Milk Bar Crack Pie (Printable)
Chewy oat-cookie crust with a buttery, caramel-like filling and a tender, gooey center; best served chilled.
# What You'll Need:
→ Oat Cookie Crust
01 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
02 - ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
03 - 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 cup rolled oats
06 - ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
07 - ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
08 - ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
09 - ¼ teaspoon salt
10 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for crust assembly)
→ Pie Filling
11 - ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
12 - 1 cup granulated sugar
13 - ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
14 - ¼ cup dry milk powder
15 - ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
16 - ½ teaspoon salt
17 - 2 large egg yolks
18 - 1 large egg
19 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 - Powdered sugar, for dusting
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a mixing bowl, cream together 6 tablespoons softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated.
03 - Fold in the rolled oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
04 - Spread the dough evenly across the prepared baking sheet into a thin, even layer. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on the pan.
05 - Crumble the cooled oat cookie into fine crumbs. Toss with 3 tablespoons melted butter until the mixture feels moist and holds together when pressed. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.
06 - Lower the oven temperature to 325°F for the filling bake.
07 - In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the egg yolks, whole egg, and vanilla extract, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
08 - Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are firmly set and the center still has a slight wobble.
09 - Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the filling to set properly.
10 - Dust the surface generously with powdered sugar just before serving. Slice and serve chilled.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The oat cookie crust doubles as a snack you will want to eat straight off the baking sheet before it even becomes a crust.
- That custardy filling firms up into something between caramel and fudge that nobody can stop eating.
- It looks wildly impressive but the steps are surprisingly manageable if you take them one at a time.
02 -
- The filling will look underdone when you pull it from the oven, but it continues to set as it chills and that wobbly center is exactly what you want.
- Resist the urge to add more flour to the filling because its liquid nature is what creates that signature gooey texture after chilling.
- Serve this pie cold for the best texture because at room temperature it becomes loose and overly sweet.
03 -
- Use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumb crust evenly into the corners and up the sides for a sturdy slice every time.
- Pull the pie from the oven when the outer two inches look set but the center still jiggles, because overbaking turns the filling grainy and nobody wants that.