Lower Fat Coconut Cream Pie

As you may have guessed already, I love dessert.  My family specifically loves pie.  One of our favourites is coconut cream.  However, as the name implies, the CREAM part is loaded with fat and calories.  Every recipe I've ever seen calls for half and half cream or at the very least full fat milk.  I thought I'd try making it at one point with 1% milk.  Guess what? There's not much difference.  It's still a creamy yummy pie.  Don't get me wrong, it's still a desesert that has quite a few calories and fat, but replacing the half and half cream with 1% milk, helps a lot, and you can feel a lot less guilty.

I still opt for the real whipping cream as the topping option, however there are lower fat/caloric options out there, so if you are making this pie, you can use that to top it.

It's a pretty easy recipe, and can be made with either regular pie crust or a graham cracker crust.

Lower Fat Coconut Cream Pie

Recipe by Fluudbloggler

Ingredients

• 3 cups 1% milk (or reduced fat cream)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (pure)
• 1 9 inch pie shell (or graham cracker shell)
• 1 cup whipped cream or low-fat whipped topping

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, eggs sugar, flour (corn starch) and salt.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with whisk. Once it has boiled, continue stirring for another 2 minutes.  It should be nice and thick, and will thicken more on cooling.  
3. Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup coconut and vanilla.
4. Pour into cooled pie shell and cool in the fridge at least 2 hours.
   
5. Top with whipped topping and and sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup coconut.
   
   
   
   
6. To toast coconut: spread it in an ungreased pan and bake at 350 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden, stir now and then.

*if you are looking for a gluten free option, you can use corn starch as the thickening agent, and you can buy gluten free graham crackers for your crust.

For graham cracker crust:

2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients, press into pie plate, bake for 20 minutes at 350.