I couldn’t possibly make Momofuku Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies without having a stab at their other infamous sugar-laden treat: Crack Pie. Crack Pie’s probably well known amongst those who bake so I won’t needlessly launch into a full explanation of what it is. That’s been done more than adequately by other people (please visit Momofuku For 2 or Almost Bourdain for their Crack Pie adventures). The bottom line: Crack Pie is indeed addictive!
Crack Pie is actually not a hard thing to make but the best result does require that you do everything from scratch, most notably the crunchy oatmeal cookie base. There’s also nothing too complex about the pie’s filling but the ingredients all combine beautifully to deliver something unbelievably moreish. It’s similar to pecan pie filling (minus the pecans of course) and the sticky, gooey goodness is probably not unlike Shoo-Fly Pie. In spite of some similarities, Crack Pie is in a class of its own. I can’t quite pin-point what it tastes like. You do just want to keep eating it though.
The hardest thing about Crack Pie is ensuring that you have all your ingredients organised. The recipe is broken down in three stages and you certainly don’t need to do all three in quick succession. I made the cookie dough and prepared half for baking and froze the other for another occasion (the recipe is for two pies but I feared for my waistline if I went ahead and made two…). Once the cookie is baked you can come back to it at any time to process it into the pie base. You can also leave the pie base to sit for as long as needed until you’re ready to make the filling. This was great given the day I chose to make Crack Pie was dotted with a number of interruptions.
Halving the base and filling recipes for just one pie is simply a matter of halving all ingredients. As the pies are to be cooked one at a time, there is no adjustment needed for baking time.
Crack Pie is definitely best served chilled and with a bit of double cream to offset the intense sweetness. Beware. One bite is definitely not enough!
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Conor @ HoldtheBeef
September 13, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Ooooh the famed crack pie. I haven’t tried my hand at it, and fear for my waistline if it’s as good as yours looks and as good as everyone says! Maybe once my winter spread has magically disappeared ;)
Moni
September 16, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I am on a Momofuku ban currently even though I have some frozen dough for another pie base :| I recommend baking it in summer. One might just be able to resist it!