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Crack Pie has an oatmeal cookie crust that’s topped with the most incredible sweet and salty filling! This is a homemade copycat version of the famous Milk Bar pie and it always hits the spot. Serve it at your next party or potluck and watch it disappear!
You might just be wondering – what exactly is crack pie…? The name certainly can have a negative connotation, but don’t shoot the messenger! I didn’t name this pie. This pie was developed by Christina Tosi, owner of her legendary and popular bakery, Milk Bar. The craze has died down quite a bit, but I definitely can’t forget when it was at its forefront of popularity. The lines for this and her other treats were outrageously long, and totally worth it. I wish I had taken the time back then to make this recipe at home, but better late than never! I developed this at-home recipe when the craving struck for a slice of this pie and I didn’t feel like overpaying for one to be delivered to me (although I’ll admit, it was pretty tempting).
An oatmeal cookie crust serves as the base of this pie — it makes your usual graham cracker crust look pretty boring! To really make this a true from scratch recipe, I like to make the oatmeal cookies myself before incorporating them with butter to form the crust. The filling here is the real star of the show, though! It’s creamy, salty, sweet, and gooey in the very best way. I mean, in the words of Christina Tosi, it’s like crack…or let’s say, very addicting!
Why You’ll Love This
- It’s a copycat. I have a lot of fun with copycat recipes, especially when I know I’ve really nailed it! I have so many on my site, but to stick with the Milk Bar theme, years ago I was invited onto Anderson Cooper’s show as a “Blogger of the Day” and I found out that he loves Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies. I had to make a batch for him!
- Salty and sweet. I think we can all agree that this is the best flavor combo of all time, right? The gooey sweetness from the sugar is balanced beautifully by just the right amount of salt.
- Oatmeal cookie crust. I don’t know if I can ever go back to plain graham cracker crusts again! Okay, maybe that’s dramatic, but you get the idea. A cookie pie crust is just one of the best things I’ve ever whipped up in my kitchen – you’ll soon agree with me when you make it too!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this copycat crack pie recipe. It seems long, and it is, but they’re all pantry ingredients! Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.
For the pie crust:
- Salted butter
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Rolled oats
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
For the filling:
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Milk powder
- Salt
- Salted butter
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla
- Egg yolks
How To Make Crack Pie
Here is a general overview of the steps involved to make this crack pie recipe. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F, place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the cookie dough. Cream together the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer. Once light and fluffy, beat in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the rolled oats, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stop and scrape as needed.
Bake the cookie dough. Spread the cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling. Combine the sugars, milk powder, and salt in your stand mixer. Add the melted butter, stopping and scraping as needed. Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla until incorporated, then add the egg yolks and continue to mix until the mixture is glossy. Set the mixture aside.
Create the pie crust. Break up the cookie into pieces and add to a food processor. Add the melted butter and blend until crumbly. Press this mixture into your pie dish.
Bake the pie. Place your pie dish onto a baking sheet and pour the filling into the pie dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. Then, lower the heat to 325°F and bake for another 15 minutes.
Let it cool. Allow the pie to cool at room temperature (on a wire rack is preferred) for thirty minutes. Wrap it in tin foil and place it in the freezer for at least 3 hours. One hour before you plan on serving it, move the pie to the fridge.
Serve! Dust the pie with powdered sugar just before serving, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
Here are just a few notes to peruse before making this easy pie recipe:
- Is it jiggly? Your crack pie should be lightly browned on top and just a little bit jiggly before you remove it from the oven. If it’s super jiggly and not quite brown, leave it in the oven for just a few more minutes to finish fully cooking.
- You don’t need to fill the pan. The oatmeal cookie dough probably won’t fill the whole baking sheet, and that’s perfectly fine! Don’t try to stretch it out to fit the pan, or it may get way too thin and burn easily in the oven.
- Don’t forget to freeze it. I like to let my crack pie freeze for at least 3 hours, but overnight is really best. This helps it set up to the perfect consistency. Just remember to move it to the fridge 1 hour prior to serving and you’re good to go!
- In a hurry? If you don’t have the time to make the oatmeal cookies the day of, you can make them ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for a few days. The same goes for the filling. It may be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Storage Instructions
In an airtight container, crack pie will stay fresh for up to 7 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
More Pie Recipes We Love
Let’s be honest… I think we love ALL pie recipes. Some that I’m pretty obsessed with lately include (but certainly aren’t limited to):
Crack Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the oatmeal cookie base:
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter, softened and divided (6 Tablespoons for cookie, 2 Tablespoons for assembling crust)
- ⅓ cup (73 g) brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup (81 g) rolled oats
- ⅓ cup (42 g) flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
For the filling:
- ¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (114 g) salted butter, melted
- 6 Tablespoon (90 g) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 egg yolks
- Powdered sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer at medium speed, cream together the 6 Tablespoons of butter with the brown and white sugars. It will take about 3 minutes for this mixture to become light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla for another 2 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low, and mix in the rolled oats, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Scrape down the sides, and be sure that this is well mixed.
- Spread this cookie dough about ¼ inch thick on the prepared baking pan. It does not have to fill the whole pan, as we will just be breaking up this big cookie later.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is turning golden.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- While this is cooling, make the filling. Using the paddle attachment on your standing mixer, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, milk powder and salt at low speed.
- Add the melted butter and mix until all ingredients are wet. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla, scraping down the sides as needed. It will take 2- 3 minutes for these ingredients to be fully incorporated.
- Make sure you keep the speed set to low as you add in the egg yolks. You will mix this until the mixture is glossy. (about 3 minutes)
- Set this filling mixture aside.
- When the cookie is completely cooled, break it up into pieces which you will put in a food processor. Add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of softened butter and add this to the food processor. Pulse until crumbly and mixed well.
- Press these oatmeal cookie crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of your pie dish. (A 9-10 inch glass pie dish is preferred.)
- Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the pie dish.
- Carefully move the baking sheet containing the pie pan to the middle rack of the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 325 °F (163 °C) and bake for 15 more minutes. The pie should be fairly brown on top. It may still be a little jiggly. If it is very jiggly, give it 5 more minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven. Place the pie pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool for ½ hour. Then wrap it with tin foil and place it in the freezer (for at least 3 hours, or overnight). Move the pie from the freezer to the fridge 1 hour before you are planning to serve it.
- Dust it with icing sugar before serving.
