Measure out/prep all of your ingredients. Make/cook your pie crust. Put your egg yolks in a glass bowl and set aside for later. Toast your coconut by sprinkling it on a baking sheet and placing it in a 400 degree oven. Set a timer for 5 minutes and stir it on the sheet after each minute, until it is toasty brown (it may take a little longer or shorter than 5 minutes).
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Then, add the half & half and stir well.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Once it’s boiling, boil it for one minute and then remove from heat.
Gradually stir part of your hot mixture into the glass bowl containing the egg yolks, a little bit at a time. Once you have about 1 cup of the hot mixture stirred through, add that mixture back into the pot, stirring well to incorporate. Bring your mixture back up to a boil and boil for one more minute.
Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla and toasted coconut flakes. Pour into your cooled, precooked 9″ pie shell.
Let your pie cool completely before refrigerating or adding whipped topping. You can either add the whipped cream once it’s cool, or when you serve the pie. Refrigerate any leftovers; it will keep for a week in the fridge.
Whipped Cream
In a mixing bowl, whip together your powdered sugar and whipping cream until it reaches a thick consistency. Add a splash of vanilla. Top your pie with cream. If you have leftover coconut flakes, you can sprinkle them on top of your whipped cream!
