Milk Bar Pie (Formerly Crack Pie) with Oatmeal Crust
If this is your first time attempting the infamous Milk Bar Pie, I promise you’re in good hands. Just think of me standing beside you, casually talking you through each step while sneaking spoonfuls of cookie dough and tasting the filling straight out of the bowl. This pie might look fancy, but it’s surprisingly approachable—and I’ll walk you through exactly how to nail that perfectly dense, gooey center that everyone raves about.
Servings: 16 slices; makes 2 (10-inch) pies; each serves 8 to 10
Calories: 455.3kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pies (makes 2 [10-inch] pies):
- 1 recipe oat cookie, recipe follows
- 15 g 1 Tbsp tightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 g ¼ tsp salt
- 55 g 4 Tbsp butter, melted, or as needed
- 1 recipe crack pie® filling, recipe follows
- confectioner's sugar, for dusting
For the Oat Cookie Recipe (makes about 1 quarter sheet pan):
- 115 g unsalted butter, 8 Tbsp, at room temperature
- 70 g tightly packed light brown sugar, ½ cup
- 40 g granulated sugar, 3 Tbsp
- 1 egg yolk
- 80 g flour, ½ cup
- 120 g old-fashioned rolled oats, 1½ cups
- 0.5 g baking powder, ⅛ tsp
- 0.25 g pinch baking soda
- 2 g Kosher salt, ½ tsp
- Nonstick cooking spray
For the Crack Pie Filling (makes enough for 2 pies):
- 300 g granulated sugar, 1½ cups
- 180 g tightly packed light brown sugar, ¾ cup
- 20 g milk powder, ¼ cup
- 24 g corn powder, ¼ cup
- 6 g Kosher salt, 1½ tsp
- 225 g unsalted butter, 16 Tbsp, melted
- 160 g heavy cream, ¾ cup
- 2 g pure vanilla extract= ½ tsp
- 8 egg yolks**
Instructions
For the Pies
- Combine the pat cookie and sugar. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Put the oat cookie, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and ¼ tsp salt in a food processor, then pulse on and off until the cookie is broken down into the texture of wet sand.
- Make the crust. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, add 4 Tbsp melted butter, and knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until moist enough to form into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25g (1 to 1½ tablespoons) of butter and knead it in.
- Form the crust. Divide the oat crust evenly between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Using your fingers and the palms of your hands, press the oat cookie crust firmly into each pie pan, making sure the bottom and sides of the tin are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately, or wrap well in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Bake the Milk Bar pie. Put both pie shells on a sheet pan. Divide the crack pie® filling evenly between the crusts; the filling should fill them three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes only. The pies should be golden brown on top but will still be very jiggly.
- Cool slightly, then continue baking till set. Open the oven door and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Depending on your oven, it may take 5 minutes or longer for the oven to cool to the new temperature. Keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven reaches 325°F, close the door and bake the pies for 5 minutes longer. The pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s-eye center but not around the outer edges. If the filling is still too jiggly, leave the pies in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or so.
- Freeze the pies before serving. Gently take the pan of crack pies® out of the oven and transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature. (You can speed up the cooling process by carefully transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you’re in a hurry.) Then freeze your pies for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to condense the filling for a dense final product—freezing is the signature technique and result of a perfectly executed crack pie®.
- Dust with powdered sugar, then serve. Serve your crack pie® cold! Decorate your pie(s) with confectioners’ sugar, either passing it through a fine sieve or dispatching pinches with your fingers.
For the Oat Cookie Recipe
- Cream together butter, sugar, and egg. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the 115g butter, 70g brown sugar, and 40g granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. On low speed, add the egg yolk and increase the speed to medium high and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white.
- Make the cookie dough. On low speed, add the 80g flour, 120g oats, ½g baking powder, ¼g baking soda, and 2g salt. Mix for 1 minute, until your dough comes together and any remnants of dry ingredients have been incorporated. The dough will be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Spread out the cookie dough. Spray a quarter sheet pan and line with parchment. Plop the cookie dough in the center of the pan and, with a spatula, spread it out until it is ¼-inch thick. The dough won’t end up covering the entire pan; this is ok.
- Bake the oat cookie crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until it resembles an oatmeal cookie-caramelized on top and puffed slightly but set firmly. Cool completely before using. Wrapped well in plastic, the oat cookie will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For the Crack Pie Filling
- From Christina Tosi: "You must use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make this filling. It only takes a minute, but it makes all the difference in the homogenization and smooth, silky final product. I repeat: a hand whisk and a bowl or a granny hand mixer will not produce the same results. Also, keep the mixer on low speed through the entire mixing process. If you try to mix the filling on higher speed, you will incorporate too much air and your pie will not be dense and gooey-the essence of crack pie®."
- Mix the dry ingredients. Combine 300g granulated sugar, 180g brown sugar, 20g milk powder, 24g corn powder, and 6g Kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until evenly blended.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add 225g melted butter and paddle for 2 to 3 minutes until all the dry ingredients are moist. Add 160g heavy cream and 2g vanilla and continue mixing on low for 2 to 3 minutes until any white streaks from the cream have completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add egg yolks. Add 8 egg yolks, paddling them into the mixture just to combine; be careful not to aerate the mixture, but be certain the mixture is glossy and homogenous. Mix on low speed until it is. Use the filling right away, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Separate carefully: Even a little egg white can ruin the filling’s dense texture. Separate the yolks by hand (not with the shell), and wash hands before and after handling raw eggs. Save the whites for another recipe—or cook them up for your pups!
- Storage: If not serving right away, wrap the pie tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Milk Bar Pie freezes well for up to 1 month. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 455.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 55.3g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 28.6g | Saturated Fat: 16.9g | Cholesterol: 190.5mg | Sodium: 131.2mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 47.3g
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