No Fuss Coconut Cream Pie
Luscious filling nestled in a crumb crust and topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream.
Luscious filling nestled in a crumb crust and topped with billowy clouds of whipped cream.
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 graham cracker pie crust or make your own
- 1 cup cream of coconut (see *)
- 1 3.4-oz package cheesecake instant pudding mix
- 1 6-oz package frozen sweetened flaked coconut thawed
- 1 8-oz container frozen whipped topping thawed
- 1 cup whipping cream (i use cool whip)
- sweetened flaked coconut (for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 81.81880569272 g
- Cholesterol 509.78660656 mg
- Fat 179.92955110104 g
- Fiber 2.73968741557002 g
- Protein 30.33608376728 g
- Saturated Fat 104.964505443232 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (584g)
- Sodium 2160.874631416 mg
- Sugar 79.07911827715 g
- Trans Fat 22.860667672136 g
- Calories 2033 calories
Step-by-step
- Crumb Crust: Stir together 1-2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs,1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted. Press mixture evenly in bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pieplate.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes; remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Beat cheese and cream of coconut at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add pudding mix, beating until blended. Stir in coconut; fold in whipped topping. Spread cheese mixture evenly into prepared crust; cover and chill 2 hours or until set.
- Beat whipping cream with an electirc mixer until soft peaks form, and spread evenly over top of pie. Garnish, if desired. ( I toasted my coconut for the garnish to add a bit more flavor and contrast.)
- Prep: 25 min., Bake: 8 min., Chill: 2 hrs.
- *Look for cream of coconut near the pina colada and margarita mixes.
Traditional Southern custard pies require careful tempering of egg yolks over a double boiler to avoid curdling, but this refrigerator method bypasses stovetop cooking entirely by leveraging instant pudding mix and cream of coconut. Cream of coconut, which is sweetened and processed from coconut milk, differs significantly from coconut water or unsweetened milk; it provides the dense tropical backbone necessary to stabilize the dairy components. When beating the softened cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer, ensure the dairy is completely room temperature to prevent lumps from forming before the pudding mix is incorporated. Spreading the filling into a 9-inch graham cracker crust and chilling it for at least two hours allows the starches in the instant mix to fully hydrate and firm up properly.
The Role of Commercial Shortcuts in Modern Pastry
Professional kitchens frequently utilize high-quality commercial shortcuts like instant pudding bases and frozen whipped toppings to achieve consistent texture without sacrificing structural integrity. Folding thawed flaked coconut directly into the cheesecake base distributes moisture evenly throughout the fat matrix, preventing the dehydrated flakes from rehydrating unevenly against the tongue. Whipping heavy cream separately until soft peaks form creates a lighter architectural contrast to the dense, rich filling underneath.Storage and Yield Management
Because this dessert contains dairy and gelatinized starches, leftovers should be covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the crust will gradually soften as moisture migrates from the filling. Second-day slices actually exhibit a firmer sliceability as the proteins in the cream cheese and pudding continue to set fully under constant refrigeration temperatures.
