Milk Bar Crack Pie

These milk bar crack pie bars are the best copycat recipe of Christina Tosi’s Momofoku’s crack pie, in an easy to make bar form. With the easiest hack, you’ll be able to make these in no time and they are SO good, you won’t be able to stop at one.

Why make these Milk Bar crack pie bars:

They are a great Momofoku Milk Bar copycat recipe, a bakery in New York famous for their milk pie (previously known as crack pie). They have their own signature technique that’s in their Momofoku milk bar cookbook, but I veer off the course with some seriously easy tricks. What’s best about this recipe is it takes so much of the prep work out by using ready made oatmeal cookies.

The original recipe has you make a homemade oatmeal cookie dough only to bake it and crumble it for the crust. My version is a huge time saver!

Having crack pie in bar form makes this so much simpler, portable and fun to share. A perfect pot luck dessert!

They really earn their name- you can’t stop eating them. A salty sweet combination with a crunchy oatmeal cookie crust and ooey and gooey top layer, unbelievably good.

Ingredients you need to make crack pie:

For the crust:

Oatmeal cookies: anything store bought you find, like Hobnobs (in the UK and Middle East), Tate’s thin and crispy (the US). Go for the options that aren’t iced!

Melted butter: Since the cookies already have fat in them, you shouldn’t need a lot of melted butter to get the cookie crumbs to form into a crust. If you do find you need more than 2 tablespoon to get the crumbs to stick together, add another tablespoon or two.

Brown sugar and salt: Brown sugar to enhance the sweetness, and salt to to offset the sweetness.

For the filling:

Melted butter

Dark brown sugar: You can also use light brown sugar, but I like the depth of flavor that the added molasses in dark brown sugar gives.

Granulated sugar

Egg yolks: You can freeze the leftover egg whites for up to a year! They thaw easily and can be used in the recipe of your choice. You don’t need to use the egg whites up right away.

Vanilla extract

Heavy cream: (also known as whipping cream): this gives great richness to the gooey filling

Milk powder: dried milk powder like Nido, adds a lot of flavor to the filling

Cornstarch: Just enough to set the filling enough that when you cut the milk bar pie into bars, the filling will hold. The original recipe calls for corn powder, but I’m not about sourcing an ingredient that I’ll only use for one recipe. Trust me, it’s delicious without.

Salt

How to make Milk Bar pie:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180C), and line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang .
2. Crush the oatmeal cookies into fine crumbs by using a food processor. You could also place in a large freezer safe bag and using a rolling pin to whack/roll them into crumbs.
3. Place in a large bowl, and add the melted butter, brown sugar, and pinch of salt. Combine until all the crumbs are evenly moistened.
4. Press this crumb crust firmly into the prepared baking pan. You can use the back of a measuring cup to really pack it in tightly. Set aside while you make the filling.
5. In a large bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar and whisk until combined.
6. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and heavy cream and whisk, then add in the milk powder, cornstarch and salt and whisk until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour the filling evenly over the prepared base, and smooth out the top.
8. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 F (160C) and leaving the oven door cracked open, bake for another 5 minutes. Close the oven door, and bake for the final 5-8 minutes, until the bars are set but still a little jiggly in the center. It’ll set more during the cooling process.
9. Cool completely before using a fine sieve to dust with powdered sugar (optional) and cutting into 16 squares. Refrigerate before serving as these are best eaten cold.

What can I serve with crack pie bars?

I like these as is, with a little powdered sugar on top. Best served with a cold glass of milk, or a black cup of coffee.

You could make these extra decadent and serve them warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storing leftover milk bar crack pie bars:

What are those? You’ll want to eat the entire pan in one sitting. If you do show restraint, these keep very well tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They do need to be stored in the fridge.

They also freeze well! Freeze for up to 1 months in a tightly covered container, if you freeze them as individual bars, they’ll thaw very quickly at room temperature or in the fridge for an hour.

Expert tips and tricks:

• Go the store bought option for the oatmeal cookies for the crust! Trust me, it’ll make the whole process a lot easier. Choose crispy oatmeal cookies, preferably without icing.
• When you line your baking pan with parchment paper, make sure to leave some excess parchment hanging over the sides so that it’s easy to lift out the bars once they’ve cooled to cut them into even squares.
• Take the bars out when they are still a little jiggly in the center, they’ll set up further as they cool and that’s what will give them that nice gooey texture.

Recipe FAQs: