Triple Coconut Cream Pie

Hi All, sorry for the late post this week! (I post twice a week, once during M-W and once during Th-Sun). I've been really under the weather, so instead of blogging, I've been sleeping for most of the week.

Anyway, I've been so incredibly excited about this recipe ever since attempting it last Friday. I've been dying to share it with all of you! It sure is something to rave about! In fact, I love it so much that I feel compelled to bully all of you, my readers, into making this pie immediately after reading this entry! Don't collect $200, don't past "Go," just go directly to your kitchen and begin to bake! =)

Because it's none other than Tom Douglas' famous Triple Coconut Cream Pie!

*sigh* Isn't it gorgeous?

Here's another photo of the pie, in case you missed the first one.

Ok, so I hate coconut. Absolutely can't stand it. Seriously. I never order anything coconut. So when my friend, Bryn, fellow foodie and blogger, emailed me about a coconut pie at Dahlia's Bakery, I was super skeptical. She raved about how people who don't even like coconut will like this one, and said something about it providing inspiration to me, because it was just that good. I didn't really understand how my least favorite ingredient can provide inspiration. So, incredibly wary, I Googled Dahlia's and found their menu online. They had some mouthwatering selections. Interesting.

So apparently Bryn's dad is a huge food fanatic and fan/friend of Tom Douglas. The guy apparently does guest posts for Tom's blog! Like it's, you know, no big deal or anything. Insanely cool! So I Googled this pie of Tom's and apparently it's been the #1 famous dessert in Seattle for like 12 years. And apparently every Seattlelite has tried it. Furthermore, even the out-of-towners seem to know about it and it's become a major food attraction. Say what?! I felt ashamed in that moment- I mean, I've always prided myself on being a true Seattlelite, and now that statement seemed to be false. How can I call myself a true Seattlelite if I've never tasted Seattle's most famous pie?

It seemed like the pie now had something to prove. And I had something to prove. If trying this pie would turn me into a true Seattlelite, then eat this pie, I will! Besides, being a passionate coconut hater, I dared this pie to change my mind about that ugly, hairy, and entirely unappealing tropical fruit.

We went that very weekend. Yup. Made a trip into Seattle especially for this pie, braving the wind, the rain, the awful Seattle traffic, and the high probability of not being able to find parking. All for this pie.

The moment I sunk my teeth into it, I thought I had died and gone to Fat Kid's heaven. It was utterly amazing. And I was speechless. It was everything that Bryn promised it would be! The crust was so buttery and flaky. The filling was so creamy, subtly sweet, and light on the palate. And all the while, there was a subtle hint of coconut. I loved it. It was simply divine. I had been inspired. I wanted to run back to my kitchen and attempt to replicate it immediately! Thank you, Bryn!

I was all prepared to research coconut pies for about a month to try to recreate the recipe, when Bryn casually mentioned that she thought her dad had said something about the actual recipe being in one of TD's cookbooks. But she didn't mention which one. So I thought I'd try Googling it. And what do you know? The recipe is everywhere! I can't believe that he would share this recipe with the world! Heck, any other person would've kept it a secret!

I wanted to see if I could execute the recipe and produce something as good as the one I tasted at Dahlia's. So I set out to find only the best ingredients. Because TD's famous pie deserves only the best.



The recipe called for shredded coconut and coconut flakes. I took one look at the shredded coconut at Safeway and thought "ew." So I went off to Whole Foods. They had these beautiful organic shreds and flakes in the bulk food aisle! It wasn't waxy and heavily preserved like the ones you get in a bag at Safeway!


I also got this organic Madagascar vanilla bean that sold for an incredible $170/lb! Luckily, this single vanilla bean was only $3.50. But can you believe the price?! Anything for this amazing pie~!

(1) The Coconut Pie Crust

Combine flour, sugar, shredded coconut, and salt into a food processor. Pulse until you get a crumbly mixture. Then add 3-5 tablespoons of ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until you get this crumbly mixture.

Press the dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour.


Emile Henry 4 Life! This is the only baking dish that I ever use for pies. Why? Because it has magical pie baking abilities. Yup, it'll give you a perfectly even, golden, and flaky crust every time. Even novices can bake a perfect pie in this baby. I have two large ones and four small ones. lol. Excessive? Not at all.


You know the drill. Roll out the dough on a non-stick surface, preferably with a non-stick rolling pin. Transfer it to your pie plate and cut off the edges.

Return to the fridge for about an hour before baking.

Once the pie dough is properly chilled, place a piece of parchment paper over the pie pan and pour in some ceramic pie weights or beans. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, then remove the parchment paper and beans. Continue to bake for another 14-17 minutes. Keep an eye out. If the edges get too brown, cover it with foil.

Beautiful and perfect! EH does it again!

(2) The Coconut Pastry Cream

Combine milk and shredded coconut into a medium sauce pan.

Split your vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds, and add everything to the sauce pan.

Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture up to a boil.

Now, in a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and eggs until well combined.

Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the boiled milk & coconut mixture into your egg mixture bowl while whisking. This will keep your eggs from getting scrambled.


Now pour everything back into the medium sauce pan. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more.


Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add in butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod.


Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.

(3) The Whipped Cream Topping

It's better to use a stand mixer for whipped cream. Why? Cuz I'm lazy.

Use 2 1/2 cups of chilled heavy cream.


Add 1/3 cup of sugar.


Beat on a medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.

A few minutes later, you've got whipped cream! So easy, I could do it in my sleep.

(4) The White Chocolate and Coconut Garnishes

And now for the garnishes- there are two that go on top: white chocolate curls (yum!) and toasted coconut flakes.


I got a really good bar of chocolate from Whole Foods. The real kind with cocoa butter. YUM! You'll need a good peeler. Mine has a ceramic blade that is super heavy duty and won't rust. Only cost like $10 at Sur La Table. A great investment. And it's red! Practically the color of every kitchen utensil I own. hehe.


Here's a trick to getting really smooth curls: hold your hand over the bar for about 30-60 seconds to warm it up before running your peeler over it. It'll give you really smooth, giant chocolate curls! If your chocolate is too cold, you'll get flakes.


To toast your coconut flakes, place them on a cookie sheet and bake for about 7-8 minutes at 350 degrees F. Stir them every 2-3 minutes.

In the recipe, TD says that they brown fast and will burn easily. He wasn't kidding! You really have to keep an eye out on these. I almost burnt mine! See how they're super dark?

(5) Assemble the Pie

First, smooth the pastry cream into the cooled pie shell.

Place your whipped cream into a pastry bag with a jumbo tip.

Pipe on your whipped cream to get beautiful giant swirls!

Garnish with lots of white chocolate and coconut flakes!

Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve. It will only be good for about 24 hours. If you leave it for 48 hours, the crust will get slightly soggy.

Wow, so I don't know if it was my super high quality organic ingredients or my meticulous attention to executing this recipe, but the pie was glorious! It tasted just like the real thing! The pastry cream and whipped cream was so light and fluffy~! And even with my super expensive ingredients, it was still less than what you would pay at Dahlia's ($35) !

And now, not only have I tasted the pie, I have made it in my kitchen. I am officially a true Seattlelite! lol.

My friend Karen took most of it to her family get-together. She said that her family usually doesn't like traditional "western" desserts (they're Chinese), but they loved this pie and consumed the entire thing! I guess Bryn was right- it converts all haters! lol. Karen said she wished there was more crust! I agree 110%. The crust is always the best part of any pie, in my opinion. mmmm....caaarbs! This one was especially unique because it had coconut shreds in it. =)

Alright, so....now is the time to get out of your chair and go straight to your kitchen to try out this recipe!


Tom Douglas' Triple Coconut Cream Pie
From Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen

Please click HERE for the entire recipe.

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Ok so, here's the entire truth about my personality disorders:

* I have OCD - an extreme aversion to anything perceived to be dirty and/or germy.

For example, my severe OCD does not approve of the following (just to name a few):
(1) Camping. For obvious reasons.
(2) Not washing your hands before eating, not washing your hands after coming home from being "outside," not washing your hands before entering my irrationally large personal bubble.
(3) Moms who will stick pacifiers back into their baby's mouth after it fell on the ground.

* I'm a perfectionist, to a flaw. I will drive myself crazy perfecting something. I will spend 10+ hours on something that requires 2, just so I can make it 110% perfect. This applies to all aspects of my life, from academics, to career, to baking. I don't ever put my name on something "sub-par," which is defined as anything less than 110%. I will meticulously research every aspect of one recipe for about a week before actually attempting it. Even then, if it doesn't turn out like how I expected, it's back to the drawing board, and the recipe in question does not make it onto the blog.

I'm sure my friends will tell you that I have other disorders, but for now, we'll just leave it at these two, because they directly pertain to how I bake and run this blog. =)

Ok so, I'm telling you all this because it relates to why I decided to post this Pumpkin Pecan Pie recipe. I was super upset when I pulled it out of the oven and it was ugly. I was even more mortified when it proved to be super un-photogenic. I panicked and thought: I must immediately find another pumpkin recipe to feature in the pumpkin series. (This is the third installment in the Welcome Autumn: Pumpkin Series.)

But then, the second I sank my teeth into this pie, my taste buds were jumping for joy. There was no doubt about it- this recipe was a huge success. Everyone who tasted it agreed unanimously that it was one of the best pies ever.

Needless to say, I experienced some major cognitive dissonance. My OCD told me that the pecans on top made it look extremely dirty and unappetizing, while the perfectionist in me screamed that something this unattractive should never be publicly displayed on my blog! I mean, I'd be so ashamed to post something that looked like a pile of mushy dirt and tell everyone to just take my word that it is, in fact, delicious.

Anyway, to my loyal readers: I hope that you will not judge me on these photos because the logical side of me won...eventually. After days of struggling with my inner turmoil, I knew that I could not deprive the world of this awesome recipe simply because of a few weird personality disorders.

So here it is in all its glory: the best-tasting-but-dirty-looking pie ever!

The basic necessity for a great pie: a special edition fluted Emile Henry Pie pan, exclusive to Williams Sonoma! It's a magical pan that produces perfect pies every time. I kid you not, it is indeed magical. (Click here to read all about it!)


Start by making the crust. Prepare it about 2 hours ahead of time. I always use this WS crust recipe, it's the best! And it's the only one I ever use. Please read the Apple Pie entry and its links for tips on working with pie crust, which can be tricky for beginners.

Once the pie crust is ready to go, prepare the the pumpkin pie layer.

Whip up the pecan layer and gently pour it over the pumpkin layer. GAH! None of the steps of this pie recipe are photogenic, either. lol. I'm cringing right now at the thought of having these pictures up on my blog. It's doing some major damage to my psyche as I type this. ;) Man, the lengths I go to just to share a recipe...

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for about 50-55 more minutes until the sides are set. The center doesn't have to be completely set- it's ok if it's still a big gooey. When it cools, it will naturally become firm.

I love pumpkin pie. And I love pecan pie! What more could a girl ask for? Amazing crust with two amazing pies squished together in one! The pecan top was delightfully crunchy, while the pumpkin layer on bottom was melt-in-your-mouth gooey.

I urge all of you to give this recipe a try! Don't judge a book by its cover, right? Not all pies are created equal- some are more photogenic than others. And some pies rank superior among all others in terms of taste and quality. As far as I'm concerned, this pie takes the cake! Har, Har.

(Hubby's reading over my shoulder as I type this and he just informed me that the "cake" joke was super lame, even for him- the king of lame jokes. lol.)


For the recipes in this entry, click HERE.

The WS Pie Crust
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
(See links above for source)

Apple Pie

As promised, here's the first recipe in the Welcome Autumn: Apple Series!

I love apple pie! It's a classic that will never go out of style! Serve it up with some vanilla ice cream and you've yourself a little slice of heaven. Here is my go-to recipe, one that everyone should have in their recipe box! Not all pies are created equal...and this one ranks far above the rest. =)

Start with the crust. Prepare it about 2 hours beforehand because it needs to be refrigerated. To me, the crust is the most important part. Mmmm...carbs! As I always say: if you've got a fantastic crust, it doesn't really matter what you put in it! I've tried tons of pie crust recipes...some aren't flaky enough, others are too soft and difficult to work with, blah blah. None of them have stacked up to this one: the ultimate pie crust by WS. It's the only recipe for crust you'll ever need. I use it for everything from fruit to chicken! It has a great buttery and flaky texture- so delicious. And it's also easy to work with, which is super important.


Combine ingredients in a food processor according to the recipe's instructions. When it comes out, it should look like this: kinda crumbly.


Gently push the dough together and form into two round disks. I like to make one slightly larger than the other, because the bottom crust will need more dough than the top. Wrap tightly in saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.



For more tips on working with pie crust, please read two of my older posts: (1) All about pies, and (2) Blueberry pie. Pie crust can be difficult to work with for first time bakers, so be sure to read these before attempting!

Next, start on the pie filling. See recipe below. I like this recipe a lot because it requires cooking the apple first to create a thick filling. I hate it when I get a runny, watery pie that makes the crust soggy!

Chop up about 6 large granny smith apples. The recipe calls for a dutch oven. But those things are so heavy and super expensive. Not everyone has one, so if you don't, any old pot will do!

Cook for about 30 minutes with a few fantastic ingredients: cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, etc. It'll cook down to create a great pie filling!


Pour the filling into the pie crust you prepared earlier. Add a few cubes of butter throughout, then start on the top crust.



Creating a lattice can be tricky. You have to start in the middle of the pie and work your way out. Again, for first timers, please refer to my Blueberry Pie entry for tips and tricks.

I got these great star shaped pie crust cutters from WS! They came in a great set of four. For more info on these awesome cutters, see this prior post where I used them to make bite sized chocolate graham crackers!

The cutters are great! I love them. They really "fancy up" your pie! =)

Bake for about 45-50 minutes. Check on it half way through to make sure your crust isn't browning too much. If it is, cover the top with foil.

Mmmmm! Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Stay tuned for the second and third installments of the Welcome Autumn: Apple Series. Don't miss out on these two fantastic apple recipes to come:

• French Toast topped with Caramelized Apple, Cardamom Whipped Cream, and Candied Walnuts.

• Applesauce Spice Cupcakes, topped with a Caramelized Apple Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

For the recipes shown on this entry, please click HERE.