Crack Pie: Tim's Thanksgiving alternative

I’m not a pie person. I don’t have the patience to make pie crust and I really dislike pumpkin pie. In previous years I have made apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner. But when it comes right down to it, I’d really rather have something chocolate. Even if the pilgrims never ate chocolate.

So earlier this year, when Tim came across this recipe for Crack Pie in The Los Angeles Times he told me he’d found me the perfect Thanksgiving pie alternative.

Momofuku Milk Bar in Manhattan puts a few twists on the old-fashioned chess pie of Tim’s Tennessee youth. First, there’s the name: Crack Pie. A daring, attention-grabbing moniker for an addictive dessert that Momofuku has gone so far as to trademark. Then, there’s the crust. This is no normal pie crust. It’s an oat cookie baked to perfection and then crumbled together with more butter and pressed into a pie dish. No rolling out the dough. Even I could make this crust! And finally, the combination of the cookie crust with the buttery, gooey pie filling is like candy in your mouth.

It’s totally crack. Perfection in a pie. I’m hooked. How about you?

You can order these pies for a mere $44 per pie (Fed Ex shipping not included) direct from the bakery but it’s much more fun and cost-efficient to make your own.

Or, have your husband make one like Tim did this past weekend. 

This recipe is for two pies. Email me at sugarbowlmix at gmail dot com if you want to know why. (Or, cut the recipe in half to make only one.)

Cookie for crust

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/3 cup  light brown sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

Scant 1 cup rolled oats

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

An exciting aside: Tim removed the cookie from the oven and set it on the stove top where I was, unbeknownst to him, boiling water.

“Watch out!” I shouted, but it was too late.

The parchment paper caught on fire! With shrieks and yells from both of us, Tim grabbed the oven glove and put out the fire, but the glove caught on fire. Tim got the burner turned off, the glove in the sink and the cookie was saved. And me? I was taking pictures, of course. (Note the burned parchment paper below.)

Crust

Crumbled cookie

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 egg yolks

2 prepared crusts

Powdered sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 greased pie shells.

Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

Find the recipe to print here.