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Buko Pocket Pie

Made from fresh young coconut, these mini pies are a coconut lover's dream come true. Try it out and indulge in the creamy and delicious buko filling wrapped in flaky pastry!
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6 pieces
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Filipino
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Puff Pastry
  • 1 sheet puff pastry dough ½ lb/245g
  • 1 egg for egg wash
Buko Filling
  • 2 cups buko meat 225g
  • ½ cup white sugar 115g
  • ½ tsp kosher salt 2.5g
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup coconut water from the fresh buko
  • 1½ tbsp cornstarch 12g

Equipment

  • coconut opener tool set
  • saucepan
  • fine mesh strainer
  • pastry mat
  • rolling pin
  • dough scraper/cutter
  • basting brush
  • Our Place Bakeware

Method
 

Prepare the Buko
  1. Open the coconut using a coconut opener tool: place the tool on the center of the coconut and pound it in with the mallet until the highest point of the coconut touches the tool. Use a lever motion to open it like a soda can. See Note 1.
  2. Strain out the water and set aside for later. Scoop the buko flesh with a spoon.
  3. Clean the flesh by scraping off large pieces of husk with the spoon, and rinsing off any smaller bits.
Make Buko Filling
  1. In a saucepan, combine buko meat, sugar, salt, and cream. Stir on low heat until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Make a slurry by whisking together coconut water and cornstarch. Once mixed, add to the saucepan.
  3. While stirring, raise the heat to a low simmer until the sauce thickens. Do not raise the heat too much as this could cause burns or curdling.
  4. After a few minutes the filling should be thick. Turn off heat and let the filling cool completely.
Prepare the Puff Pastry
  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out into a rectangle, roughly 14" x 10."
  2. Divide into 12 pieces.
  3. For 6 pieces, roll them to be a tiny bit larger so that they can wrap around the filling easier (these will be the "top" pieces.)
  4. If your pastry has getting warm by this point, chill the pieces in the refrigerator for at least 10-15 min before moving forward.
Assembly and Baking
  1. On the 6 "bottom" pieces of dough, add about 2-3 tbsp of filling to the center. Lightly brush the edges with egg wash. Place the "top" piece over it. Seal the edges by pressing down with the tines of a fork.
  2. If there is any unevenness, very gently press with your fingers to distribute the filling evenly.
  3. Holding a sharp knife vertically, use an up and down motion to make a few slits on top of each piece to allow air to escape.
  4. Brush the tops with egg wash.
  5. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden.

Notes

Note 1. To keep your counters safe, place a wooden cutting board (or stack two if they don't slide) under the coconut before using the mallet. This will prevent any damage to your countertops and make the process of cracking open the coconut safer and easier.