Easy Tropical Coconut Cream Pie

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a bowl, mix 2 cups of the shredded coconut with the melted butter. Press this mixture evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate to form the crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Separately, toast the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut until golden and set aside for garnish.
2. Drain the crushed pineapple, but reserve 1/2 cup of the juice. Discard any excess juice or save it for another use. Set the drained pineapple aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the marshmallows with the reserved pineapple juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows are completely melted and smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
3. Stir the drained pineapple, rum or vanilla extract, and salt into the melted marshmallow mixture until well combined. Cover the saucepan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the filling is thoroughly chilled and has thickened.
4. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled pineapple-marshmallow mixture until just combined, being careful not to deflate the cream. Spoon the filling into the prepared coconut crust. Sprinkle the reserved toasted coconut evenly over the top. Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 more hours, or until the filling is set. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.