Easy Pie Filling - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pinch salt

Preparation

In a large microwave-safe bowl mix milk and egg yolks.
Add the dry mix to the liquid and whisk together till smooth.
Cook in microwave 5 minutes, stirring once.
Cook an additional minute and stir again.
If pudding isn't thick yet, do 30 seconds more, or til pudding consistency.
Take from microwave and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Cool and eat or put in a baked pie crust.
Variations: For chocolate Pie add 2 tablespoons cocoa to the dry mixture. It floats on the milk for a minute or so, but stirs in as it is cooked.
For coconut pie: Add 1 cup coconut to the milk mixture. Sprinkle a little coconut on top of the meringue before browning.
For a peanut butter pie: In approximately 1/4 cup of peanut butter, work in powdered sugar until it is crumbly. Cover the bottom of the baked pie crust with peanut butter crumbs before filling with chocolate pudding. Mix more crumbs if needed. Top with cool whip sprinkled with chopped peanuts. Crunchy peanut butter works, too to make crumbs.