Coconut Key Lime Pie with Toasted Coconut Crust

It's a good thing Sheryl at Lady Behind the Curtain sends out emails reminding us about the dessert challenge about a week before we are supposed to post our desserts, because I almost forgot.  This month the challenge was to use coconut and lime.  My mind automatically went to Key Lime Pie.  I fully expect to see at least one other key lime pie linked up in this dessert challenge link party. To be honest I know it's not exactly a novel idea, but I have a great love of key lime pie that started with high school marching band. You see, our band always worked the beverage stands at the Taste of Colorado for our big fundraiser.  Near our beverage stand was a stand for a Cajun restaurant. They had the most amazing key lime pie.   Anyway, since I nearly forgot about the challenge I needed to find a recipe to use ingredients I had on had. Luckily, I happened to have sweetened coconut hiding in my cupboard. Also very lucky, key lime pie uses some very basic ingredients. However, key lime pie doesn't generally used coconut, so I thought I could find a recipe that incorporated coconut milk.  As luck would have it Martha Stewart had a recipe for a coconut key lime pie that popped up very near the top of my Google search results. This recipe uses coconut milk. Perfect! During my Google search I came across the idea of using toasted coconut in the graham cracker crust.

Coconut Key Lime Pie with Toasted Coconut Crust

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes, divided
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 7 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup key lime juice

Spread coconut on a cookie sheet and bake at 325F for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown.  

To make crust: mix together 1/2 cup toasted coconut, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. Take 1/3 cup of graham cracker and mix remaining 1/4 cup toasted coconut and set to the side to use as a topping on the finished pie. Press the remaining graham cracker mixture up the sides and the bottom of a pie plate.

To make pie filling: Whisk together coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lime juice until smooth. Pour filling over pie crust. Bake at 325F for 45-55 minutes until pie is set, but slightly wobbly in the center.  Cool on wire rack for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.   If desired top with whipped cream and reserved graham cracker and toasted coconut mixture.

Notes: I didn't have 7 eggs I only had 5 eggs so I used 2 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks. I also didn't have enough graham crackers to make 2 cups of crumbs so I add 1/2 cup Honey Nut Cheerios crumbs.