I’m a big fan of individual sized desserts. I’m also a big fan of pie. We love my Mini Chocolate Cream Pies so much that for a while I’ve wanted to create a new similar recipe in one of my hubby’s favorite pie flavors: coconut cream! These mini coconut cream pies turned out SO good, and I’m thrilled to share them with you today. Mini coconut pies like this are great for parties and pot lucks, so be sure to save this mini coconut cream pie recipe. These little coconut cream pie bites have a thick creamy filling inside a slightly salty, flaky homemade pie crust. It will be your go-to recipe when you need individual coconut cream pies or coconut cream mini pies.
More individual desserts like this mini coconut cream pie recipe
- Mini Chocolate Pies (Easy Individual Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe)
- Mini Key Lime Pie Bites
- Instant Pot Mini Cheesecake Bites
- Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Bites (mini cinnamon roll cheesecakes)
- Mini Air Fryer Cherry Hand Pies
- Air Fryer Blueberry Hand Pies (blueberry mini pies)
- Nutella Hand Pies (air fryer chocolate hand pie recipe)
- Air Fryer Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies (mini pumpkin pie bites)
- Coquito Balls (Caribbean-Style Coconut Rum Balls)
- Instant Pot Brownie Bites recipe
- Honey-Orange Crème Brûlée with Raspberries (Lighter Creme Brulee Recipe)
- Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries
- Caramel Apple Panna Cotta (cinnamon panna cotta recipe)
- Three-Ingredient Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan Fudge Bites
What you need to make mini coconut cream pies
Here are the ingredients and supplies you’ll need to make this mini coconut cream pie recipe.
- 2 cups flour, plus more for dusting the rolling surface
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided*
- 1 tablespoon margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
- Mixing bowls and stirring spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Fork or pastry cutter
- Rolling pin
- 4″ circle cookie cutter (or a cup with a 4″ wide mouth)
- 12-cup muffin pan
- Parchment paper
- Heavy saucepan
- Cooling rack
- Baking sheet
*Time-Saving Tip: To save yourself a step, you can use 3/4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut for the recipe and 3 tablespoons of pre-toasted shredded coconut (or toasted coconut flakes) for the topping.
How to make individual coconut cream pies (coconut cream pie bites)
To make these mini coconut pies, first, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F before preparing the crust, which is inspired by my Aunt Clarica’s homemade pie crust recipe. To make the crust for the individual coconut cream pies, sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening thoroughly with a fork or pastry cutter. Next, stir in the cold water, starting with 4 tablespoons and adding up to a tablespoon more if the dough seems too dry. Then, gather the dough into a ball.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface (rolling it slightly thinner than you would for a full-size pie crust). Cut 12 circles into the dough with a 4″ circle cookie cutter, gathering and re-rolling the dough as needed. Tip: If you don’t have a 4″ circle cookie cutter, you can use the top of a large plastic cup.
Now it’s time to bake the crust for these individual coconut cream pies! We’ll be doing it in a 12-cup muffin pan. Tip: I have a trick for easily removing the mini pie crusts from muffin tins after baking. It’s not necessary, but it is helpful for flaky crusts like this. Cut little strips of parchment paper and lay them into the muffin cups before pressing your dough circles into the cups in the next step.
Press the dough circles into the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan so that the dough goes all the way up the side of the cup. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork, then bake the mini coconut cream pie crust in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is firm and lightly golden. Cool them in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the pan to cool on the wire rack completely.
Now it’s time to make the filling for the coconut cream mini pies. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, mix the coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Cook, stirring until the mixture has thickened (about 12-15 minutes). Add 3/4 cup of the shredded coconut, margarine, and vanilla and stir until the margarine has melted and is thoroughly blended into the mixture. Remove the mini coconut cream pie filling from the heat.
Transfer the coconut filling to a large liquid measuring cup and let it cool for a few minutes so it is warm but not boiling hot. Pour the filling into the baked pie crusts, filling the crusts as much as you can (you can dome it a bit, as the filling is thick enough). Cool the mini coconut pies on the counter for 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to cool for at least three more hours.
Remember, you can save yourself a step by using pre-toasted shredded coconut for the topping, but if you are doing it from scratch, here’s when you’ll do it. To toast them yourself, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and spread the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes until the shredded coconut reaches your desired toastiness.
Once the coconut cream pie bites are set, top generously with whipped topping and toasted coconut flakes. Refrigerate the mini coconut cream pies until ready to serve.
These mini coconut pies are HEAVENLY!
Here’s the mini coconut cream pie recipe! Enjoy, and be sure to check out my Mini Chocolate Cream Pies if you love this one!
Mini Coconut Cream Pies
We love my Mini Chocolate Cream Pies so much that I decided to create a similar coconut cream version! These mini coconut cream pies are SO good. Mini coconut pies like this are great for parties and pot lucks, so be sure to save this mini coconut cream pie recipe. These little coconut cream pie bites have a thick creamy filling inside a slightly salty, flaky homemade pie crust. It will be your go-to recipe when you need individual coconut cream pies or coconut cream mini pies.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
- 3/4 cup half-and-half
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided*
- 1 tablespoon margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening thoroughly with a fork or pastry cutter. Stir in the water, starting with 4 tablespoons and adding up to a tablespoon more if the dough seems too dry.
- Gather the dough into a ball, then roll out onto a floured surface (rolling it slightly thinner than you would for a full-size pie crust). Cut 12 circles into the dough with a 4" circle cookie cutter. (Note: If you don't have a 4" circle cookie cutter use the top of a large plastic cup)
- Press the dough circles into the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin so that the dough goes all the way up the side of the cup. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, or until the dough is firm and lightly golden. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes before removing from the pan to cool on the wire rack completely.
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, mix the coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Cook, stirring until the mixture has thickened (about 12-15 minutes). Add 3/4 cup of the shredded coconut, margarine, and vanilla and stir until the margarine has melted and is thoroughly blended into the mixture. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the coconut filling to a large liquid measuring cup and let cool for a few minutes so it is warm but not boiling hot. Pour into the baked pie crusts, filling the crusts as much as you can. Cool the mini pies on the counter for 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to cool for at least three more hours.
- Meanwhile, toast the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut* by preheating the oven to 325 degrees F, spreading the coconut out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and baking in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring every few minutes until it reaches your desired toastiness.
- Once the pies are set, top generously with whipped topping and toasted coconut flakes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
*To save yourself a step, you can use 3/4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut for the recipe and 3 tablespoons of pre-toasted shredded coconut (or toasted coconut flakes) for the topping.
Leave a Reply