Recipe!!!!

Hey all!! I've been busy busy busy!!! Cooking & baking!!! I have a delicious recipe to share with you all!!!! It was easy to make, just needs a little time!!!

It's good I've been so active in my kitchen. I'm working on something, business-ish. More to come on that, just at a later time.....

My recipe for you tonight is for Double Coconut Cream Pie. My sweetest, Jay, is a big fan of coconut & his birthday was August 19th. We celebrated his 72nd birthday with some presents, dinner & something coconuty for dessert. It was this pie. Every day he has a piece he tells me how much he likes it. Thanks Jay!!!

Ingredients

- 5 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- additional sweetened flaked coconut, toasted, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Mist a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Place 3 cups coconut in a bowl. In a pan, melt 5 tbsp butter. Stir butter into coconut until moistened. Press mixture into bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until crust is a deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Check often - if edges are browning before bottom, cover edges with strips of foil. Transfer crust to a wire rack. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot crust & let stand for 5 minutes, until melted. Gently spread chocolate over bottom of crust. Refrigerate crust for at least 10 - 15 minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Warm milk in a pan over medium heat until nearly simmering. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture. Return milk mixture to pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil & thickens enough to coat back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 cups of coconut & 2 tbsp of butter; let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour custard into crust. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface of custard & chill completely, about 1.5 hours.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over custard swirling decoratively. Chill pie for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired.

That is a picture of the finished product!!! It is so delicious!!!! The thin layer of chocolate over the coconut.....OMG......so good like a coconut cluster!!!!

- To toast coconut preheat the oven to 325*f, spread coconut in a thin layer & stir every 5 minutes until toasted.

- I sweetened my whipping cream with a tablespoon of confectioner's sugar. I also chilled my metal bowl & beaters.

I hope someone tries this recipe!!! It really is quite easy & very delicious!!!!!

Enjoy!!!

Elizabeth