Momofuku Crack Pie

This variation on chess pie was created by David Chang for his restaurant Momofuku in New York. (Another version of this is posted as Crack Pie from Momofuku's Bakery but that one has some quantities misstated.) The homemade cookie crust makes it special. If you don't have 10" pie pans, you can use 9", but the filling will be deeper, so it will need an extra 5-10 minutes cooking time. Prep time includes 1 hour for cooling the cookie. Published in my local paper http://bit.ly/aEhE8I

• Ready In: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 2 10" pies

Ingredients

• Cookie

• 3  ounces all-purpose flour (2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon baking powder, scant
• 1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda, scant
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup  softened butter (1 stick)
• 2 1⁄2 ounces light brown sugar (1/3 cup)
• 1 1⁄4 ounces white sugar (3 tablespoons)
• 1  egg
• 3 1⁄2 ounces rolled oats (scant 1 cup)

• Crust

• 1⁄4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 3⁄4 ounce light brown sugar (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt

• Filling

• 10 1⁄2 ounces white sugar (1 1/2 cups)
• 7  ounces light brown sugar (1 cup less 3 1/2 tsp)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 ounce powdered milk (1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon)
• 1  cup butter, melted (2 sticks)
• 7⁄8 cup heavy cream (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, scant)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8  egg yolks
•  powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer), beat together butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined.
4. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture in small increments until fully combined. Add oats and mix until combined.
5. Spread mixture into an unlined, ungreased 9x13 baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes until golden brown and set. Cool a few minutes in pan, then turn out onto a rack until cool to the touch. Lower the oven to 350°F while the cookie cools.
6. Crumble the cooled cookie into the workbowl of a food processor. Add butter, brown sugar and salt. Pulse until combined (a clump of the mixture should hold together when pinched together). Divide the mixture between 2 10" pie pans, pressing into an even, thin layer on the bottom and sides. (The top edge will be ragged.).
7. In a large bowl, whisk together white sugar, brown sugar, salt and powdered milk. Add melted butter, cream and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time. Be careful not to incorporate too much air.
8. Divide the filling evenly between the two pie crusts. Bake one pie at a time for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325°F for 10 minutes, until the filling is golden brown but still jiggly (like a pecan pie). Place pie pans on a rack to cool.
9. Refrigerate the pies until well-chilled; the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.