While trying to decide what to make for a small get together I was having I ran across this recipe and I knew immediately that this would be what I was going to bake for dessert. There were two reasons for this, the first and most important being that over a year ago my husband and I got our hands on a magazine that showcased the best desserts in Seattle and this was in there. We tried many, and I mean many of the other restaurants, cupcake bakeries, and dessert shops, but we had yet to make it to the Dahlia Bakery to try the famous Triple Coconut Cream Pie. The second reason was that I was looking for something that I could serve in individual portions instead of one large dessert where half would be left when everyone was gone and I would be forced to eat it all by myself.
These mini pies really were the perfect size. The coconut pastry cream was so rich that having only a small portion of it really made it quite manageable. This was my first time purchasing an actual vanilla bean and now I know why I don’t do it often. They are fairly expensive but I figured I’d splurge for this dessert. I did have a few issues with baking them but nothing that I wasn’t able to work out. In the original recipe for the pastry crusts it was unclear to me whether to leave the chilled dough in the pan while baking or to move them to a cookie sheet. Well, let me just say that it is a good thing that I set the timer for only half the required baking time because when I opened my oven and saw them laying as flat as a pancake I realized my error. I was able to scoop them up with my spatula and then reform them into the muffin tin, stick them back in the oven, and they turned out fine. There was a momentary sense of panic at the time though! I also had no dried beans or pie weights so I just used parchment paper with rice poured on it so that the bottoms wouldn’t puff up and it would hold it’s general shape.
Ingredients
- 2 rolls 16.5 oz refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 13.5 oz coconut milk 1 can
- 1½ cups half and half
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup corn starch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 tsp coconut extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Coat a mini muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cookie dough and all purpose flour. Knead together until well blended.
- Shape dough into one inch balls. Press cookie dough in bottom and up the sides of each muffin cup, forming cup shape.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for at least ten minutes before gently twisting to remove from pan. Place on rack and let cool completely.
- Combine coconut milk, half and half, eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt in a large, microwave safe bowl. (I use my large Pyrex measuring cup.) Stir.
- Microwave on high for one minute, stir. Repeat until a thick custard has developed. 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in 1½ cups coconut and coconut extract.
- Spoon coconut custard into cooled cookie cups.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Top with Reddi-wip and toasted coconut.
