Light and creamy coconut cream filling and luscious blackberry topping all nestled in a sweet golden Oreo cookie crust!
When it comes to coconut, people either love it, or they hate it. I fall into the LOVE category, and I’ve never understood how people can despise its sweet, nutty, almost vanilla-like flavor. And thanks to its more subtle flavor, it’s actually quite versatile.
So this week, I’m hoping to sway those coconut cynics out there by pairing this heavenly tropical flavor with something most people adore…BLACKBERRIES!!
This Blackberry Coconut Cream Pie has summer vibes written all over it! With the creamiest, dreamiest coconut cream filling, the best homemade blackberry topping, and a golden Oreo cookie crust, your eyes will be rolling into the back of your head with each and every heavenly bite. I guarantee it.
Although coconut and blackberry aren’t the most obvious pairing, they definitely SHOULD be. The sweet tartness of the blackberries with the mildly nutty flavor of the coconut is nothing to shake a stick at, as my boyfriend would say. In fact, my boyfriend said that this pie was one of his ALL-TIME favorites. And get this…he doesn’t even like coconut! See? I told you this pie had the power to sway those coconut cynics!
As with most of my favorite summertime pies, this recipe is no-bake. Because who really feels like turning on a hot oven when it’s 90ºF+ outside, am I right? Moreover, no-bake recipes equal EASY recipes, which is something most of us are looking for during those lazy summer days.
To start things off, you’ll make the crust. For this pie, I made up a simple Oreo cookie crust–GOLDEN Oreo, to be more specific. I’m sure a graham cracker crust would’ve sufficed, however, the sweeter vanilla flavor of the golden Oreos was SO GOOD with the coconut filling!
Instead of doing a more traditional coconut cream filling, which is thicker and more pudding-like in texture, I went with a filling that’s much lighter. You’ll begin by whipping up some heavy cream until it’s light and super duper fluffy. You’ll set it aside to lighten things up later on.
Next, you’ll combine some cream cheese and powdered sugar, before GRADUALLY adding some half & half. I recommend adding 1/4 cup at a time to prevent a lot of floating hunks of cream cheese. I actually didn’t have half & half, so I simply combined half heavy cream and half milk.
Once the half & half is fully incorporated, add a small box of coconut cream pudding mix (dry) along with some vanilla, salt, and coconut extract. If you don’t have coconut extract, you can leave it out. However, as someone who LOVES coconut, I found that the coconut pudding mix just didn’t add quite enough coconut flavor on its own.
Now it’s time to lighten things up! Take the whipped cream you made earlier and gently fold it into the coconut mixture. Spread this fluffylicious filling evenly into the pie crust, then let it sit in the refrigerator to firm up for a couple of hours.
As the pie is chilling, you can make the blackberry topping since it needs to cool completely before going on top of the coconut filling.
Now, I am a STICKLER when it comes to berry/fruit toppings. I never EVER buy the canned fruit pie fillings from the store because they contain about 10% actual berries, and 90% syrup. Plus, you’re usually paying an arm, a leg, and a hand for that stuff. Making your own at home is not only WAY better, but it only requires 3 ingredients! Well technically 4, if you count the salt…
Anywho, all you have to do is place some blackberries into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until the juices begin to release. You can use either frozen or fresh berries. I almost always use frozen berries that I have flash-frozen from the previous summer.
As the berries are cooking on the stove, combine some granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl. Once you see the berry juices in the saucepan, add the sugar mixture and stir everything together. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Pour the blackberry topping into a shallow bowl, so that it cools faster. Once it’s completely cool and the coconut filling is completely set, you can spread it on top of the pie. The pie needs to chill for another 2 hours before it’s ready to slice into.
For the finishing touches, I like to top ALL of my cream pies with whipped cream. I mean, it is CREAM pie after all…
I usually pipe a generous border of whipped cream along the edges of the pie with a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. To garnish, sprinkle some toasted shredded coconut on top of the pie so that everyone knows how deliciously coconutty this AMAZING Blackberry Coconut Cream Pie is!
Blackberry Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
Golden Oreo Crust:
- 22 Golden Oreos
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Coconut Filling:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup half & half (or milk)
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant coconut cream pudding mix (dry)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Blackberry Topping:
- 3 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon of salt
To Decorate:
- Freshly-whipped cream
- 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut, toasted
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Crush the Oreos in a food processor until finely ground. Pour into a mixing bowl with the butter and use a fork to combine. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate; refrigerate.
Make the Filling:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to another bowl and into the refrigerator.
- Return the bowl to the mixer and replace the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. Gradually stir in the half & half, about 1/4 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all of the half & half has been incorporated, add the pudding mix, vanilla, coconut extract and salt. Beat on high for 2 minutes, or until mixture is smooth and thickened.
- Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold the rest of the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.
- Pour filling into the crust and spread evenly. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Make the Topping:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the blackberries over medium heat until they soften and their juices start to release, about 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add mixture to the blackberries and continue cooking until it begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and pour berry topping into a shallow bowl. Chill in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Spread cooled blackberry topping on top of coconut filling. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 more hours.
To Decorate:
- Pipe whipped cream along the border of the pie, and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Serve and enjoy!