Copycat Milk Bar Crack Pie — This recipe lives up to its name and everyone should try this pie at least once!! It’s a fairly involved recipe from Christina Tosi’s Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, but I promise the effort is worth it!
Table of Contents
Milk Bar Crack Pie Recipe
Yep, you read the title correctly. This is a Christina Tosi recipe, and I surmise this pie and the real thing have a fair amount in common.
The addictive quality, thinking about it when you shouldn’t be, and wondering when you’re going to get it again are likely common themes for both. I can say definitely that all rings true with regard to Crack Pie.
Like all of Christina’s recipes, there are multiple steps and recipes within recipes but the results were worth it.
There’s a reason that Momofuku Milk Bar sells these pies for $44 each.
They are a PITA to make, the cost of the raw ingredients per pie, even if you go el cheapo and buy store-brand multiple sticks of butter, sugar, nearly a dozen eggs, heavy cream, and milk powder there’s probably at least $15 dollars worth of just raw ingredients in it.
Not to mention few hours worth of time and lots of labor and dishes. I had every sheet pan, mixing bowl, spatula, and measuring cup I own dirtied up for this pie.
Would I make this again? Yes, definitely, and with the changes I noted in the tips section of this blog post. (Use the table of contents at the beginning of this post to click through to the tips section!)
All in all, this baby is sweet, creamy, and will make you moan and groan. It’s full of texture from the crunchy oat cookie, complemented with the buttery smooth filling.
Each bite is crack-like, indeed.
- If you are not a fan of sweet desserts, this is not for you.
- If you are not a fan of fatty, buttery, rich desserts, this is not for you.
- If you’re not a fan of either of those things, you’re reading the wrong blog anyway.
I can only imagine the Google search hits my site is going to get after this post.
Copycat Crack Pie Ingredients
To make this Milk Bar pie recipe, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolks
- All-purpose flour
- Old-fashioned oats
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Corn powder
- Milk powder
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Crack Pie From Scratch
I’ve given very detailed instructions in the recipe card below on how to make this Milk Bar crack pie recipe. Below is just a brief overview of the process:
- Make the oat cookie crust. Make it like you would a normal cookie dough, spread it out onto a baking tray, then bake.
- Let the oat cookie cool completely, then pulse in a food processor with a little butter and salt.
- Press the oat cookie mixture into a pie plate.
- Make the pie filling. Whisk together the filling ingredients. Pour into the prepared pie shell.
- Bake the pie. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325F (leave the pie in the oven while you do this). When the oven temperature reads 325°, close the door and finish baking the pies for 5 minutes.
- Let the pie cool. Let the crack pie cool completely before slicing (otherwise it’ll be too runny and won’t slice well).
Tips for Adjusting the Original Crack Pie Recipe
As I’ve already mentioned, making Momofuku Crack Pie at home requires a lot of ingredients, recipe steps, and equipment. To make your life easier, here are my top tips for adjusting the recipe.
I would halve the entire recipe, not just the filling portion, right off the bat (no one needs two of these laying around, nor do you “need” the extra cookie portion; unless you have the freezer space for it or company or are training for a triathlon, halving is my recommendation)
I would use a 9-inch, not 10-inch, pie plate as she recommends. I felt it was just “barely” enough filling and don’t attribute it to halving the recipe. I also used more than half the cookie for the crust and feel a 9-inch would be better.
I would underbake the cookie crust by about 25-30% of what she recommends (take it from 15 minutes to about 10 minutes) so that it crumbles easier and packs into the pie plate easier; plus it gets baked a second time anyway as part of the pie.
I would consider buying a store-bought graham cracker pie crust and just making Christina’s filling if I wanted to take this recipe from 2 hours of standing on my feet to 15 minutes by just making the filling.
Tosi recommends baking the entire pie, crust and filling together, for 15 minutes at 350F, opening the oven door and allowing the oven to cool to 325F, and then baking for about 5 more minutes after the oven temperature has reached 325F (about 20-25 minutes of total baking time).
I needed to bake mine for about 31-34 minutes of total baking time in order for the center to set (at least one-third longer than she called for which is highly significant and to be noted). Also I was only baking one pie; if I had two in the oven, it would have taken even longer.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! Because I was halving the Momofuku crack pie recipe, this meant 1/8th cup or 2 tablespoons corn powder and rather than ordering or sourcing it at Whole Paycheck, I simply used 1 1/2 tablespoon King Arthur all-purpose flour and things turned out just fine.
This Momofuku crack pie should be stored in the fridge. It will last up to 5 days.
Yes, you can also wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, set in the fridge overnight.
When I first made this recipe, the pie was called “Crack Pie.” Now, it’s been re-branded as “Milk Bar Pie.”
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Crack Pie
Ingredients
Pie
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 recipe Oat Cookie, recipe follows
- 1 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 recipe Crack Pie Filling, recipe follows
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Oat Cookie
- ½ c. unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ c. light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp. white sugar, granulated
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ c. all-purpose flour
- 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
- ⅛ tsp. baking powder
- pinch baking soda
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
Crack Pie Filling
- 1 c. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ c. white sugar, granulated
- ¾ c. light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ c. corn powder, corn powder is defined as freeze-dried corn, ground to a fine powder
- ¼ c. milk powder
- ¾ c. heavy cream
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 large egg yolks
Instructions
Oat Cookie Crust:
- preheat the oven to 350°. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula. On a lower speed, add the egg to incorporate.
- Increase the speed back up to a medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white color.
- On a lower speed, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 60-75 seconds until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Your dough will still be a slightly fluffy, fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
- Pam spray and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat. Plop the oat cookie dough in the center of the pan and with a spatula, spread it out until it is 1/4″ thick. The dough won’t end up covering the entire pan, this is okay.
- Bake the oat cookie for 15 minutes. Cool completely before using in the crack pie recipe.
Pie Filling:
- Mix the dry ingredients for the filling using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low speed. Be sure to keep your mixer on low speed during the entire process of preparing the filling; if you try to mix on any higher than a low speed, you will incorporate too much air in the following steps and your pie will not be dense and gooey – the essence of the crack pie.
- Add the melted butter to the mixer and paddle until all the dry ingredients are moist.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the white from the cream has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the egg yolks to the mixer, paddling them in to the mixture just to combine. Be careful not to aerate the mixture. Use the filling immediately.
Assemble the Pies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Put the oat cookie, brown sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse it on and off until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can fake it till you make it and crumble the oat cookie diligently with your hands.)
- Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl and, with your hands, knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until the contents of the bowl are moist enough to knead into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, gently melt an additional 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and knead it into the oat crust mixture.
- Divide the oat crust evenly over two 10-inch pie tins.
- Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, press the oat cookie crust firmly into both 10-inch pie shells. Make sure the bottom and the walls of the pie shells are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately or, wrapped well in plastic, store the pie shells at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Place both pie shells on a sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly over both crusts (the filling should fill the crusts 3/4 way full) and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. During this time, the crack pie will still be very jiggly, but should become golden brown on top.
- At 15 minutes, open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325°F. Depending on your oven this will take 5-10 minutes – keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven temperature reads 325°F, close the door and finish baking the pies for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, the pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s eye centers, but not in the outer center circle. If the pies are still too jiggly, leave them in the oven an additional 5 minutes.
- Gently remove the baked pies from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool at room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you’re in a hurry. Freeze your pie for as little as 3 hours or up to overnight to condense the filling for a dense final product – the signature of a perfectly executed Crack Pie.
- Just before serving, finish with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
- Adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar
Notes
I would halve the entire recipe, not just the filling portion, right off the bat (no one needs two of these laying around, nor do you “need” the extra cookie portion; unless you have the freezer space for it or company or are training for a triathlon, halving is my recommendation) I would use a 9-inch, not 10-inch, pie plate as she recommends. I felt it was just “barely” enough filling and don’t attribute it to halving the recipe. I also used more than half the cookie for the crust and feel a 9-inch would be better. I would underbake the cookie crust by about 25-30% of what she recommends (take it from 15 minutes to about 10 minutes) so that it crumbles easier and packs into the pie plate easier; plus it gets baked a second time anyway as part of the pie. I would consider buying a store-bought graham cracker pie crust and just making Christina’s filling if I wanted to take this recipe from 2 hours of standing on my feet to 15 minutes by just making the filling. I didn’t miss the corn powder and would continue to use my 1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour because I am frugal, didn’t want to source it, and don’t want to store a bag of corn powder in my already maxed out cupboard space for the occasional one tablespoon use of it. Tosi recommends baking the entire pie, crust and filling together, for 15 minutes at 350F, opening the oven door and allowing the oven to cool to 325F, and then baking for about 5 more minutes after the oven temperature has reached 325F (about 20-25 minutes of total baking time). I needed to bake mine for about 31-34 minutes of total baking time in order for the center to set (at least one-third longer than she called for which is highly significant and to be noted). Also I was only baking one pie; if I had two in the oven, it would have taken even longer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Homemade Pie Recipes:
Sugar Cream Pie — This sugar cream pie reminds me a bit of crème brûlée. The filling is custard-like, and when topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon it’s irresistable!
The Best French Silk Pie — This French silk pie is made with an Oreo cookie crust. The filling is a cross between chocolate mousse and chocolate cheesecake, and it’s so addicting!
Easy Coconut Cream Pie — Homemade coconut cream pie that will become a family FAVORITE! There’s a luscious coconut filling, a creamy top, and this EASY from-scratch pie is loaded with coconut flavor because coconut is used four different ways! Use store bought crust to save time!
Coconut Custard Magic Pie — A one-bowl, no-mixer pie with a short ingredients list that is SO easy to make and forms three different LAYERS while it bakes!! Mindlessly easy, goofproof, and coconut lovers will go crazy for this MAGIC pie!!
Easy Banana Pudding Pie with Cream Cheese Crust — The no-bake filling tastes like a fluffy slice of heaven and the crust is no-roll!! An easy, goofproof pie that anyone can make in minutes!!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie — The filling tastes like the center of an underbaked chocolate chip COOKIE!! Gooey perfection! Easy, rich, decadent, extremely CHOCOLATY and you can use a frozen pie crust!!
I just got her cookbook as a gift for Valentine’s Day and I have to say I was like whoa those are some complicated recipes! I made the cornflake marshmallow cookies and had the same too-flat and overbaked results, so I’m glad it wasn’t me doing something wrong! I will definitely want to try this one out, though. Pretty much everyone loves the Crack Pie from what I’ve seen!
I know, have you ever seen so many long, complicated drawn out recipes? LOL Well I have but hers are right up there! And yes with those cookies. I believe it has to do with commercial vs. home kitchen equipment and also baking on a scale 10x as big as what we make. Sometimes you just can’t quadruple a recipe or make 1/10th of the recipe, even if you adjust all other measurements; baking just doesn’t always work that way, and I believe those things are partly to do with the many home-based (failed) or very iffy results. And on top of that, not quite sure if she divulges ALL her trade secrets in the book :) But this pie is worth taking the time to make!
This pie recipe looks & sounds delicious, but…I don’t see what’s amusing about naming all these food dishes with the word “crack” in it – better than crack, crack pie, crack cookies……I understand what the meaning is supposed to be, but it makes me cringes a bit & not really want to eat something that is compared as being like, or better than an ilegal street drug that destroys lives & has nothing good about it? I’m not trying to be rude or critical towards you, I just don’t get it.
I didn’t name the pie. If you notice, it’s a famous pie I made from the Momofuku Milkbar Cookbook of the famed Momofuku Milkbar restaurant in NYC. Christina Tosi named it, not me. I just made it.
No, I’m sorry, I didn’t see the part where someone else named it. But that really doesn’t make a difference to me. Honestly, I mean no offense to you personally, & I’m not criticizing you, you have some great recipes on your pages. This was just around the 4th or 5th recipe I’d seen in 2 days with the word “crack” in the title, so I just happened to comment on your page.. And I didn’t mean it in a critical way, I just really don’t get it & I wish someone could explain to me what the appeal is in that name? It doesn’t matter who named it, everyone seems to think it’s cute & the recipe becomes even more popular, even if it isn’t that good – this pie sounds amazing, btw, I’m thinking of it for Easter :)
I had a kid ask me why it’s ok to eat crack cookies, if drugs are bad for you. I think people just don’t really think about the meaning behind the name, maybe they just weren’t around when that drug was as pervasive as meth & destroyed so many families. It might be a different thought if we were serving out families ‘Magic Meth Mashed Potatoes’, ‘Better Than Meth Muffins’, or picture handing your kid a cookie & saying ‘here you go sweetie, have a ‘Monster Meth Cookie’ ,I wonder if those recipes would go viral?
Seriously, please don’t take it personally, just something to think about. I’ve been silently following your pages & like a lot of your stuff. I don’t know if you can delete my comments if you don’t want them there, or if I can do it if you want me to – but I will if you let me know.
This is a very strange comment. If you hate the name, why not call it something else..? Personal issues, I guess. Great looking pie!
in the 80’s there waas a “better than sex” cake… and now there are all the drug references with food. you are right and people should think before they name these things. but face it – Momofuku Custard Pie doesn’t sound as good!!! hahaha.
Hey JL, lighten up for God’s sake. Rename the damn pie if it makes you feel better. Seriously!
Thanks for the feedback. I ended up making 2 of these yesterday(we entertained 8 for dinner). It was a huge hit. Y0u’re spot on in recommending a 9 in pie pan. I had a bit of a challenge getting the pie crust spread evenly into the pan (the crust kept sticking to my fingers) Until I used a spoon to press it in-that worked pretty well. Also used your flour substitution. As a few others have noted mine turned out darker, but the taste is…well crackish! Great blog post!
I write a wine blog and found the perfect bottle of wine to enjoy with this, so I’ll be linking back to this page!
So glad that the pies were a big hit! Tthat is awesome that you made two! And glad my tips for the flour, pie size and it all worked out so well for you. Thanks in advance for the linkback :)
put plastic bags on your hands to press out cookie crusts… it helps a little!
Hello Averie,
this pie sounds yummy. I just may have to try it soon. :-) Probably when we invite company over since it would be too much for my hubby and me.
I have a couple of questions, must you use dry milk, I have regular, H&H and cream, no dry. also in the cookie recipe can’t I just put in the whole egg? or not at all? I love to bake pies, I have a really good crust recipe (got it from the Sacramento Union Paper, it’s been out of business for years) let me know if you are interested and I will share the recipe with you. love your pictures showing the steps, reminds me of the Pioneer Woman. Happy Baking. Joann
Hi I haven’t tried the pie other than exactly as I made it so I can’t really speak to how substitutions will work and altering things. I hope you get to try it – such a great tasting pie and thanks for the compliments that I remind you of Ree! That’s a super high honor :)
Hi Averie, I just watched the Martha Stewart video that you recommended, Very interesting. When they put the ingredients together for the crust she put in a whole egg, hmmm, so I will try it that way. Since they all kept saying it was like chess pie, I know they did not use dry milk in that recipe, but I am not sure how to sub. so may have to dink around with this and check out a chess pie recipe and see what’s what in that one. (I know I am bad always revising recipes. LOL) You are most welcome about you reminding me of Ree, she is such a character when she writes out her recipes, I so enjoy her. I hope to get more goodies from your site. :-)
Hi is milk powder the same as powdered milk?
yes
I work for a private club and this is what there getting on the Wednesday night buffet this week…I’ll make the whole recipe since I will need 2 pies! Thanks for the post. You need my little corner, run it through, dishwasher takes 3 minutes a load and wam bam thank you mam everything is clean. sure makes a difference in baking… ;)
disappointed mine looked nothing like your picture! I was worried i’d done it wrong, but then looked at other comments and other sites’ pics of this pie… and looks like it does come out much darker and more “set”… less “creamy”. “like a pecan pie w/o the pecans” as someone described it, is a great description. wish yours could be re-created with this recipe, as i prefer the look of it!
I did exactly what I typed in the recipe and all the related notes that I wrote. Maybe you baked yours longer/too long if it’s darker and more set; those would be 2 clues that it was baked longer than mine relatively speaking if oven temps, enviroments, etc were all perfectly calculated. Maybe just bake it less next time!
I don’t see how it could be like pecan pie w/o the pecans unless you used whole eggs instead of just the yolks as called for. My pecan pies do not have heavy cream or a thickener like corn powder or flour but they do have whole eggs, sugar and butter.
Just finished and mine are darker too – mine too remind me of a pecanless pecan pie. But oh my gosh does it taste good!! Sure, it would be nice to look like the pictures above but who cares when it tastes this good!!!
You have to remember that with BRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTS hitting a light-colored pie, they make things look much lighter than the pie really was/is in person. I mean yes, it’s a light pie, but the combined with natural light and photography lights, the pie ‘glows’ on camera. I don’t think yours is probably that much different than mine was. Next time if you want, tent w/ a sheet of foil the last 15 mins or so of baking to prevent some of that browning. Glad you loved it though!
This sounds pretty darn amazing. I can only imagine what it tastes like! But now I know WHY they charge $40-something for this pie…wow!
Sarah it’s a ton of work to make, I won’t lie. And the ingredients themselves, there’s a lot of raw materials $$ there so honestly, I can understand the $40 too after making it! You’ve got $20 worth of hard costs and your time is worth something but it IS an awesome pie and since you’re such a great baker, put it on your bucket list one day to make!
is corn powder = to me grinding up corn flower or corn meal ? i bought both not knowing what was bettter :/
Corn powder is what C. Tosi specifies in her book. To be honest, I am not really sure how corn powder is made and if it’s ground corn meal, corn flour or what. You’re looking for ‘corn powder’ if you choose to include it. I did not, as you can see in my notes, and it turned out just fine!
corn powder is actually freeze dried corn, ground up. you can get it at whole foods. not at all the same thing as corn meal or corn starch, and definitely makes a difference. she puts it in there for taste.
Crack Pie Recipe
I am so glad you pulled this out of the archives for us! Seriously, this pies looks INCREDIBLE. Like…. ****INCREDIBLE****!!!
I know you make a Chess Pie and that’s essentially what this is, except doctored up, Christina Tosi style (who manages to make even simple recipes complicated LOL) but this pie, Ashton, it’s so good. And honestly, if you love Chess Pie, you will love love love this. If you have an occasion to make a fussy/complicated dessert and you want a pie, put this one on your bucket list. It’s worth it!
I’m pretty sure corn ‘powder’ could be made by taking a bit of corn meal (like what you would use to make corn bread..or even grits) and grinding it finely in a food processor or coffee/herb grinder
that is to say, if you are using regular flour as a substitute…if you wanted to go the extra mile and have the actual corn aspect..I’m pretty sure you could do it this way :)
assuming you have corn meal on hand, that is…
Averie, would corn starch be a suitable substitute for corn powder?
In the recipe notes I wrote this, “I didn’t miss the corn powder and would continue to use my 1 1/2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour because I am frugal, didn’t want to source it, and don’t want to store a bag of corn powder in my already maxed out cupboard space for the occasional one tablespoon use of it.”
So you can use your judgment what you think the best action would be. LMK how it goes!