I was flipping through the All About Cake cookbook recently, and I stumbled across a recipe for Milk Bar Pie frosting. I immediately thought, “say less.” How had I not found this before?? So when my brother asked me to make “anything” for a party he was going to, I made some of the frosting to put on some brownies. But after tasting it, I decided it wouldn’t be a good combination. The frosting is sweet, and definitely tastes like Milk Bar Pie, but paired with a dominant flavor like chocolate, it would get lost and probably just taste like “sweet.”
I retooled those brownies in the moment (peanut butter frosting), and then kept the milk bar pie frosting and kept brainstorming. I decided to put them on something that would emulate the crust of the pie, and not compete too much for flavor. And because I had some spare graham crackers to use up… graham cracker cookies just made sense! So thus was born Milk Bar Pie Cookies, something that felt somewhat inevitable.
These cookies are verrrry soft, because they have no flour and just have crushed graham crackers. They’re tasty, but a little too floppy to just enjoy on their own. I think they work really well with the milk bar pie frosting though. Milk bar pie is very soft and oozy, so it fits to have a very soft cookie to emulate the pie in texture as well!
I would say these are simpler to make than the pie, but… it’s still a pretty involved process. You basically have to make and bake the filling to then put in the frosting. But the filling is easy to make, and you don’t have to deal with the crust. And the graham cracker cookies come together in about 10 minutes. So it balances out the effort a bit.
One pro is that these are definitely easier to store and share than milk bar pie! Same taste, smaller portions, and none of the ooze! Just a bit more of a mouthful to say – “Milk Bar Pie Cookies” won’t confuse anyone, will it?
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PinIngredients
For the graham cracker cookies:
- 15 sheets graham crackers (2 cups graham cracker crumbs)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Milk bar pie frosting:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- 1 tablespoon corn powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 stick (4 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- First, make the frosting: Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Combine the sugar, brown sugar, milk powder, corn powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until evenly blended.
- Add the melted butter and paddle for 1 minute on low speed until all the dry ingredients are moist.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and continue mixing on low for 1 minute until any white streaks from the cream have completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the yolks, paddling them into the mixture just to combine; be careful not to aerate the mixture, but be certain the mixture is glossy and homogenous. Mix on low speed until it is.
- Pour the milk bar pie filling into the loaf pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. At 20 minutes, gently shake the pan: The milk bar pie filling should be firmer and more set around the edges but slightly jiggly and loose in the center. If the crack pie filling is jiggly all over, give it 2 to 3 minutes more in the oven. It should just start to brown on top.
- Let the milk bar pie filling cool to room temperature.
- Put the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, and cooled milk bar pie filling in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine, then bump up the speed to high and cream for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Use the frosting immediately or store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you store it in the refrigerator, be sure to loosen it up before using, otherwise it will be impossible to spread. The easiest way to do this is by putting the frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beating it on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
- To make the cookies: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Process the graham crackers in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment until they are completely broken down into crumbs and have a sandy texture. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla, then stir together with a rubber spatula until just combined into a soft dough.
- Using a spoon or cookie scoop, measure 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough from the bowl. Roll between the palms of your hands to form a ball, then place on the baking sheet. Repeat with forming the remaining dough, spacing the dough balls about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until the cookies have spread and the edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a flat spatula to transfer to them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled, frost them with the frosting and enjoy!