Description
White Christmas Pie is a delightful dessert featuring a crisp homemade pie crust filled with a creamy coconut and gelatin filling, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. This festive pie combines the tropical flavor of shredded coconut with the fresh sweetness of sugared strawberries, perfect for holiday celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
- 1/4 cup ice cold water, plus more as needed
Filling
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1/4 cup water
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut plus more for sprinkling over top
Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream as topping
- 2 cups fresh diced strawberries
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar to mix with strawberries
Instructions
- Prepare butter for crust: Cut the butter into pats and place flat on a plate. Freeze while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Make pie crust dough: In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar and pulse to mix. Add cold vegetable shortening and pulse a few times. Add frozen butter and pulse until butter pieces are pea-sized. Slowly add ice cold water while pulsing until dough just comes together when pinched.
- Chill dough: Pour dough onto a floured surface, press into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough and fit into pie plate: On a floured surface, roll dough to be two inches larger than a 10-inch pie plate. Fit dough into the pie plate, trim excess, and create a high, decorative scalloped edge. Freeze for 30 minutes to set.
- Blind bake crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place parchment paper with pie weights or dry beans inside the crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, prick bottom with a fork several times, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
- Bloom gelatin: In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in 1/4 cup water and set aside.
- Make filling base: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/3 cup sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, bringing to a boil and cooking 1 minute until thickened. Remove from heat, whisk in gelatin mixture, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Cool quickly by placing saucepan in an ice bath.
- Whip cream and egg whites: Beat 1/2 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and remaining 1/3 cup sugar to stiff peaks.
- Whip filling: Place cooled filling into mixer and whip until creamy.
- Combine filling components: Gently fold whipped cream, beaten egg whites, and shredded coconut into the whipped filling until evenly combined.
- Fill pie shell: Scrape the filling mixture evenly into the cooled baked pie crust.
- Prepare topping: Whip 2 cups heavy cream to stiff peaks and pipe decorative swirls on top of the filling using a large star tip. Sprinkle additional shredded coconut over the top.
- Prepare strawberry sauce: Dice strawberries and mix with confectioners’ sugar in a bowl to create a sweet sauce as the berries release juice.
- Serve: Cut pie into 8 to 10 slices and serve with strawberry sauce spooned over each piece.
Notes
- To prevent soggy crust, blind bake thoroughly and allow cooling before filling.
- Use cold ingredients when making the crust for best flakiness.
- The decorative pie edge helps keep filling contained and adds festive appeal.
- Adjust sugar in strawberries to taste, depending on sweetness of berries.
- Shredded coconut can be toasted lightly for more flavor if desired.
- Keep pie refrigerated if not serving immediately to maintain filling texture.
- Whipping the filling adds lightness and airiness to the dessert.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
