A Month of Pie: Lime-Coconut Pie with Macadamia-Coconut Crust

Today’s pie is my favorite pie to date. It reminds me of my Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena body lotion that I used to wear in high school. I used to wear it because my high school crush (now my hubby) loved that scent, so of course he loved this pie. It is really easy and it sets up perfectly. The crust has a tropical flavor that really compliments the filling nicely. If you are like me and hate the texture of shredded coconut, do not worry! The filling doesn’t have any shredded coconut and is completely smooth, save a few pieces of lime zest. The crust has shredded coconut, but its toasted to a crisp and takes on a completely different flavor and texture. It’s delicious. I actually toasted some extra coconut and ate it right off the pan, its that good.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 35 Vanilla Wafer cookies
• 1/3 C. dry roasted macadamia nuts
• 1/3 C. sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/4 C. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (15 oz.) can sweetened cream of coconut ( Not coconut milk. Found near liquor and mixers in grocery stores)
• 2/3 C. plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 C. fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp. finely grated lime peel
• 3 TBSP. cold water
• 2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

Topping:

• 3/4 C. heavy whipping cream
• 2 TBSP. powdered sugar
• 1 lime, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare the nuts and coconut by toasting them. Spread out the nuts on one half of a rimmed baking sheet and spread out the coconut thinly on the other half of the baking sheet. If you buy the nuts already toasted, then just leave them out. I buy mine whole,raw, and in bulk and I get just what I need, nothing more, because those little pearls are spendy! Bake the nuts and coconut for about 10 minutes. Check after about 5 minutes. The coconut tends to brown a little faster than the nuts, so you may need to take it off the sheet while the nuts finish. Once the nuts and coconut are golden brown, remove and let cool.

2. In a food processor, grind the nuts into very small pieces. Add the vanilla wafer cookies and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Mix in the toasted coconut flakes. Dump mixture into a pie pan and pour melted butter on top. Mix the butter into the crumbs and press with hands or a fork to form a pie crust. Freeze pie crust for about 30 minutes. You can make this up to a week ahead, just leave it in the freezer until ready to bake.

3. Bake pie crust at 350 F. for about 20 minutes. Cool again completely.

4. Make the filling: While the pie crust is baking, mix together the yogurt, cream of coconut, lime juice, and lime peel in a large mixing bowl.  Prepare the gelatin by placing the cold water in a small metal bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let rest for 10 minutes. The gelatin and water will get really thick. Place the metal bowl over top of a pot with simmering water. Let the gelatin start to loosen and dissolve with the heat. Stir with whisk until gelatin powder is completely dissolved and smooth. Pour gelatin mixture into the yogurt mixture, stirring as you pour.

5. Pour the filling mixture into the baked, cooled pie crust. I had a little extra filling that I just poured into an air tight container so it didn’t over flow over the crust. Gently cover the pie and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but up to 1 day before serving. The filling should set up really well, yet still remain smooth and creamy.

6. Make the Whipped Cream Topping: Right before serving, beat together the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer into a piping bag with a large tip. Pipe on piles of whipped cream around the circumference of the pie. Arrange sliced limes in the center. Serve cold.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts