Laura Bush’s Easy Pie Tastes Like a Candy Bar

Back when I was a new yet enthusiastic server at a Mexican-inspired restaurant called South of the Border, I spread my fresh-outta-art school wings by decorating the white dessert plates with a little flair.

Turning “a drizzle of chocolate” into a no-one-asked-for-this cocoa bean fever dream, I quickly discovered that the customers appreciated my talents much more than my manager. (Why did corporate guidance leave all this extra space if we weren’t supposed to fill it with free whipped cream and personalized chocolate sauce doodles?)

If only back-in-the-day Lauren could see me now, because I found a coconut pie that is basically like, “Make me into Mounds candy. It’s cool—you’re the boss.”

Laura Bush’s Buttermilk Coconut Pie

Satisfying my coconut fantasies (in a store-bought shell!), Laura Bush’s Buttermilk Coconut Pie leans on shredded sweetened coconut, butter, whipped cream, and buttermilk for every sweet, velvety bite.

According to several first-hand accounts, the former First Lady was extraordinarily kind and hospitable to White House staff, and I like to think that she may have served this for a lunch or two, even though she didn’t cook while she was there. (She’s joked that she hadn’t touched a pan for 14 years once she stepped away from public life in 2009.)

Maybe Laura wasn’t the one working the oven, but this pie certainly mirrors the First Lady’s intentions of making America’s most famous house feel like home to everyone.

I also want mi casa to feel like su casa. And this easy-to-make buttermilk-and-coconut filling, heaped with whipped cream, tastes like a creamy, coconut cloud in a toasty, buttery crust. (If you’re like me, you’ll have to try not to sneak a taste of that barely set middle—the best part, in my opinion.)

This Buttermilk Coconut Pie just became my new love language. Honestly, this dessert is so good, I’m convinced it could transform perfect strangers into instant BFFs.

Tips for Making Laura Bush’s Buttermilk Coconut Pie

• Toast for the most: Sweetened shredded coconut is much more toastable than I realized. Just use a dry pan over low heat, stir it for a few minutes until it’s golden and crunchy, then let it cool. I taste-tested my first batch until it disappeared, so, you know, plan for that.
• Cool it: Let the pie cool completely before you add the whipped cream. Even those perky stabilizers in Cool Whip will turn to liquid with a little heat. I let my pie rest for two hours on a rack until the middle doesn’t jiggle.
• Upgrade with chocolate: As a throwback to my restaurant days, I drizzled a slice with a little Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Syrup to test out my Mounds flavor theory. (Result: chef’s kiss.) If this journey aligns with your sweet tooth, I welcome you to the best-ever candy bar pie life.