I don’t teach math. I have no desire to teach math. However on Pi Day, the mathematician in me comes out. Yes, I use my Family and Consumer Science skills and integrate math. In the education world we call this cross-curricular or interdisciplinary. I call it tasty! Bring on the Coconut Cream Pie!

With just a little time and good ingredients, Coconut Cream Pie can become a part of your pi(e) day celebrations. (Honestly, we don’t celebrate pi day…my kids are too young to know what pi is. I just like a reason to eat PIE!)

This recipe was modified from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I received over twenty years ago. With a little tweaking, it has become a family favorite. When my husband got home from work tonight, our son told him we were having pie for supper. Well…not quite. For dessert…definitely!

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe…

Ingredients

one pre-baked pie shell–I use my favorite recipe homemade recipe

4 large egg yolks, beaten (save the whites for another use)

¾ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. corn starch (or ½ c. all purpose flour)

3 c. milk

1 T. vanilla extract

1 T. butter

1 ⅓ c. sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch.
2. Slowly whisk in milk and cook over medium high heat until thickened. Cook for two more minutes.
3. Taking one cup of the milk mixture, whisk it slowly into egg yolks to temper. Slowly add egg mixture to larger amount of milk mixture, whisking to combine well. (Not whisking well will lead to scrambled egg in the cream filling).
4. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in vanilla, butter, and coconut. Be sure butter melts completely.
6. Add cream filling to pre-baked pie crust, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set.

For a printer friendly version of the recipe, click here.

If you’d like, you can toast a little coconut in a skillet over medium heat. The trick is to stir the coconut every so often and make sure you watch it. It will go from toasty to burnt in a very short amount of time.

We absolutely love pie at our house, and March 14 is a great day to celebrate this delicious pastry. It is sweet, has some texture from the coconut, and topped with whipped cream, it is heavenly. I might just skip supper and go straight for dessert tonight! Happy Pi[e] Day!