The Milk Bar pie (formerly Crack pie) is similar to a chess pie or a sugar pie, made with an oat cookie crust and a filling containing brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk powder, corn powder, cream, and egg yolks. Crack pie is a bestseller at Milk Bar!
Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugars on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light, fluffy, and pale, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl because small amounts will cling to the sides.
Add egg yolk and beat until pale and fluffy on medium–high for 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl again and mix more if needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour oats, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry mixture to the mixer bowl and stir it in on low speed until it disappears and a dough forms.
Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan and press out evenly to a ¼" thickness.
Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
Oat cookie crust
Note this makes enough crust for 2 pies.
Break up the cooled oat cookie into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the cookie to form crumbs, similar to wet sand.
Transfer the mixture to a big bowl and add the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter, sugar, and salt. Make sure that the crumb crust holds together when pinched.
Transfer half the cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter shallow pie plate (Note you may want to line the bottom of a pan with a circle of parchment to help you unmould the pie—I did not do this but it might make your life easier). Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Set aside.
The second half of oat cookie crust can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks or frozen until you are ready to use it. If you have an extra pie plate, you could even press it into the pan before freezing so all you will need to do is make the filling and bake it later!
Milk Bar pie filling and assembly
Preheat to 350°F (175 °C). Note that it's important to mix the filling on the lowest speed setting to avoid incorporating air, which will lead to pockets that will expand and collapse, leading to a less pretty finish.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn powder, milk powder, and salt on the lowest speed setting.
Add the melted butter and stir on low for 2 minutes until it's evenly mixed. Then add the egg yolks, one at a time, while mixing on low. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Drizzle in the cream and the vanilla on low for 2 minutes. You should have a golden yellow, thick creamy filling that is not at all aerated.
Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 15 minutes (filling may begin to brown—that's normal).
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (165 °C). Continue to bake pie until filling is browned all over top and set around edges but centre still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 15 minutes longer.
Cool pie 2 hours on a rack. Transfer to freezer and chill uncovered overnight.
Unmould the frozen pie and slice into 8 equal pieces. Serve cold dusted with a little powdered sugar. To unmould the pie, use a small offset spatula to release the edges from the plate. If the pie is truly stuck in the pan, you may have to slice it in the pan to be able to unmould it piece-by-piece.
Notes
DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead and kept in the freezer.
This Crack Pie recipe is adapted from Christina Tosi's Milk Bar cookbook, available on Amazon.