Crack Pie

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Crack Pie DISCLAIMER: 1. This pie does not contain actual crack. 2. This picture does not do it justice.

A few weeks ago my friend Carly asked if I had ever tasted Crack Pie. Crack Pie? Huh? She then explained it’s some crazy addictive pie she’d heard about, and that you can buy it online from Momofuku Milk Bar for $44. Yes, $44. As fate would have it, the LA Times ran an article about the pie the very next day, and included in the article was the recipe. I promised Carly I would make it.

So when I got invited to a friend’s Oscar party, I figured hey, why not try out the Crack Pie? Since the recipe yields two pies, I had grand plans of tasting one pie then freezing the rest of it so Carly could try it, and bringing the other pie to the party. Of course, my oven had other plans and I burned the first pie beyond repair (totally my fault, I set the oven incorrectly). This meant I only had one pie to work with and I would be bringing something I had never tasted to the party.

To make matters worse, I read tons of reviews and everyone said their pies were jiggily and oozing and undercooked so I cooked mine about 10 minutes longer, and when I took it out of the oven the top was cracked which made me fairly certain I had over-baked it. However, the final step of the recipe calls for a light (I have a heavy hand apparently) dusting of powdered sugar which covered the ugly exterior and no one was ever the wiser.

Fortunately, it was a huge hit. As in, OMG WHAT IS THIS PIE? IT IS SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! and I CAN SEE WHY IT’S CALLED CRACK PIE, IT’S BETTER THAN CRACK (if you say so). The pie is crazy rich with a caramel flavor and gooey interior. A slice held its shape for about .23 seconds before becoming an oozy mess on a plate, but no one cared. It was that good. In fact, it’s a “I’d eat this straight from the fridge with a spoon my fingers kind of good. Although, I have to admit, I don’t think I’d pay $44 for it.

Some notes: 1. I hate “scant” measurements and used the weight measurements whenever possible. 2. My pies felt super jiggily after taking them out of the oven at the lower temp, so I baked them for an additional 10 minutes, which I’m still not sure they needed.

Photos of the process here.

Ingredients for Cookie for Crust
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) flour
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 egg
Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats

Preparation

  1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
  5. With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.
  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.

Ingredients for Crust
Crumbled cookie for crust
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation
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.

Ingredients for Filling
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon (3/4 ounce) milk powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts
Powdered sugar, garnish

Preparation

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, 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 (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.
  6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Recipe from the LA Times.

Comments

18 Responses to “Crack Pie”

    Cheryl on 1 March 8th, 2010 5:53 pm

    I’ve been reading about this all over the web, but $44 for a pie???

    dawn on 2 March 8th, 2010 6:35 pm

    This does look totally delicious but agree, $44.00 is a lot for a pie. Maybe that’s the street value for a crack pie 🙂

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    […] Crack Pie : Nosh With Me […]

    veggievixen on 4 March 9th, 2010 6:37 am

    you should totally sell this on your own and become a crack pie dealer. = $$$

    Amy on 5 March 9th, 2010 8:39 am

    Ohhh I’m sooo glad you made this! I’ve been hearing about this pie for awhile now and have the recipe bookmarked to make sometime soon! I’m glad it turned out so delicious. I can’t wait to make it!

    And thanks again for the cookbook!!! I love it and can’t wait for the opportunity to bake someone a cake!!!!

    Seanna Lea on 6 March 9th, 2010 8:42 am

    Based on your endorsement I kind of want to ditch the crust and use it as a topping for ice cream. If it is that oozy and delicious with a little bit of baking, then I’m sure it would be even better on top of some brown sugar or vanilla ice cream.

    Yum!

    Ammy on 7 March 9th, 2010 9:13 am

    Sounds kind of like pecan pie, no pecans?

    Adding this to me ‘to bake’ list!

    justJENN on 8 March 9th, 2010 7:52 pm

    Wow there’s surprisingly not much to it!

    Hilary on 9 March 10th, 2010 9:40 am

    @Seanna Lea, The crust is amazing as well!!

    @Ammy, yeah, it is similar to a pecan pie sans the pecans.

    @justJENN, fairly simple, just time consuming.

    @veggievixen, hahah!

    @cheryl and Dawn, no doubt!!

    Angela on 10 March 13th, 2010 8:17 pm

    When my husband and I went to New York this past December, I made it a point to go try the crack pie at Momofuku. While their service was TERRRRRRRIBLE, the pie was pretty good. The slice was super small, and at $5 a slice, it didn’t seem worth it to me in the end. However, my husband and I both agreed that it tastes JUST like Sylvanas, a super rich Filipino dessert – sooo good!

    Keren on 11 March 14th, 2010 6:58 pm

    I made this pie for the family today. You are right about the “scant” measurements. They were a bit of a pain. I was concerned about the runniness that you described. I have had this problem with crème brulee. The solution to my runny crème brulee problem was to whisk the egg yolks for about 5 minutes until the yolks are smooth and bright yellow. I decided to try this method for the pies. I don’t know what the consistency is like following the original instructions. However, my pies were not runny at all. The slices held their shape after cutting. I cooked one pie for 15 minutes at 325 and the other for 10 minutes at 325. I found that the consistency of the “10 minute pie” was better. It was also easier to slice. Just my .02 cents.

    Looking forward to new recipes!

    Jenn on 12 March 27th, 2010 3:25 pm

    Made this today, friends enjoyed it even though I messed the heavy cream up. Served cold, it was tasty but warms seems like it would be super duper delicious.

    barbara on 13 April 14th, 2010 4:34 pm

    I was not sure what milk powder is? Is that just powdered milk?

    Keren on 14 April 14th, 2010 4:53 pm

    @barbara
    Henry’s sells it in bulk. You can buy the amount that you need.

    Hilary on 15 April 14th, 2010 8:16 pm

    @barbara – Yeah, milk powder and powdered milk are the same thing. Let me know how it turns out!

    barbara on 16 April 15th, 2010 9:03 am

    thanks. Just got back from the store with the ing. and just about to bake. Will let you know.

    barbara on 17 April 18th, 2010 3:33 pm

    We were not fans. Some of my guest thought it was too sweet. I have the biggest sweet tooth and found it lacking. I thought the addition of macadamia nuts would
    be the missing ing.

    Compost Cookie Bars (AKA Break Up Cookies) : Nosh With Me on 18 November 13th, 2013 10:31 pm

    […] and bakeries I wanted to visit while I was there. On my list was of course Momofuku, home of the Crack Pie I made a while back. I’ve been curious to try their compost cookies which I had heard contain […]