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A vibrant and tropical Candy Corn Pie with layers of lemon, mango, and coconut, topped with toasted meringue.
The best part about Halloween? The sweets, of course! Count us in for all of them. However, we think it's super fun when we create things that are sort of outside the candy-realm, (think pastries and baked goods) like Candy Corn Pie! At first glance, you might be tricked into believing each slice tastes like a big ole candy corn, but no! The cookie crust holds a zesty lemon layer (yellow), citrusy mango layer (orange), and tropical coconut (white) layer to create the most impressive spooky treat you'll ever see or taste! Dolloped with some fluffy, homemade meringue and sprinkled with those iconic yellow-orange-and-white-striped candies, Candy Corn Pie is the sweetest thing to serve on trick-or-treat day!
Ingredients
For the cookie crust:
- 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies such as Nilla Wafers®, finely ground
- 1/4 cup sugar
- kosher salt to taste
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
For the lemon filling:
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet unflavored gelatin powder
- 3/4 cup canned lite coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- kosher salt to taste
For the mango filling:
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice divided
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 cup mango peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon fresh raspberries about 3
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- kosher salt to taste
For the coconut filling:
- 1 cup canned lite coconut milk divided
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet unflavored gelatin powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure coconut extract
- kosher salt to taste
For the toasted meringue topping:
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon pure coconut extract
- candy corn to taste, for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, add the finely ground wafer cookies, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the salt and stir until it is combined.
- Stir the butter into the cookie mixture until it looks like wet sand and holds together when pinched.
- Firmly press the cookie mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
- Bake the cookie crust until it is set and lightly toasted, about 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and let the cookie crust cool completely. Note: If the crust comes out of the oven puffed, use the bottom of a measuring cup to gently press it down while it is still warm.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, add the lemon juice and 1 packet of the gelatin powder and let it sit until the gelatin powder has softened, about 5 minutes.
- While the lemon-gelatin mixture is sitting, add 3/4 cup of the coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of the remaining sugar, the turmeric, and the salt to a blender, cover, and blend on medium speed until it is combined.
- Transfer the lemon-gelatin mixture to the microwave and heat until it is just hot and liquefied, about 30 seconds.
- Stir the lemon-gelatin mixture, then add it to the coconut milk mixture in the blender. Cover and purée until it is smooth.
- Evenly strain the lemon filling through a fine-mesh sieve into the bottom of the cooled crust.
- Transfer the lemon-filled crust to the refrigerator and let it chill until it is set, about 45 minutes.
- In a second small, microwave-safe bowl, add 1/4 cup of the orange juice and 1 of the remaining gelatin powder packets.
- Let the orange-gelatin mixture rest until the gelatin powder has softened, about 5 minutes.
- While the orange-gelatin mixture rests, add the mango chunks, the raspberries, 3 tablespoons of the remaining sugar, the salt, and the remaining orange juice to a clean blender, cover, and blend on medium speed, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides as needed, until it is smooth and combined.
- Transfer the orange-gelatin mixture to the microwave and heat until it is just hot and liquefied, about 30 seconds.
- Stir the orange-gelatin mixture, then add it to the mango mixture in the blender. Cover and purée until it is smooth.
- Evenly strain the mango filling mixture through a clean, fine-mesh sieve directly over the set lemon filling. Note: Press on the solids in the sieve with a rubber spatula to extract as much of the filling as possible.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the mango filling into a smooth and even layer over the lemon filling.
- Transfer the mango-lemon-filled pie to the refrigerator and chill until it is set, about 45 minutes.
- In a third, small microwave-safe bowl, add 1/4 cup of the remaining coconut milk and the remaining gelatin powder packet.
- Let the coconut-gelatin mixture rest until the gelatin has softened, about 5 minutes.
- While the coconut-gelatin mixture is resting, add the remaining 3/4 cup of the coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of the remaining sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the coconut extract, and the salt to a clean blender, cover, and blend on medium speed until it is combined.
- Transfer the coconut-gelatin mixture to the microwave and heat until it is just hot and liquefied, about 30 seconds.
- Stir the coconut-gelatin mixture, then add it to the coconut mixture in the blender. Cover and purée until it is smooth.
- Evenly strain the coconut filling through a clean fine-mesh sieve over the set mango-lemon filling.
- Transfer the coconut-mango-lemon-filled pie to the refrigerator and chill until the filling is firmly set and it only slightly jiggles when moved, for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. Note: If you're chilling the pie for over 2 hours, tightly wrap it with plastic wrap.
- In a large heat-safe bowl, add the egg whites, the remaining 1/3 cup of the sugar, the cream of tartar, and the cornstarch and mix to combine.
- Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the egg whites are warm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes. Do not let the simmering water touch the bowl.
- Carefully transfer the bowl to a wire rack. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the meringue mixture on medium-high speed until it is light and fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
- With the electric hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining coconut extract into the meringue mixture.
- Transfer the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a round pastry tip.
- Pipe 1-inch-thick dollops of the meringue on the center of the pie, layering upwards as you go, until all the meringue is used.
- Use a small kitchen torch to toast the meringue until it is deeply golden-brown.
- Nestle the candy corn around the edges of the pie filling.
- Use a sharp knife to slice and serve.
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