Coconut Cream Pie Cup - This is a 1-cup portion, filled 3/4 with custard.
Banana Cream Pie Cup
Coconut Cream Pie has to be one of my favorite desserts. I would probably make it weekly except for the fact that my husband doesn’t like it. Therefore, I would be eating an entire pie by myself. Unfortunately, eating a whole pie by myself is not a problem for me.
The problem comes when I have to make a Banana Cream Pie every time I make a Coconut Cream Pie so my husband has something to eat. The problem also lies in the calories consumed when eating pie.
So I came up with a plan to please everyone. This way I can have my pie and eat it too! I simply make a pie, minus the crust, in small ramekins so everyone has their own individual pie.
By eliminating the crust, I eliminate some of the calories. By making individual portions, I am able to make everyone’s favorite pie. I start with a basic Vanilla Cream Pie recipe and customize it.
In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 cups milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a spoon; remove from heat.
Temper 3 slightly beaten egg yolks by adding some of the hot cream mixture to the eggs and pouring the eggs back into the pan containing the cream mixture. Cook for two minutes longer, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla to the cream mixture. Pour cream mixture into ramekins. I use 4 1-cup ramekins to make 4 ‘big boy’ portions. You can use 8 ramekins to make regular-sized portions, if you choose. Top with meringue and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
To make the meringue, beat 3 egg whites with ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar while beating egg whites. The meringue is ready when stiff glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved.
Vanilla Cream Pie Cups – Do nothing to the above recipe.
Chocolate Cream Pie Cups – Increase sugar to 1 cup. Chop 2 1-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate; add with milk.
Banana Cream Pie Cups – Slice 2 green bananas into cups before filling ramekins.
Butterscotch Pie Cups – Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar and increase butter to 3 tablespoons.
Coconut Cream Pie Cups – Add 1 cup flaked coconut to mixture. Sprinkle meringue with 1/3 cup coconut.
*If you plan to make more than one kind of pie, like me, make sure to divide the mixture accordingly. For example, I make Banana Cream Pie Cups and Coconut Cream Pie Cups so I only add 1 banana to two ramekins and pour half the mixture over the bananas. With the remaining custard mixture, I add 1/2 cup flaked coconut and pour into two seperate ramekins.
