If I ever visited New York agin, I would definitely, 100% make a trip down whether rain or shine to Momofuku milk bar. I have heard so many stories about their famous crack pie. Have read their books so many times and in my mind wanted to attempt all their dessert recipes.
Today was the day, I finally got my cranky act together and decided to bake a Crack pie. The story behind the name was pretty interesting ( Grab a copy of the book – please do and enjoy!). Basically, to cut the story short. Everyone wanted a slice of the “gooey pie” that Christina Tosi baked and so they did. In the end, everyone was high on sugar and crashed. That was how the name “crack pie” came about. I ate a slice and was high the entire night.
I did it over 2 days as I did not have the luxury of time. Plus the pie needs to refrigerate overnight to set so it taste more delicious. haha On day1, I did the oatmeal cookie base! A cookie + a gooey pie. What more can you ask for!! Second day, I assembled the filling and baked it to be set ready for the mega cookout the next day.
My first thought when I read about this pie was ” Pretty Interesting, I’ll need to attempt this one day”. When my eye scrolled further down to the ingredients in the recipe, i thought to myself ” maybe this is more suited for a party where everyone gets to share the fats”. After tasting it, I thought to myself ” DANG! if I wasn’t worried about my health, I would have eaten the whole damn thing with a tub of chocolate ice cream and a big bottle of speculoos spread!”
If you have not tasted a crack pie, good! Because I was one of them. My family didn’t even know what it was. They thought I was baking a crab pie when it came out from my mouth. This pie is a gooey buttery filling on top an oatmeal crusted pie. If you hate sweet stuff, you’ll probably wanna stay away from this.
Recipe adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar but my fav blogger browneyedbaker posted the same recipe. ( Makes 2 10″ pies)
INGREDIENTS:
For the Oat Cookie:
½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup (71 grams) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ cup (60 grams) bread flour
1½ cups (149 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of baking soda
For the Crust:
1 recipe Oat Cookie (above)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the Pie Filling:
1½ cups (298 grams) granulated sugar
¾ cup (159 grams) light brown sugar
¼ cup (21 grams) dry milk powder
¼ cup (28 grams) cornstarch
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, melted
¾ (170 grams) cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the Oat Cookie: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow. Scrape the sides of the bowl and, on low speed, at the egg yolk and increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture is pale white.
3. Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, on low speed, add the flour, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until the dough comes together and there are no remnants of dry ingredients, about 1 minute.
4. Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread to a ¼-inch thickness. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the middle of the cookie is puffed, but the edges are firmly set. Cool completely before using.
5. Make the Crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). In a large bowl, break up the oat cookie into small crumbs resembling wet sand. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir to combine. Add the butter and use a rubber spatula to stir and press the mixture against the sides of the bowl until a cohesive mass forms. If the crust is not moist enough to form a cohesive mass, melt an additional 1 to 1½ tablespoons of butter and mix in as before.
6. Divide the oat cookie crust between two pie plates and press firmly into the pie plates, making sure that the bottom and sides are evenly covered.
7. Make the Pie Filling: Combine the sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, cornstarch and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until evenly blended. Add the melted butter and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the heavy cream and vanilla, then continue to mix on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until no white streaks remain. Add the egg yolks and mix on low speed just long enough to combine, ensuring that the mixture is glossy and homogenous, but do not over mix!
8. Bake the Pie: Place the prepared pie plates on a sheet pan. Divide the filling evenly between the pie crusts; the filling should only fill the plates about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes, until the pies are golden brown on top but still very jiggly.
9. Open the oven door and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (163 degrees F). Leave the pies in the oven and the oven door open until the temperature reaches 325 degrees F. Once it does, close the oven door and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the pies are jiggly in the very center, but set around the outer edges.
10. Remove the pies from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Freeze the pies for at least 3 hours or overnight (this step condenses the filling and is a required step). Transfer the pies from the freezer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. (If not using immediately, the pies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
11. Just prior to serving, dust the pie with powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Do comment in the post below or tag me on Instagram: @sherbakes if you attempt your very own. Would love to share your joy in baking adventures
