COCONUT CREAM PIE w/ SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

COCONUT CREAM PIE W/ SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

Baked pie crust (I use Grandma Dodie’s Never Fail Pie Crust recipe posted here)
4 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp salt
3 cups milk
2 TBSP stick margarine or butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut, divided
1 cup Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe to follow or use cool whip)

1. Prepare baked pie crust.

2. Beat egg yolks with fork in small bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

3. Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in margarine, vanilla and ¾ cup of the coconut. Pour into pie shell. Press plastic wrap onto filling. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until set.

4. Remove plastic wrap. Top pie with Sweetened Whipped Cream and remaining coconut. Immediately refrigerate any remaining pie after serving.

SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM
For 1 cup whipped cream: beat ½ cup whipping (heavy) cream and 1 TBSP granulated or powdered sugar in chilled small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff