heat most of the milk and cream in a saucepan with the honey on medium high. Whisk together remaining milk with salt, cornstarch and egg yolks. Then add the heated cream/honey mixture to the milk/cornstartch/yolks slowly, whisking well. Then add the combined mixture back to the saucepan on the stove.

Keep whisking (I love this balloon whisk for this, aff. link) until thickened. Then heat 1 minute longer, whisking continuously, until bubbles start to pop at the surface.

Remove from the heat and add: vanilla, coconut extract, and butter.

Strain pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or pieces of cooked egg, if desired. I normally don’t worry about straining the pudding for this pie. As long as you whisk quickly when you add the hot mixture to the egg mixture you should be able to avoid the lumps and cooked egg pieces. If you are super picky about a smooth texture, go ahead and strain it.

Let pudding and crust cool slightly, then pour pudding over crust. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap (sprayed with cooking spray) directly over filling surface to avoid getting a skin on the filling. Refrigerate pie until it is completely chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

Next, the whipped cream layer

The whipped cream layer is optional (for dairy-free variation you can leave it out or sub with coconut whipped cream). I love adding the whipped cream layer because it adds a beautiful, finished look.

If you are using honey for the whipped topping make sure the honey is runny (not crystallized) or the whipped topping will be clumpy. You can set the jar of honey in warm water for a little while to soften it up before using.

If you are making the whipped topping layer more than just a few minutes before serving, you may want to stabilize the whipping cream so it doesn’t get runny on the pie. I’ve included instructions in the notes of the recipe how to do that.

Finally, the toasted coconut topping

I love using these toasted coconut chips for the topping, but if you can’t find them here’s a few other options.

1. Toast flaked coconut in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until golden brown, stirring often.
2. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.
3. Spread coconut flakes on a microwaveable plate in an even layer and cook in 30-60 second intervals, stirring until they brown lightly and smell toasted.

The four layers come together into this beautiful and delicious masterpiece pie. No one will guess that this pie is sweetened entirely with honey. Enjoy, my friends.

Print

Honey-Sweetened Coconut Cream Pie

You won't miss the processed sugar in this honey-sweetened coconut cream pie. Smooth and creamy, every bite is perfectly delicious.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Coconut Cream Pie, Pie

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Chill Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Servings 8 servings

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 ½ cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons (2.25 ounces) raw honey
• ½ cup canola oil

Coconut Cream Filling:

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can coconut milk or coconut cream see note
• heavy cream (enough to add to the coconut milk to make 2 cups)
• ¼ cup (3 ounces) raw honey
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 5 large egg yolks lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 2 tablespoons butter

Whipped Cream Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons agave or raw honey see note
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Toasted Coconut Topping:

• toasted coconut see note

Instructions

For Shortbread Crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

2. In a food processor add half the flour, the salt, honey, and canola oil and mix a few minutes until smooth, scraping down sides of food processor as needed.

3. Add the remaining flour and mix until dough forms a ball. With your hands, press the dough into 9-inch pie pan.

4. Place crust in preheated oven and increase temperature to 300 and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

For Coconut Cream Filling:

1. Heat 1 ½ cups of the milk and the honey in a medium-sized heavy-duty saucepan over medium low heat until bubbles just start to form around edges (about 3 to 5 minutes).

2. In a separate medium heat-proof bowl add the remaining ½ cup milk and salt. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch until mixture is smooth without lumps. Then gently whisk in egg yolks and set aside.

3. When milk/honey mixture starts to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl. Whisk quickly and continuously as you slowly pour it in, so that no lumps form.
4. Return the mixture back to the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until it comes to a simmer and begins to thicken (about 4 to 5 minutes). Then cook for one minute longer, whisking continuously. Bubbles will pop at the surface of the thickened pudding when it is ready.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, coconut extract, and butter. Strain pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or pieces of cooked egg, if desired (see note). Let the filling mixture cool until just warm, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

6. Pour pudding filling over cooled crust. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap (sprayed with cooking spray) directly over filling surface to avoid getting a skin on the filling. Refrigerate pie until it is completely chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

1. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add agave and vanilla and mix well. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve (see note).

For the Toasted Coconut Topping:

1. Top pie or individual servings with toasted coconut.

Recipe Notes

1. I’ve made this with different kind of coconut milk/cream. It is definitely more creamy and delicious with the higher fat versions. I have experimented with making this recipe dairy free and it works but I do prefer the recipe as written. For a dairy-free adaptation: use all coconut cream, omit the butter and leave off the whipping cream or sub with a coconut whipping cream.

2. I love using these toasted coconut chips, but if you can’t find them you can toast your own in a skillet on the stove, 8-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven or in a microwave spread in an even layer and cook and turn in 30-60 second intervals.

3. Straining the pudding is optional. I normally don’t for this pie. As long as you whisk quickly when you add the hot mixture to the egg mixture you should be able to avoid the lumps and cooked egg pieces. If you are super picky about a smooth texture, go ahead and strain to produce the smoothest, creamiest pudding ever.

4. If you are using honey for the whipped topping make sure the honey is runny (not crystallized) or the whipped topping will be clumpy. You can set the jar of honey in warm water for a little while to soften it up before using.

5. If you are making the whipped topping layer more than just a few minutes before serving, you may want to stabilize the whipping cream so it doesn’t get runny on the pie. To do that, microwave 4 teaspoons water and 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (I use Knox brand) in a small bowl for 10-15 seconds or until clear and runny (don’t overcook or it will get clumpy). Stir and let cool briefly (about a minute). Whip cream until soft peaks and then while the mixer is on, slowly pour in the gelatin mixture and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.

Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

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