Samoas Tropical Pie

Directions:

To make crust, cut each of 4 Samoas in half and then carefully slice pieces off each half. You want to roughly dice the cookies. Mix these pieces with graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat crust to cover bottom and side of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake on middle rack of the oven 8 minutes. Edges of crust should be slightly brown. Refrigerate.

To make filling, place 1/4 cup cold water in small mixing bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top; set aside. Stir cream of coconut into gelatin mixture and place bowl in a pan of hot water to form a shallow water bath to dissolve the gelatin.

In top of a double boiler over simmering water, whisk eggs and sugar until they reach 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, then beat egg yolks at high speed on an electric mixer 5 minutes. Mixture will become light and thick. On low speed of electric mixer, slowly add gelatin mixture to egg yolks.

Place bowl of egg yolk mixture in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Stir with a rubber spatula continually until mixture thickens to a sauce consistency.

In a clean chilled bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

When egg yolk mixture is thickened, fold 1/3 of whipped cream into it. When incorporated, add another third, fold and then fold in final third. Fill shell with cream mixture and chill 3-5 hours.

To make topping:
When ready to serve, whip the cream with confectioners' sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread cream over top of pie, sprinkle with coconut and garnish with Samoas halves around edge and a whole one in the center.

To toast coconut, place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven 10 minutes or until golden. Shake pan periodically to turn coconut or turn it with a spatula.