Momofuku Milk Bar Pie (also known as Crack Pie) is an utterly rich recipe reliable for a sweet indulgence. Made with a sweet, with just the right hint of salty, oatmeal cookie crust and filled with a custard-like filling, this pie is sure to please. Top it with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream, you truly can’t go wrong!

We have heard countless stories about the famed Milk Bar Pie (Crack Pie) from Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City. We've never been there myself but based on the lore, we could only imagine how memorable it must be. A while back, we gifted myself with the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook, which is where the recipe for the compost cookies originated.

The Crack Pie recipe was included at the end of the book, as a “bonus track”, for anyone who grew up listening to cassette tapes or CDs. We were long overdue on making it, and finally dove right in. At first glance, the recipe is long with multiple steps, but we're glad we finally got right to it. Spoiler: it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems at first glance!

What is Milk Bar Pie?

The Momofuku Milk Bar Pie was developed in 2008 by Christina Tosi. This was one of the original pies Tosi created for Milk Bar consisting of an oatmeal cookie crust and a soft-centered, buttery filling. The original name for the pie was Crack Pie which the company changed to The Milk Bar Pie in 2019. The pie itself remains the exact same.

Allll of the Ingredients!

This recipe is comprised of three parts: making an oat cookie “slab”, using said cookie as the base for the pie crust, then the pie filling itself. You will want to carve out a little time to make the pie and if you need to, you can break it down into parts for making in advance.

Oat Cookie Ingredients

Ingredients for the oat crust labeled with purple labels,

Butter: Gives structure to the oat cookie and allows it to spread while baking.
Sugar: A mix of both brown sugar and granulated gives the cookie both a soft yet crisp finish.
Egg: Helps bind the cookie together and give it a little color.
Bread flour: Gives the cookie a chewier finish than all purpose.
Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats add a chewy and nutty texture to this slab cookie.
Salt, baking powder, and baking soda: Cookie making staples that give it flavor and rise.

Cookie Crust Ingredients

Oat Cookie: Made above and cooled completely before making the crust.
Brown Sugar: Sweetens the crust.
Salt: Balances out the sweetness of the cookie crumb and sugar.
Butter: Binds the crust together.

Pie Filling Ingredients

The filling sets up a little bit soft and soft-centered and sweet and, well, reliable. Come to think of it, it’s a bit like the “soft-centered” part of a soft-centered butter cake. It’s sort of a custard, but sort of not. If you like pecan pie, chess pie, or soft-centered butter cake, we think you’ll love this!

Ingredients for crack pie filling in bowls with purple labels naming each ingredient.

Sugar: A mixture of granulated and light brown sugar to keep it sweet and soft-centered!
Milk Powder: Sweetens the filling while also adding a bit of color to the finished pie.
Corn powder: You can purchase it online or you can also sub cornstarch, but it might impact the flavor.
Salt: To add flavor and balance the sweetness.
Butter + Heavy cream: Flavors and tenderizes the filling.
Vanilla: Flavor, flavor, flavor.
Egg Yolks: Gives the pie filling more of a custard texture.

Baker notes

The recipe calls for 10-inch pie plates and the author uses disposable foil tins. We attempted to use our 10-inch ceramic pie plate, but the crust wouldn’t adhere to it, as it was sort of slippery. We recommend the disposable foil or glass.
If you use a 9-inch pie plate, it will take longer to set up in the oven than indicated in the recipe below. Go by the visual clues noted in the recipe.
The author adamantly states that the filling MUST be made with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment. She said the same texture can’t be achieved through mixing by hand or using a hand mixer.
Extra egg whites? Save them to make classic meringue cookies, a Pavlova, or a fluffy angel food cake.

Serving Suggestions

We are not going to stop you if you want to dive headfirst into a slice of this decadent Milk Bar Pie, as is. However, might we suggest a few ways to dress up this one-of-a-kind pie:

Dust with powdered sugar
Top with from-scratch whipped cream
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Storing, Freezing, and Making Ahead

Since this crack pie recipe takes a bit of time to make you can do a few of the steps in advance to save on time as needed.

Store: Keep the pie wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and store for up to 1 month in the freezer. Transfer to the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you plan to serve it.
Make-Ahead the Crust: Make the cookie crust up to 2 weeks in advance. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to use.
Make-Ahead the Filling: Make the filling up to 1 week in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container.

Reliable Pies to Make Next

Milk Bar Pie made with a salty yet sweet oatmeal cookie crust filled with an ooey, soft-centered buttery filling and topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream needs to be on your bake list. It’s beyond rich and has you coming back bite after bite.

Photography by Dee Frances.

Yield: 16 servings (Two 10-inch pies)
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Oat Cookie:

½ cup ( 113 g ) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup ( 71 g ) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ cup ( 60 g ) bread flour
1½ cups ( 149 g ) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ( 0.13 teaspoon ) baking powder
Pinch of baking soda

For the Crust:

1 recipe Oat Cookie, above
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
¼ cup ( 57 g ) unsalted butter, melted

For the Pie Filling:

1½ cups ( 298 g ) granulated sugar
¾ cup ( 159 g ) light brown sugar
¼ cup ( 21 g ) dry milk powder
¼ cup ( 28 g ) corn powder
1½ teaspoons ( 1.5 teaspoons ) kosher salt
1 cup ( 227 g ) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup ( 170 ml ) heavy cream
½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
8 egg yolks

Method

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.
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.
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.
Turn the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread to a ¼-inch thickness (it won’t take up the entire sheet). Bake for 15 minutes, or until the middle of the cookie is puffed, but the edges are firmly set. Cool completely before using.
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 plush enough to form a cohesive mass, melt an additional 1 to 1½ tablespoons of butter and mix in as before.
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. (If not using immediately, the pie shells can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)
Make the Pie Filling: Combine the sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, corn powder 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 plush. 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! (If not using immediately, the filling can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
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 jiggly.
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 center, but set around the outer edges.
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.)
Just prior to serving, dust the pie with powdered sugar. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

Pie Plates: The recipe calls for 10-inch pie plates and the author uses disposable foil tins. We attempted to use our 10-inch ceramic pie plate, but the crust wouldn’t adhere to it, as it was sort of slippery. We recommend disposable foil or glass.

If you use a 9-inch pie plate, it will take longer to set up in the oven than indicated in the recipe below. Go by the visual clues noted in the recipe.

The author adamantly states that the filling MUST be made with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment. She said the same texture can’t be achieved through mixing by hand or using a hand mixer.

Extra egg whites? Save them to make classic meringue cookies, a Pavlova, or a fluffy angel food cake.

Serving Suggestions: Dust with powdered sugar / Top with from-scratch whipped cream / Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Store: Keep the pie wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Freeze: Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil and store for up to 1 month in the freezer.

Make-Ahead the Crust: Make the cookie crust up to 2 weeks in advance. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Make-Ahead the Filling: Make the filling up to 1 week in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container.

Recipe from Milk Bar Cookbook.

Photography by Dee Frances.

Momofuku Milk Bar Crack Pie