It’s not what you think. At the very least, it’s not the crack that Toronto has become famous for (didn’t you know?). It’s the other crack that Chef David Chang and Christina Tosi’s Milkbar in NYC that has this crack elevated to the highest of honors, it’s Crack Pie. If you have never heard of Crack Pie, it’s a decadent combination of butter, sugars (brown and white), eggs and oats. It’s incredibly rich and moreish. But I warn you, a slice of this pie will cost you dearly (and I’m not even going to talk about the $44 price tag for whole pie sold at Milkbar in NYC). Is it worth it? The calories and the time to make it? I’ll let you be the judge. If you ask me if I’ll make it again, I’m going to say probably not. It’s not that it wasn’t good, that it was, but there are a lot of other desserts that are equally as good without being as caloric (Bon Appetite’s recipe details the nutritional facts as: 1 slice (a pie serves 12 people) 350.8 Calories, 53.8 g Fat (21.0 g Saturated Fat)). Some of my dear readers will swoon over this recipe and some will be appalled because it’s not something that generally fits into this blog. To those who are appalled I apologize, it’s not often I make something so outlandishly bad for you. To those who swoon, tread lightly, it is as dangerous as the illegal kind (crack, that is!)
I cannot take credit for this pie on my radar because it was my dear fellow blogger Lorraine, over at Not Quite Nigella who introduced me to it in June last year. It was part of the Daring Bakers Challenge (I do not participate) but I saw it pop up all over the place in the blogs I follow. I filed this recipe in a spot I file many recipes that are not as healthy, most likely never to be made, but we were at a fund raiser for one of the Photographer’s wives who was doing a hike to Machu Picchu to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness and one of the food stylists made Crack Pie (she made it in a slab and cut it into tiny squares). I knew I had to try it. JT loved it, so when we had my nephew over for dinner in late August, I took the plunge and made it.
Momofuku’s Crack Pie
Makes 1 pie about 25 cm diameter
Ingredients for Oat Cookie Crust:
- 9 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, divided (6 & 3 tbsp)
- 5 1/2 tbsp packed light brown sugar, divided (4 & 1½ tbsp)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions for oatmeal cookie crust:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Line a 13″ x 9″ sheet with parchment and spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Using a mixer, beat 6 tbsp butter with 4 tbsp brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the egg and beat again until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Fold in the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until well blended.
- Turn out the oat mixture into prepared baking pan and press out evenly to edges of pan or close enough.
- Bake until lightly golden about 18 minutes.
- Lift parchment with cookie onto a wire rack and cool completely, about an hour.
- Once cool, crumble the cookie into a large bowl and add the remaining 3 tbsp (45 gm) butter and 1-1/2 tbsp brown sugar and mix well until the mixture is moist and will stick together when pressed between your fingers (think graham cracker crust).
- Pour the cookie crust mixture to a 25 cm spring-form pan and press into the bottom and sides using your fingers and/or anything that will press it firmly. Set aside.
Ingredients for filling:
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp dry milk powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 6 1/2 tbsp table cream (recipe called for whipping cream but I had table cream on hand so I used it instead)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-
(Powdered sugar for dusting) – I forgot
Directions for filling:
- Preheat to 350° F (180° C). Spray a 25 cm spring-form pan with baking spray.
- Whisk sugars, milk powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and add melted butter and whisk until blended.
- Add the cream, egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended.
- Pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake for 30 minutes (filling might bubble up) then reduce oven temperature to 325° F (160°C) and continue to bake until filling is golden on top and set around edges (20 minutes longer).
- Cool pie completely on a wire rack. Chill uncovered overnight. Carefully glide a knife around the edges to loosen and remove the sides of the spring-form pan and slide the sides off. Position on a serving plate.
- Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into thin wedges. Serve cold with a drizzle of caramel and a dollop of whipped cream.
[…] freezer and blitz them in the food processor for pie crusts. I got the idea from Momofuko’s Momofuko’s Crack Pie Recipe, plus it gives us a good reason not to eat the trimmings! (Method in my […]
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[…] Pie is my version of Crack Pie that I made and posted at the end of September. It was unhealthy to say the least so I had an idea […]
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Well named pie! I’ll have to do about 5 hikes in one day and then I can try a slice, lol! 🙂
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No kidding Betsy, you and me both!
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This is a fantastic pie, Eva, but a bit too sweet for me, much like a good pecan pie. I would have gobbled both as a young boy but somewhere along the way, they went from “Yum!” to “Um. No, thanks.” Probably about the time I had to start paying my own dentist bills, I would imagine.
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Very pretty presentation with the swirly-whirlies Eva 🙂 I’m with Sissi on this — despite a relentless and highly successful anti-fat media campaign, I have no issues with saturated fat (coconut oil/butter/meat) and would be happy to partake in this dessert!
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I remember seeing this somewhere before and I wanted to try it. So I’m glad you posted it. Perhaps I’ll give it a shot for Thanksgiving this year. It sounds right up my alley and one the kids might like too. I mean the oat crust alone gets me! Delicious Eva. 🙂
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Ive never heard of but looks and sounds tasty! love how you have plated it too
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This is on our list of things to make, but just haven’t gotten around to it. In part because we’re afraid it’s way too crack-like, and once we make it, we’ll make it all the time! This is wonderful — thanks.
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crack is right! Wow this looks so sweet and rich and delicious!
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Mmm so sugary and inviting, I have to try this pie! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Lovely Eva I’m so glad that you made this and thank you for the lovely shout out! Hehe to the Toronto crack reference. He definitely makes the news over here with his antics but whenever I think of Toronto I don’t think of him, I think of you! An infinitely better thought!
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It’s so incredible! I have just (by just I mean yesterday!) bought Momofuku cookbook (has been on my wish list for ages…) and now you mention it…. By the way, the chef’s name is David Chang if I remember.
You know what? I love this pie and I’ll try to make it one day, though maybe with much less sugar… (I usually cannot swallow very sweet desserts). I hope it’ll keep moist. Beautiful presentation!
Contrary to most bloggers (from what I have observed), I prefer butter – packed sweets rather than floury traditional cakes which often have more kcal in one slice (mainly because slices are bigger) and which are simply easier to eat in big amounts… (not to mention the fact that in sweets’ section I prefer to indulge in fats than carbs which I keep for my French baguette 😉 ). The floury ones have also one huge flaw for me: they don’t seem as bad as they really are… In short, this is a wonderful pie I’d happily indulge in from time to time…
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Yo…I read like this title like, “Wait..what??”
Very well done Eva girl!!
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Thank you kindly Dana girl😘!
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I haven’t made one of these for the same reason you hadn’t until now. 350 calories for one slice is huge. That said, now it’s all I can think about making. 🙂 It looks SO good.
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Hi Maureen, you can make the whole recipe and make two smaller pies and freeze one!
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I love your presentation with the sauce drizzled all over the plate. I’ve heard of this pie but I’ve never tried it. It sure does have a lot of butter and sugar but these sorts of caloric desserts are absolutely fine – if you’ve just come in from climbing Everest xx
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I laughed out loud at your comment, and yes indeed these types of desserts require planning ahead to achieve balance!
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Sounds rich and more-ish, but I’d be inclined to cut back on the sugar.
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Hi Lizzy, yes I will too if I ever make it again, I like to try a recipe in its true form the first time around.
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350 calories per small slice and 53,8 g of fat…o my…that’s really a lot. Well, life is too short, so I will indulge myself once in a while. It looks divine.
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Thanks Angie, it’s totally caloric!
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I always want to make this and never do. Thanks for the reminder, looks great.
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Thanks Greg, pick a time when you have guests because it’s too easy to eat (I’m told 😉).
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Sounds decadent but too much sugar for me so I will have to pass.
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I have to agree with you Norma.
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Truly a recipe I wouldn’t think you would make but I’m sure it is delicious. 🙂
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It was too sweet for my taste, Karen but everyone loved it.
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The pie looks quite simple and … homey, in spite of the calories. With the oatmeal, I’d call it healthy. 🙂
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You’re too funny Maria!
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This looks uncannily like a treacle tart to me.
http://www.fdathome.co.uk/treacle-tart-strawberry-cheesecake-ice-cream/
Made with oats rather than breadcrumbs. Thing I’d prefer the oaty one as it would be a cross between a flapjack and the treacle tart. Two pies in one! Win win. Plus I love the name of it.
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It sure does David. Both are very rich. I’m going to post another recipe that’s slightly less rich but equally as tasty!
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