This past Memorial Day weekend, I had some friends and family over to my house for a BBQ. The sun was shining, the grill was hot, and the drinks were icy cold. Everyone gobbled up the food and I realized I was left with a ton of half full bags of potato chips and pretzels. For a second, I thought about polishing them off while catching up on Mad Men, but I came to my senses and remembered that Momofuku Milk Bar dessert wizard Christina Tosi has come up with THE perfect way to use up leftover potato chips and pretzels (and any other snack foods you may have around)—the Compost Cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar (Clarkson Potter, 2011)!

These Compost Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar (Clarkson Potter, 2011) are some of the best cookies you’ll ever have. Your Valentine will go nuts for these rich, delicious cookies that feature everyone’s favorite snacks: chocolate and butterscotch chips, potato chips, pretzels, graham crackers, and coffee (grounds).

This Brownie Pie from Momofuku Milk Bar is one of the most delicious things I made in 2011. My friend Tara and I spent a lazy afternoon baking this tasty treat for a work event, and it was a definite hit. The graham crust was sweet, slightly salty, and perfectly balanced out the luscious and decadent brownie filling. We couldn’t resist trying a spoonful of the batter before we put the pie in the oven, and I can tell you with complete confidence that we did not regret doing that.

Compost Cookies, Cornflake-Marshmallow Cookies, and Corn Cookies right out of the oven. Check. Croissants Stuffed with Sausage and Cheese? Yup. Pistachio, Dulce de Leche and Birthday Cake Truffles? They had ‘em. And Cereal Milk Infused Cocktails? You know they were served.

Even though the temperatures soared above 100 degrees in Brooklyn one recent weekend, the searing heat did not deter die-hard pie lovers from turning on their ovens and entering the Brooklyn Kitchen’s summer pie contest. Partnering with local flour mill, Daisy Flour (founded in Pennsylvania in 1765, Daisy Flour is the oldest continuously operated mill in the United States), the Brooklyn Kitchen provided all participants with a free two-pound bag of flour to be used in their pie crust. The one stipulation was that their pie entry had to be a sweet pie.