Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie Recipe
I’ve never tried crack before, but after having this pie, I don’t feel I ever need to.
Feelings of euphoria? Check.
Supreme confidence? I can eat a whole pie! Check.
Paranoia? Somebody’s been eating MY pie! Check.
Loss of appetite? After eating a whole pie? Check.
A craving for more? Check.
Oh boy, is there a craving for more. Seriously, this pie is insanely addictive. An oatmeal cookie crust and a sweet, gooey, butterscotch-y filling combine to create a delicious bubbling mess of salty-sweet goodness. When it cools, you’ll have to fight for your share. Or you can grab the pie plate, turn your back and crouch in the corner, stuffing your face like a feral cat. A feral cat that uses a fork, of course.
Don’t worry, that didn’t happen. I thought about it though. Damn those feelings of paranoia, they make you want the pie all for yourself!
The smell of the pie baking is pleasantly sweet, but it doesn’t drive you into a frenzy the way that first bite will. You’ll never forget that first bite: it’s euphoric. You’ll feel like your hands can’t put pie into your mouth fast enough. After the first few mindless, breathless moments of all-consuming-pie-eating, I regretted halving the recipe to make just one pie.
Don’t make my mistake: make two pies. You’ll eat both of them. Or, you’ll have a guaranteed way to make some new friends if you somehow manage to resist the second pie. It’s a very irresistible pie; I consumed half of one myself.
Hours later with Crack Pie just a fuzzy memory, I was feeling slow, lethargic, and depressed. It was a gorgeous day outside, but the sunshine did nothing to cheer me up. I didn’t get it, but then, in a flash of brilliance, I realized: I was coming down from my crack pie high. Be warned, Crack Pie causes withdrawal symptoms.
I’ve now made Crack Pie three times, in three different incarnations: Crack Tart, Crack Pie Pops, and good old fashioned Crack Pie. I didn’t get any photos of the good old fashioned pie, we devoured it before photos could be taken.
Mike: Did you know Crack Pie is $44 a bite?
Me: No it isn’t! Did you know some guy ordered one online and dropped on the ground in his lobby and then ate it?
Mike: What?
Me: He dropped it so he called his roommate to bring two forks down and they ate it off the floor. $44 a bite?
Mike: $44 a PIE, not a bite.
Me: Oh.
For all of you who don’t live in NYC and don’t want to buy a $44 pie, here’s the Crack Pie recipe from the LA Times. The recipe makes two 10 inch pies.
Crack Pie Recipe
Oatmeal Cookie for Crust
Ingredients
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
Scant 1 cup rolled oats
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
5. Stir in the flour mixture until fully combined. Stir in the oats.
6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.
Crust
Ingredients
Crumbled cookie for crust
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions
Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.
Filling
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts
Powdered sugar to garnish
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.
3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.
4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.
5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.
6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. Serve cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Note: I liked it best at room temperature.
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I’ve heard such amazing things about this pie, but was hesitant to try it. I guess because I’m used to my pies having a distinct filling (apples, cherries, chocolate.) This one just seems like its missing that “key” ingredient. But I guess since everyone has been going crazy over it, I should just try it.
Are you going to try making the marshmallow, cornflake, chocolate chip cookies? I stumbled upon that milk bar recipe online.
Jennifer, the key ingredient is crack. Maybe just think of this pie as a giant 10″ cookie. Either way, you should try it!
I’ve only recently been hearing about this pie, and wasn’t sure I’d want to try it, only because I wasn’t sure what the “secret” ingredient was. I was certain it was not crack, though the price made me wonder.
Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure I’ll surprise some Germans in the next few months with this deliciousness.
And the re-design looks great!
Daniel,
If you supply the Germans with Crack Pie, you might just create some new addicts! Let me know how your pie goes!
I think the “secret” ingredient might be milk powder because of this article: http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/52411/index1.html. The chef stated that milk powder is her favorite ingredient and that the bakery uses it in a lot of their baked goods. I don’t know for sure but it is my theory.
I’ve tried this before, my friend made it and it is sensational. I don’t think she used the LA times recipe though, but it tasted awesome. Perfect with a coffee, it’s pretty damn sweet.
Howard,
I think all the crack pie recipes out there end up making something that’s just plain addictive, with coffee or without! I thought it would be too sweet, but somehow it ended up just right.
Haha, great pictures of the crack pie pops! Initially I thought Mike had taken a little bite out of all of them!
@thespoon,
Hahaha, I wouldn’t put it past Mike to take a bite out of each one! It was funny because when the pops came out of the oven, they were all nice and over-flowing, but after they cooled down a bit, they did some major sinking. Tasted good, but really, the tart was the best tasting one of the bunch.
wow this looks ridiculously amazing!! going to the top of my must make recipe list!
Iga,
It’s definitely a keeper; Mike keeps telling me that he wants more crack pie. Let me know if you like it!
I have tried this exact recipe in the past. All it produced was a melted butter pie (nasty). It didn’t set at all and why would it, it doesn’t have a binder.
Since then I read Chef Tosi uses corn flour to bind the pie.
Keith,
My pie did look like an oozing pile of melted butter at first, but after it cooled down it solidified into a gooey, yet solid delicious pie. If you end up using corn flour, let me know how it goes for you.
Here is the article I saw mentioning the corn flour. I have had it at the Milk Bar and it is so good.
http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/52411/
Well, now I have no choice but to make this and then subsequently devour the whole thing!!
Shelly,
I won’t judge you if you eat the whole thing, I was tempted to do it myself!
I made this a couple weeks ago when I saw it in the LA Times. It was definitely TOO sweet. I don’t understand the fascination.
Joules,
I thought the pie would be too sweet too, but I found it to be that salty-sweet flavour you get from sea salt caramels or fleur de sel chocolates. In fact, I did use fleur de sel instead of salt, so that might have made a difference.
Holy moly… now you’ve done it. You are the 4th person in the last 3 days that has mentioned crack pie. This has to be a sign.
Dan,
I still remember your comment about your arteries hardening when you eat crack pie!
If you’ve read about it 4 times in 3 days, I think it is a sign that you need to harden your arteries this week!
Isn’t that funny when things like that happen? It just happened to me with cheesecake! Hope you enjoy it I just may try it!
Thanks for the recipe! I must must must make this real soon! It’s definitely my next project.
Ellie,
Just don’t blame me if you become addicted!
:P
Im kinda annoyed I never tried this when I was in NYC last year now it looks so good, but I bookmarked the recipe when I saw it but you’ve convinced me to make it sooner rather than later. I hope they release a Milk Bar cookbook as I was a little disappointed there were so few sweet recipes in the book even though I love the recipes ive tried so far.
Ive just been reading back through some of your previous posts and saw the one about the Milk Bar Cookbook which makes me one very happy baker.
Ed,
It’s exciting isn’t it! I can’t wait!
Ed,
They are releasing a Milk Bar Cookbook! It’s slated for Fall 2011 and I’m pretty excited because I have a major sweet tooth!
I made it from the NY Times recipe, and it turned out really well. With the 2 pies, I left one in the oven a little longer because the filling seemed a little too jiggly, but the one I took out on time turned out a bit better (don’t worry, they were both delicious). I would make just the oatmeal cookie crust and eat it by itself, I think.
Stacy,
I confess: I actually did eat some of the oatmeal cookie crust by itself. It was good!
just put two of these in the fridge and can’t wait for them to firm up so i can try them. couple of questions: i used the full recipe but with 10″ pie tins the mixture didn’t come very far up the side; both my pies were very loose and runny when they finished the specified cooking time – any thoughts?
John, The pies are not very deep, so don’t worry about the filling not coming up high enough; they’re a pretty thin pie. As for the looseness of the pies, they should firm up in the fridge a bit. When I took mine out they were bubbling and breathing like they were alive so don’t worry about it. Let me know how they taste!
do you have another email address i can use. i have an interesting update on crack but it’s a long msg and probably not that much fun for everyone on the list
Hi – I just made this last night and they came out great, although I want to tweak a bit – can you confirm for me that milk powder is just dried milk?
Lisa,
Milk powder is just instant dried milk power.
Hi – I made this last night but want to be sure – is “milk powder” just basic dried milk? And do you use non-fat or whole-fat etc?
Hm. I tried this last time I was in NYC, and it tasted suspiciously like something we know here in Saint Louis as Gooey Butter Cake. I believe we use cream cheese instead of powdered milk/cream, and the bottom varies by bakery here (some use cake, some use a yeasty, bread thing). Though I prefer crack pie, I will eat every last bite of any incarnation of gooey buttery crack-y cake-y pie-y thing that is placed in front of me!
Dave,
I’ll have to try this St. Louis Goeey Butter Cake. I imagine the filling with a cake base would be delicious!
I am interesting in trying the little tarts. Did you adjust the timing in the oven for them?
Helen,
I did adjust the time, I baked it for about 5 minutes at the first temperature 350, then for about another 5 at 325. Keep a close eye on them. They’ll puff up while their in the oven and then deflate, so don’t worry about the sunken filling!
Hi, I’m going to make this for our St. Patrick’s Day potluck tomorrow, and I’m a little intimidated. Besides using the fleur de sel and adjusting the baking time, any other tips? I only have 9 inch baking pans. And I don’t think I will be going to get fleur de sel. Your pictures look amazing. I had heard that it’s better to cream the butter and sugars together first before adding any other dry ingredients.
Hi Sandy,
Make sure you cool the melted butter for a bit before you add the sugars. That way, when you add the egg yolks, you won’t accidentally cook them. Be gentle when mixing in the yolks, you don’t want to add any air at that time. Also, when the pies come out, they’re super bubbly and almost overflowing, but as they cool the filling sinks. Since you’re using 9 inch pans, add about 5 minutes of baking time, but make sure you keep an eye on it, you want the filling to be jiggly.
Hope your pies turn out great!
Well, I’m trying the crack pie here at our potluck, and now I see what all the hype is about. It is so good! Thanks for inspiring me to be a careful baker with your pictures. I baked it at 375 for 10 minutes and ended up baking it at 325 for about 35 minutes after that b/c it refused to turn brown until then. My second pie I baked at 375 for 20 min but then it was starting to get too brown on top so I had to take it out. I have a feeling it’s probably underdone on the inside, but I’ll try that one at home later. This really is addictive!
I’m so happy you’re addicted and your crack pies turned out!
Wow, this look insanely delicious! I really like the idea with the crack pie pops, would be perfect for a picnic. Will definitely have a go at this recipe.
Thanks! They were insanely delicious. Tip on the crack pie pops though: they’re super fragile, so on a picnic crack pie tarts might be the way to go!
I made this recipe yesterday, I didn’t have milk powder but I used 2 tablespoons of corn starch which I figured should be enough to stabilize the filling. I ended up with a hard sugar crunch surface on the pie, but inside the filling was like syrup, it just flowed out as I cut the pie. The taste was good but much too sweet for my taste. I really liked the crust though. I think I will try using that as crust for cheesecakes in the future.
A tip for people making this: don’t pour the filling in the second pan until you have baked the first pie. The filling will start to separate if you let it sit. Keep the second half of the filling in the bowl and mix it good before you pour it into the second pan.
That’s too bad that the filling didn’t firm up! It is a sweet pie and not for the faint of heart!
Hello Foodies
I just LOVE this Site!
this recipe Looks Heavenly
I have Celiac Disease
But Iam Quite Sure that I
can make it Gluten Free
I hope you can make it gluten free!
Do you think there is any kind of milk powder substitute in this recipe? huh? (cause where I live it is impossible to get a real milk powder, only soy milk powder. Would this work?) If to try condensed milk? How much of it shoud I take?
I’m not too sure what to use as a milk powder substitute. You could try the soy milk powder, but I wouldn’t use condensed milk.
Thanks so much. Sugar gives me zits and I’m 34, and now I have to make and eat this :)
Would I be a bad person if I added bittersweet chocolate to this? Or would that just simply kill anyone who tasted it?
Someone once told me they made a chocolate ganache to pour over the whole pie. They emailed me again after that, so I assume they didn’t die!
Might be a bit over the top, but if you love chocolate, go for it!
I tend to believe that everyhing can be improved by a little chocolate. Thanks!
Holy cow, I just made this and it is absolutely fantastic. I had never heard of it before. My husband and I had it with coffee, and now I wish I’d followed your advice and made 2. I can’t wait to try more from your blog! Thank you for sharing!!!