A Southern Grace: a possible impossibility

December 7, 2009

a possible impossibility

Yum

What you see before you is known as Impossible Pie. It's called that because there's no crust involved--it magically forms its own.

Haaallelujah!
I think it should be thusly named for another reason--it's simply not possible to eat only one serving at a time.

If you like coconut, you'll like this pie. There's no way around that. It's a fact. Set in stone. Done and done. The top is toasted and crunchy, the innards are creamy, and the nifty crust is chewy. It's a cinch to prepare. Did I mention that you don't have to fiddle with a crust? I actually don't mind playing with pastry, but I have to admit that it's nice to skip it every once in awhile.

Coconut is like nothing else in the entire world.
I'm not sure where this recipe originated, but it's one that the great Mambino has made often and fortunately, she's trained me to make it too. It's usually formed into one regular-sized pie, but in this instance, little baby tarts seemed the ideal way to go. You'd think they'd make nice, individualized portions, but as I mentioned, it's IMPOSSIBLE to stop with just one serving. If you can resist, you're a stronger person than I.

Impossible Pie
(from Mamster)

3 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups flaked or shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch pie plate or a muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add in the cooled, melted butter. Blend in the flour and sugar, then add the milk, coconut, vanilla, and salt and beat until thoroughly mixed. Pour into the prepared dish.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until the coconut becomes golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Be sure to cover and refrigerate any remaining pie. Yeah, right. Like there'd be any left.

79 comments:

George Gaston said...

Grace, this pie is amazing. All the wonderful sweetness without the crust ~ How great is that! This would not last very long in my fridge, because I love coconut cream pie.

I am not sure if I should give you a hug or keep my fingers off the "print this page".... so I will just thanks.

Anonymous said...

We've been loving the coconut flavors lately, and had a few coconut savory dishes in a row, now it's time for something sweet and this is a perfect recipe - I will make this scrumptious pie asap!

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Oh my... delish!!! I'm heading into the kitchen to make these now. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

:)
ButterYum
PS - love your blog!

Cate O'Malley said...

You're killing me. This doesn't look especially WW-friendly, but I don't think I care!

kat said...

What a great idea for a pie without dealign with crust!

Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said...

Ahhb you and your Mamster deliver again! And you are delivering the impossible too! One pie for me please :D

Palidor said...

Now that sounds delish! Plus there's coconut. Anything with coconut has to be awesome.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Never heard of it but I like coconut and even better no crust to mess with? I'm all over this!

Happy Monday!
~ingrid

Kathy Walker said...

I have heard of Impossible Pie but have never tried it...since I have an undying love of coconut I should get with it!

Albany Jane said...

Yum, I'd forgotten completely about this pie. It's been years since I last made it. Thanks for the reminder!

Although the mini-serving tip might just be a bit dangerous.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

It looks so tempting and scrumptious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Oh man this looks awesome!!! I enjoy making a pie crust but leaving it out would make it a million times easier. Since I'm a huge fan of coconut I will be trying this :)

Dolce said...

It's like a giant macaroon pie, yum! I love coconut!

TKW said...

I am obsessed with coconut, so I have to try this. It looks so good!

Barbara said...

Ah Grace! A crustless pie! Love it. I am a terrible crust-maker. Mine taste good but look ugly.( I promised myself I am going to practice Pie Crust 101 in the New Year.)
This pie is perfect- coconut besides. Your photos are making me drool on the keyboard. ;)

Pam said...

BOOKMARKED. I love, love, love coconut - it looks fantastic Grace!

Marjie said...

I have always loved Impossible Pie. Sadly, my dearly beloved doesn't love coconut. Silly man! I may just make this for my daughters and myself while they're home for Christmas!

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

If only Lon liked coconut...maybe I'll try anyway.

Faith said...

I LOVE coconut! Actually, just yesterday I made coconut macaroons, but I think your pie looks even more incredible! As much as I love coconut, I love the fact that it forms it's own crust even more. ;)

Jennifer said...

If it is from your Mamster I am making it!

Lisa-Marie said...

Grace my dear, you are killing me with all of the coconut! I shall be even chubbier than I already am soon! mmmmmmmmmm!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I can't believe it Grace, but this another recipe that I also have! In fact, I went and looked it up and sure enough, all the same ingredients.....maybe our families do use the same cookbook! LOL
I can say from experience, that this a very yummy, foolproof pie. I think it is one of the first pies I ever made! Thanks for the reminder!

lisa is cooking said...

This is so cool! The chewy crust looks delicious, and I love the idea of this as mini tarts.

Juliana said...

Wow, this coconut pie without crust looks delicious...love the this kind of "impossibility" :-)

vanillasugarblog said...

I love that you love coconut just as much as I do. I need to get back on my coconut kick soon. And I love this, I mean come on.

Mrs. L said...

We used to make "impossible pies" all the time back in the day. Impossible Cheeseburger Pie, Impossible Coconut Pie, Impossible Bacon Pie. Ah, brings back lots of memories. Of course those all had Bisquick in them, your's sounds a bit better!

Penny said...

How do you do it day after day? Always a great recipe. I am in awe. Coconut rocks. Have you thought about dump cakes? I have a great pumpkin dump cake recipe. LOL.

Mona said...

i have a love hate relationship with coocnut,,,i love coocnute milk and toasted coconut shavings on a cupcake but i do not have much love for coconut cream pie
hmmm...i think i will still try this though it sounds great! the no pie crust thing is great!

oh and thanks so much for stopping by my blog and commenting on it!

Gloria Baker said...

I love coconut too, look amazing!!! gloria

pam said...

I'm not a big coconut fan, but this still looks good!

mara said...

This looks very good and something I would have not ever thought of!

Anonymous said...

impossible! hahaha! this is interesting.
a crust formed on its own.
this is a must try!

Rebeca said...

Wow... that looks incredible... sooooo when did you say you wanted to adopt me to help you eat all your treats? Just say the word!

Unknown said...

grace!! its the PERFECT pie! i'm not a huge fan of crust so to have a pie without the crust...YEAH!!! and it looks divine!

Julie said...

Sounds and looks delicious, I love creamy innards :)

LilSis said...

My mouth was already watering just looking at the creamy coconut, which I LOVE, but you sold me when you said you don't have to fiddle with a crust! I always make my quiche crustless just to avoid dealing with a crust; but I've never tried a crustless pie. It's now bookmarked in my Delicious cookbook and I can't wait to try it!

Sharon said...

Grace, you're always performing some magic for us! This looks chewy & crunchy & all around yummy.

noble pig said...

This will definitely inhabit my kitchen, that is possible for sure!

oneordinaryday said...

This pie looks amazingly good, unfortunately I am not a coconut fan. My mom and sister are, however, and I'm sending links off right now. I know they would love to give this a try!

Cafe Fashionista said...

Okay, so I love this recipe more than any other for the sole fact that I don't like pie crust at all! This would make eating pie so much simpler. Yum! :)

Tabitha Blue said...

Oh so interesting! And since I'm a coconut lover, then this looks great!! Looks a little like hash browns to me... mmmm, now I'm just hungry! Thanks a lot ;)

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Boy, they sounds good. Really, really good!

teresa said...

what a great pie! i love the coconut in there, looks delicious!

Kitchen Butterfly said...

With some lime zest.....and maybe flaked almonds....heaven!

La Bella Cooks said...

The coconut would have me sold on this. You have some of the neatest recipes...just lovely!

Kate Morgan Jackson said...

Oh my goodness. Must try this one -- and gorgeous picture!!

Maria said...

I am a sucker for coconut.

MaryBeth said...

Simply amazing Grace...This is a real winner

Jacque said...

Ho boy, doe those ever look and sound GOOD. I agree, it's nice not to have to mess with crust once in a while.

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

I am making this for the hubs this weekend!!! We're both coconut fiends. Thank you!

Kate at Serendipity said...

Grace, you're killing me. This looks so good that I'm wondering if I can find some local coconut (just kidding). This is now on my list to try. Thanks!

Lindsey@pickyeatings said...

Unfortunately I'm weird and don't really like coconut...but this pie is definitely an interesting idea, and I too like to say peace out to the pastry crust once in a while.

Jennifer said...

That sounds really good. One question- is it sweetened coconut or regular?

grace said...

jennifer--it's sweetened. more sugar is always better, right? :)

Maria said...

FYI-Two Peas and Their Pod moved to WordPress, please update your readers, etc. Our address is: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com
Come visit us and check out our new look! Thanks for following us!

pigpigscorner said...

Not a great fan of coconut but the pictures are killing me!

Cheryl said...

I bookmarked this when you blogged it, and I'm making it already. It's in the oven, and I licked the bowl clean, raw eggs and all. YUM. i can't wait to see how it turns out!

xoxo,
Food Slut

The Teacher Cooks said...

Easy enough!! Looks delicious! I am a food's teacher and use blogs as a teaching tool. Yours is nice!

jillian said...

This may have to be on my Christmas table! I LOVE coconut.

Lori said...

Oh this does sound so very delicious and creamy.

Anonymous said...

I made a few of those individual pies yesterday and really wished I made more - they disappeared before they even had a chance to cool down :) My daughter and I really loved them! I'll be making them again soon so my hubby could try too!

Emily said...

I LOVE the idea of a crustless pie. It sounds delicious! Thanks, Mambino.

Lisa said...

I had all but forgotten about the Impossibles. I once had recipes for several different kinds of Impossible Pie. I'm not a coconut fan but this does sound like fun. I might make it anyway!

Unknown said...

I'm starving right now and this looks amazing,I dont think im that storng of a person I think i would eat it all

shaz said...

Ha! Self-crusting pie - now I've seen it all :) Looks gooeylicious Grace. Sounds like a great pie.

Sandie (Inn Cuisine) said...

I've not seen this before, but I love coconut so this recipe is right up my culinary alley!

Robin said...

I like the little tart idea. So sweet and dainty that way. But I would probably eat 3.

Von said...

I've always wondered what an impossible pie was! But this looks so good!

kellypea said...

My momzer didn't think of this one so yours is one up on mine. I just happen to have a gorgeous bag of giant flakes of coconut that nobody but me likes around here. No calories, right? Mmm...

Unknown said...

"thus" is already an adverb...thus the "-ly" is superfluous

Kerstin said...

What a cool crust! My hubby is a huge coconut fan so I'll have to make these for him :)

the good soup said...

I was so happy to find this recipe as I've been looking for a similar one for quite a while. I've just baked it, with a few changes, and published it (and a picture of the creamy inside!) on my blog. Using unrefined cane sugar gives the creamy centre a real caramel edge.

Jeanne @ Cooksister! said...

Looks marvellous and reminds me of the coconut tart that my mom used to make when I was growing up - although that had a crust of pate brise with apricot jam spread over it...

Maria said...

I love coconut! YUM!

Anonymous said...

Looks sooo yummy!. Drizzle some melted chocolate over it and I think I would have a Mounds candy bar:)

Za said...

thanks! Turned out really lovely. Made this for a community picnic and it disappeared in no time!

Unknown said...

When making these in a muffin tin, how long do you bake them and approximately how many "muffins" does this recipe make. Thanks for your info.

grace said...

@Deborah: I used a silicon muffin pan and got 12 decently sized pielets, and it only took about 35 minutes to get them good and browned. Just pull them out when the coconut is nicely toasted--the filling should be perfect then!

Unknown said...

GONNA TRY