Shoofly pie is an old-fashioned dessert recipe made with a rich molasses filling and a buttery spiced brown sugar crumb topping. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
If you’ve never had shoofly pie, you’re in for a treat. It’s a unique dessert, and so different from Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie, and other common pie recipes.
Shoofly pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a thick, fudge-like molasses filling and a crumb topping. The pie gets its name from a brand of molasses that was popular throughout the United States in the late 19th century, although some think it comes from the fact that the molasses attracts flies, which then get trapped in the pie!
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Pin RecipeOld-Fashioned Shoofly Pie Recipe
This traditional Amish dessert has a rich molasses flavor that is offset by the sweetness of the brown sugar crumble on top. The contrasting textures between the crust, filling, and crumb topping also contribute to making shoofly pie irresistible! While there are many different recipes for shoofly pie, they all share one key ingredient: molasses.
Molasses is a type of syrup made from sugarcane or sugar beets. It has a deep, dark color and a bittersweet flavor that gives shoofly pie its unique taste. In addition to the molasses, many recipes also call for spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg in the crumb layer, which add even more depth of flavor to the pie.
Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream for an old-fashioned dessert your whole family will love!
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Ingredients For Shoofly Pie
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
For the Crumb Topping:
- All-purpose flour
- Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has a deeper molasses flavor than light brown.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Kosher salt
- Unsalted butter – The butter will need to be cold and cubed. You can even pop it in the freezer for a few minutes to make sure it’s chilled well!
For the Filling:
- Molasses
- Boiling water
- Baking soda
- Pie crust – Use store-bought pie crust dough or homemade pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate.
How to Make Shoofly Pie
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Make the Crumb Topping: Combine all of the ingredients except the butter in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to cut in the butter, until it reaches the consistency of cornmeal.
- Make the Filling: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the molasses, water, and baking soda.
- Assemble: Pour the molasses mixture into the chilled pie crust. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top.
- Bake: Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450ºF. Lower the heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the pie is set.
- Cool: Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack, then serve.
Quick Tip
If you prefer a flakey crust, go ahead and make the pie crust in advance. The crust can easily be made the day before, giving the gluten time to relax and have a flakier texture when it is complete.
How to Store Shoofly Pie
It’s important to store shoofly pie properly to maintain its flavor and texture. It should be stored in a cool, dry place, and the pie should be covered to keep out any unwanted moisture.
If you are storing the pie for more than a day or two, you may want to place it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh; you can also freeze shoofly pie for up to 3 months. Let the pie come to room temperature before serving.
FAQs
Shoofly pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dessert that consists of a crumb topping over a molasses-based filling, all baked into a buttery pastry crust. The filling is made with molasses, water, and baking soda, although some recipes add other ingredients as well.
The filling of the pie tastes similar to a molasses cake, with a deep, caramel-like molasses flavor and a buttery, spiced brown sugar topping.
In some regions, shoofly pie is also known as molasses crumb pie. In the Pennsylvania Dutch language, it’s called Melassich Riwwerboi or Melassichriwwerkuche. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s always delicious!
You can store shoofly pie can at room temperature for a few days, but if you refrigerate it, it will last up to a week.
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Shoofly Pie
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter cold, cubed
Filling
- ¾ cup molasses
- ¾ cup boiling water
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 9” single crust pie pastry in tin chilled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- For the crumb topping, combine all the ingredients except the butter into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Cut in the butter until you reach a consistency of cornmeal.
- Whisk together molasses, water, and baking soda.
- Pour into the chilled pie crust and top evenly with the crumb topping.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 450F and then lower the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until set.
- Cool the pie completely on a wire rack before serving.
Love your Shoofly Pie recipe ❣️
Being born in PA myself my family made & ate many of our great grandmother’s Amish Shoofly pie’s 🥧
Living in CA now so I can’t find the proper ingredients to make the pies anymore and I Miss them Soooo very much…
Have a Blessed Day 🙏🥰