Best Coconut Desserts

These are the best coconut desserts.  Wait until you taste my creamy and dreamy homemade coconut cream pie.

You will find pina colada dip and pie - and the best fresh homemade coconut cake from scratch below.

Storing Coconuts

A coconut will keep at room temperature for up to six months. Coconut meat (removed from the shell) can be kept refrigerated for four days (so use them up in one of my coconut recipes).

How to Crack a Coconut

If you are going to make one of my coconut desserts, you need to learn how to crack a coconut.  One method is to pierce two of the eyes with a metal skewer or screwdriver; drain out the coconut water into a bowl. Another is using a hammer, and tap the coconut about one-third of the way from the eyes; keep tapping until it breaks open.

Another method is to hold the fresh coconut in the middle of your palm; placing a bowl beneath your hand to catch the liquid and then hitting the coconut with the back of a blunt side of a cleaver until it cracks in half. DO NOT use the sharp side.

Then wedge a dull knife or screwdriver in between the meat and shell to pry it apart. You may drink the juice. The meat can be used to make coconut milk, which is wonderful for coconut desserts.

One medium coconut will yield about 3-4 cups of grated coconut meat.

PINA COLADA PIE

1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1/3 cup homemade unsalted butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup cream of coconut
1 tsp rum flavored extract
2 cups whipped cream
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans or macadamia nuts

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.

Spread coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast in preheated oven 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together vanilla wafer crumbs and melted butter or margarine. Press firmly into bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and coconut cream until fluffy. Mix in rum extract. Fold in whipped topping, pineapple, cherries, and nuts. Spread mixture into crust. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill several hours before serving.




PINA COLADA DIP

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 TBS white sugar
6 TBS pina colada mix
2 TBS Captain Morgan rum
2 TBS frozen daiquiri mix

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Chill for a minimum of three hours before serving.

For this coconut recipe, use pineapple, angel food or pound cake, strawberries and bananas to dip with.

Easy Coconut Cake Recipe

My next three coconut desserts are coconut based with a tropical punch.

ice cubes
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
sliced pineapple, for garnish, optional
maraschino cherry, for garnish, optional

Fill blender halfway with ice cubes. Add rum, coconut cream, coconut milk and pineapple chunks. Puree. Serve, garnished with a slice of pineapple and maraschino cherry, if desired. Hide this coconut recipe, they'll want you to make it all the time...

Homemade Coconut Desserts

There's nothing like a rich coconut dessert in the form of a pie.

HOMEMADE COCONUT CREAM PIE

Pie Crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups Crisco shortening
1/4 cup water (just enough so that the dough is not hard)

Filling:
2/3 cup dried milk
3 TBS cornstarch
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-2/3 cup water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Meringue:
3 egg whites
6 TBS sugar

This recipe makes two pies.

PREHEAT the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the pie crust ingredients together, adding just enough water so that the dough isn't hard. Rather than roll the dough out, just cut it in half and push it into two pie tins. Bake the pie crusts in the oven for 11 minutes and let them cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Next, here comes the magic with this coconut recipe! Stir all the filling ingredients together except for the vanilla. Time and stirring is essential...stir, stir, stir.

After you're nearly done stirring, about 10 minutes into it, add the vanilla. Add the filling to the pie crusts. Whip up the meringue ingredients and spread the meringue on top of the filling.

Once the oven has cooled to 350 degrees, bake the pies for about 15 minutes.

Easy Coconut Cake Recipe

Another coconut desserts recipe that the kids will flip over.

COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIE RECIPE

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees.  Great cookie sheets and set aside.
Cream sugars and butter in a large bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla - mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir dry mixture into wet sugar/butter mixture. 

Stir in nuts, oats and coconut.  Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets.  Bake 10 to 15 minutes.  Note:  Cookies baked 10-12 minutes will be chewy; bake them longer if you like them crispy.

*Adding chocolate chips as suggested is optional.  However when you do, people will say they are the best cookies they ever tasted.

I have more than coconut desserts, check out more recipes at the links below.

Fresh Lemon Dessert Recipes

Strawberry Dessert Recipes