Toasted Coconut Pie

In an effort to make myself feel like I'm in a tropical place when I'm really in a life-sized snow globe, I made this pie. Chocolate, coconut, pudding, cool whip - it's delightful.

It uses mostly convenience products so it comes together quickly. I made a crust from scratch but you can use a pre-made graham cracker crust if you want. I also used pudding that required cooking since that's what I had on hand, but the original recipe called for instant. (I love nothing more than USING UP what's in my cupboards, so I adapt most recipes to use what I have.)

For the crust, combing the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl.



Mix it up with a fork so that all the crumbs are moistened, then press into a greased 9 inch pie plate.



Bake the crust for about 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and starting to turn golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

While the crust cools and the oven is still on, toast the coconut. Reduce the heat to 300 and sprinkle the coconut on a large baking sheet.



Check it every 5 minutes or so and stir it up good. Once it's nice and golden, remove from the oven.



You see mine is a bit over-done here. I was trying to make spaghetti and meatballs at the same time. Not a good idea. Too much distraction! At least it looks better when it's all stirred up and in a bowl:



While the coconut toasts, prepare the pudding. If you're making the cooked variety, pour the pudding mix into a small saucepan and add the milk.



Cook over medium low heat, stirring quite often, until the pudding comes to a full boil.



(If you're making instant pudding, combine the pudding and milk in a small bowl, and whisk together until it just starts to thicken. Let it stand for a few minutes and it will thicken more.)

If you've made stovetop pudding, remove the pan from the stove. This needs to cool thoroughly before being added to the pie, so you may want to put it in an ice bath, depending on how rushed you are!

Next, melt the chocolate in a medium sized bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until soft, then stir until smooth.



Add half of the whipped topping and stir well



then add in half of the toasted coconut.



Spread this delicious mixture over the crust, being careful not to pull up the cracker crumbs (I found this challenging!)



Once the pudding is cooled, pour it over the chocolate layer,



then top with the remaining whipped topping.



Sprinkle the remaining toasted coconut over the top of the pie.



Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.



Serve this pie, along with dreams of summer days yet to come...

Get more inspiration at the Ultimate Recipe Swap, Cooking Thursday, Foodie Friday, the Krazy Kitchen, Food on Fridays, Friday Food and Would you like Chocolate with That?.

Toasted Coconut Pie

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted, divided
1 8 oz. carton whipped topping (lite is fine)
2 1-oz. squares semi-sweet chocolate
1 4 oz. package coconut cream pudding (instant or cook)
1 1/2 - 2 cups milk (use 1 1/2 for instant pudding, 2 for cooked)

Combine cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

If using cooked pudding, combine pudding and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Let cool completely.

If using instant pudding, combine pudding and 1 1/2 cups milk in a medium bowl and whisk two minutes or until well blended.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and stir until smooth. Add half of the whipped topping and half of the coconut. Spread into cooled graham cracker crust.

Spread pudding over chocolate layer and remaining whipped topping over pudding. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serves 8.