Momofuku Milk Bar’s Crack Pie is one of the most delicious desserts you will ever taste. That is a scientific fact.
I met Christina Tosi earlier this year at a pastry event in DC and was totally smitten. Full blown girl crush.
She is so incredibly creative! Talk about inspiration. I wanted to hang out with her all night but also didn’t want to be a weird stalker chick.
So I let her do her job after sampling everything on the table. All of it was delicious.
I’ve been making recipes from her cookbook for quite some time and they’re all amazing. The corn cookies and the blueberries and cream cookies are to die for.
And I’m so excited that I’m finally going to visit Momokufu Milk Bar in November when Jeff and I head to NYC for 3 days.
When a friend requested that I make her Momofuku’s crack pie, I was happy to oblige. It’s ooey, gooey, sweet and exactly what I’d expect from someplace called Milk Bar.
Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie
Ingredients
Oat cookie crust:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
- 5 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
- 6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
Prepare the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
- Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.
Prepare the filling:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight.
- Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
I went back and read the comments on the other story first! It’s an interesting topic and I think being different just for the sake of being different is not good, nor is it really authentic :) And yes there will be some people that will judge if you make money but as you say, if you are doing something that you love, then you are the luckiest :)
Rachel {Studio Cuisine} says
I cannot explain how much I adore that Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook, and I can’t decide what I loved the most of everything I’ve made (the corn cookies are definitely up there, and I’m obsessed with the chocolate cookies too). Now it seems like I have to make this pie as well! As far as blogging goes, I think it’s all about passion. If you love it then it shows in your work and that’s all the authenticity you need.
Lauren @ Gourmet Veggie Mama says
Ah, so THAT’S why you needed freeze-dreid corn! I’ve been scratching my head over that one. :)
“I’ve always believed that the luckiest people alive are those who make a living doing what they love.”
I couldn’t agree more. It’s why I do what I do, including blogging and freelancing. There’s nothing wrong with making money from the things you love to do. I think it’s all about the way you do it. A few tasteful ads in the sidebar or a review of a product you were provided gratis here and there are fine, IMO. Flashing pop-ups and more ads than content are not. I’m also not a fan of paid reviews, at all.
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
Honestly, I am sick to death about the topic of how to blog, why we are blogging, what’s right and wrong and who’s doing what. I think it’s great to talk about it and get ideas and inspiration from one another. but all this analyzing and strategy takes the fun out of it (for me, anyway). Which means that I actually blog less, and in turn, make less money. Being different doesn’t automatically translate into being inauthentic. It just takes a bit more creativity.
I say do what you want and how you want to do it. It’s YOUR blog and you should enjoy every moment as much as possible!
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
btw…I totally didn’t mean that to come off as harsh. I was speaking in general about how this topic seems to be coming up all the time, everywhere I go lately. I completely understand why you would want to think about and discuss it. It’s just it’s personally starting to drive me batty ;-)
Savory Simple says
Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re being harsh. Just honest. This wasn’t a topic I planned on jumping into but something happened the other day (not to be cryptic) and I felt compelled to address it as delicately as possible. I think Deborah really nailed it with her comment.
All of the opinions about what we should and should not do come from other bloggers and the truth is that we’re only a small portion of the total audience. The general public doesn’t care about any of this crap; they’re just looking for good quality recipes. As a community, we all need to support one another instead of creating rules about what’s acceptable vs. inappropriate.
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
You’re right, her comment is right on the money. Pun intended :-)
Tracy says
This pie looks amazing! And, I think there is nothing wrong with getting paid to do something you love. I think there are bloggers who blog just for fun, and those who blog to make money – and either one is okay with me as long as you’re authentic and up-front about it. I’m somewhere in between the two; the couple of ads I run are basically to pay for my web host and ingredient expenses so that I can have a self-funding hobby, and I’ve never had anyone tell me they’re upset about that. And, like Jackie @ The Beeroness commented above, I’m more reserved online – maybe that comes across as me not being authentic enough, but that’s just who I am, and I’m not going to force something different – that would defeat the whole purpose, you know?
Marlene says
the pie, yum. What you wrote, AWESOME. Why shouldn’t we get paid to do something we love. I have A LONG way to go, but I love trying.
Savory Simple says
I’m trying as well but it’s a long and slow process. Baby steps!
Aly says
I have the cookbook, and the book recipe is definitely different from the Bon Appetit one. I noticed that a while back when some of the bloggers were doing Milk Bar Mondays and shared the recipe. I remember seeing different versions and being confused. :)
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Hi Jen! I’ve been away from blogging this week and I’ve missed two great discussions you had and I just spent last hour reading your posts and comments from your readers. Very interesting. Usually I’m way too busy with daily stuff (aka kids!) and I don’t get to reflect myself or even think too deeply about blogging in general but your posts led me think. For that I have to thank you. It is terrifying for me to share my opinion sometimes thinking if I offend anyone, etc. So I admire of your courage. I think there will be always people who have different opinions and views about blogging/food you cook/photography…anything you do. But at the end, you will be at peace when you are happy about it. I hear people advice to other bloggers “be yourself” and I now understand the true meaning of it. We can’t control what each reader/blogger think of your food/blog/photography/making money/anything, so it always come back to you how you feel about it. There’s probably no perfect answer as each one slightly feels differently. I think I’m going off topic… we bloggers are compassionate to each other as we experience the same/similar path and we feel sense of security when we feel we’re doing the right thing especially when we get lost sometimes… Be kind to each other, do what you like, challenging yourself, do your best (you already do amazing job!!)… can that make you authentic blogger? :) Passed midnight and I think I’ll end here before I confuse myself. haha. Thank you agian, and loving your pie~~~!
Giovanna says
Hi Jen!
What a elicious recipe! :) I can’t wait to try it at home…:)
About the whole blogging-making money issue, well I’m with Roger here, the only sin of a blog is being dull. If you can do what you love and that path allows you to make money too, that’s great!! ;)
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I post the recipes I like and share with people who share the same interest..that’s all.
The pie looks divine!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
Hey Jen, just came back to read this again and saw your note about the recipe – the one posted on my blog is directly from my copy of her book if you wanted to compare. I’m intrigued to know now if there is a different version. The corn powder is a great addition! And I actually spotted freeze-dried corn at Target the other day!
Savory Simple says
Good to know! I know she sells corn powder at the Milk Bar and since I’m going to NYC in 2 weeks I’m going to stock up.
Kristina says
Yum!! I had a slice of this last time I was in NYC, SO good! And a few birthday cake truffles, those recipes are addicting! Interesting read about blogging too, about to go check out your last post I missed. I think the most important thing is to just be yourself, no matter how that story materializes :)
Kiran says
I didn’t get a chance to go to Momofuku on our recent trip to NYC. Can you believe that?!? I’d love to try this crack pie someday :)
In regards to monetizing blogs out there — I don’t mind it as long as it’s not a fully blown monetizing blog. There should be a personal story and if it’s all about $$$, you bet I won’t be visiting again. There’s a fine line between monetizing and connecting with your readers.
Debra says
To your question: I don’t make any negative connection between a person’s more commercial or perceived success and authenticity of the original project. If I enjoy what someone is offering, I am happy for them if they’ve found a way to make it personally profitable. In fact, for some reason the line of thinking that it is in some way not an authentic writing voice feels dismissive and a bit demeaning to the reader–that would be me– because it indicates I am incapable of understanding how a person can blend enjoyment and passion with contributing to their own financial gain. I do wish you success.
And the pie? Of course that’s a winner!