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Today is a day when the saying, “anything in moderation!” I love to preach, flies out the window.
It flies out the window because I’m still sick and still feeling completely sorry for myself. Like I said the other day, I’m not the kind of person who gets sick, never eats, and consequently loses five pounds in the process. I like to stuff myself with anything and everything I would feel guilty about eating normally and I want to lay in front of the TV while doing so.
And because I really need to paint you a picture of just how horribly I’ve been eating, let me fill you in on the shameful day of food I had yesterday..
Breakfast: One Krispy Kreme donut, 1/2 panera egg souffle, and 1/2 bagel with cream cheese
Snack: 1/2 bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Ramen Noodles and 1/2 Krispy Kreme Donut
Snack: 1/2 panera egg souffle, and 1 Krispy Kreme Donut
Dinner: Bread with Dill Dip; Chips and Bean Dip
Dessert: Large slice of pumpkin cream pie
Wowza. I didn’t even seek all this food out (except for the ramen and the pie), it all came to me, just plopped right down in my lap begging to be eaten. I swear!
Now, instead of me complaining and boring you with my daily food intake a little bit more, we should probably talk about the pie that’s staring you in the face. And I know I said I was steering away from pumpkins last week, but I lied. In my defense, this isn’t an in-your-face pumpkin pie, it’s mostly coconut and chocolate with just a subtle hint of pumpkin in each bite, which doesn’t techinically make me a fibber — or does it??
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I looooove coconut cream pie. It’s my favorite pie of all time, but I only have it a couple times a year because I could never ever make a coconut cream pie like Tippins does, and they make it with lots-o fat.(Have you heard of Tippins? It’s an out-of-business restaurant that sold their secret pie recipes to grocery stores all across the Midwest.) Since I was basically starving myself all summer long, I never got a chance to have any, so I decided if I made it a non coconut cream pie, I couldn’t disappoint myself if it didn’t turn out anything like the original.
Guys, I even surprised myself with this one — it’s so unbelievably delicious. Coconut-y with just a hint of pumpkin and LOADED with chocolate. First, there’s chocolate in the form of a chocolate graham cracker crust, which is actually the only baking required in the whole pie. Second, there’s chocoalte in the form of a super luscious chocolate ganache layer. In between everything is a simple and ridiculously decadent pumpkin coconut cream filling — and yes I used real cream, but if you want to lighten it up a bit you could swap it out for some whole milk.
The chococolate ganache is topped with a vat of cool whip and toasted coconut, and I really wanted to use real whipped cream, but I just couldn’t justify it, if you are not a cool whip fan, by all means, please use real whipped cream.
This is best after it’s chilled overnight, and only gets better the longer it sets, but if you can’t hold yourself back, a few hours in the fridge should be enough time to get a semi-piece out in one swift try. If it doesn’t, don’t blame me!!
- 12 chocolate graham crackers
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ + ⅓ cups heavy cream, divided (or whole milk)
- 1 can coconut cream (I used Trader Joes)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup corn starch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups cup coconut, divided
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup cream
- 1 container cool whip
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pie dish. In the bottom of a food processor, pulse graham crackers and sugar until finely ground. With the mixer on, slowly add in butter. If the bread crumbs seem too dry, add a little bit more melted butter until the crumbs hold when pressed together.
- Transfer to greased pie dish. Using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup, press the the crust, all the way up the sides into the dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Spread ½ cup coconut on a sheet pan. Bake until golden brown, tossing every five minutes. It should take about ten minutes to completely brown.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1½ cups heavy cream, coconut cream and sugar over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, reduce to a low heat.
- In a separate small bowl whisk egg yolks together, slowly whisk in a little bit of the hot cream mixture to the eggs to slowly bring the eggs up in temperature. Whisk the eggs back into the cream and sugar.
- In a measuring cup, measure out ⅓ cup of cream. Whisk in cornstarch. Slowly whisk into hot milk and egg mixture. Mix in vanilla.
- With the flame on a low heat to a simmer, cook the mixture until thickens. Remove from heat, let cool for five minutes, then stir in pumpkin and 1 cup coconut. Pour into prepared pan.
- Chill while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
- Place chocolate chips in a small, heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30 seconds increments, stirring in between each until completely melted. Pour cream over and mix until combined. Once cool to the touch, pour over chilled custard.
- Spread cool whip over chocolate layer. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
- Refrigerate at least four hours, but preferably overnight.
Source: Recipe adapted from here and here.
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