Caramel Delites Tropical Pie

Samoas Crust
4 Girl Scout Caramel Delites cookies
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cut each of 4 Caramel Delites 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 F. Pat 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.

Coconut Mousse Filling
1/4 cup cold water, plus hot water and ice water
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatine
1/2 cup cream of coconut
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream

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

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

Whipped Cream Topping
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup toasted coconut *
8 Girl Scout Caramel Delites cookies,
    halved crosswise into half moons
1 whole Girl Scout Caramel Delite cookie

* Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Shake pan periodically to turn coconut or turn it with a spatula.

When ready to serve, whip cream with confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract until still peaks form. Spread cream over top of pie, sprinkle with coconut and garnish with cookie halves around edge and a whole one in the center.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 705 calories, 48 grams fat, 64 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 228 milligrams cholesterol, 288 milligrams sodium, 61 percent of calories from fat