Amish Shoofly Pie

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This Amish shoofly pie recipe is so simple to make! It’s a traditional molasses pie from Amish country and topped with a cinnamon crumb topping. This unique dessert with a rich molasses flavor is perfect to serve with a strong cup of coffee! The filling for this eggless shoofly pie is quick to mix up.

slice of shoofly pie on a plate with a bite missing


 

Growing up in upstate New York near the Pennsylvania border we definitely took summer trips down to Lancaster County and visit Amish country. One summer vacation we took a road trip down to visit Hershey park, visit Amish country, and of course taste the local cuisine (like classic whoopie pies and Amish cinnamon bread) and one of those desserts we tried was this Shoofly pie. 

This unique pie is a very simple dessert to make. You start with a pie crust – you can use homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust.

Then fill it with a molasses mixture that is made from just three simple ingredients. And then sprinkled over the top is a buttery streusel made with spices and brown sugar. 

The streusel topping sort of bakes and sinks into a little bit into the molasses filling. And the pie takes on this sort of gooey cake-like texture. It’s warm with spices, and sort of like a pie meets cake meets cookie. It’s just crazy delicious and the pie recipe you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Sometimes the filling is made with eggs but I found that it wasn’t necessary and caused the filling to bubble over. And after a few test rounds I knew that blind baking the crust first was going to be a must because of the liquid-y filling. It totally helped to make sure you get a crispy bottom crust!

Craving a classic British dessert? Try my Treacle Tart! Made with a buttery shortbread crust and a sweet filling of golden syrup, breadcrumbs, and lemon zest, itโ€™s surprisingly easy and delicious.

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What is Shoofly pie?

Shoofly pie is a traditional Amish dessert made from molasses and boiling water and made in a pie crust.  Then topped with a simple crumb topping. This dessert hails from central Pennsylvania, specifically Lancaster county or Amish country. 

According to Bake From Scratch, originally it started as a coffee cake, but at some point in the early 1880s it migrated to a pie crust shell. 

See Also:

slice of shoofly pie on a plate with a bite missing

Why is it called Shoofly pie?

There are a few ideas around where this name of this pie come from. One is that because of the sticky molasses filling, flies would get stuck in the pie so the baker would have to shoo them away from when pies would cool on a windowsill. 

And another theory goes to the Shoofly, the Boxing mule, which was part of a popular circus traveling act in Pennsylvania Dutch country. And because of the popularity, many name brand products came about from it. One of those was molasses. And this pie was made from Shoofly molasses.

Whose correct? Who knows!

Wet bottom vs. Dry Bottom Shoofly Pie

There are technically two kinds of shoofly pie – wet-bottom shoofly pie and a dry bottom. Wet bottom shoofly pie has a wetter filling. A dry bottom shoofly pie has more of a cake like consistency. 

This is more of the wet-bottomed pie version where the molasses filling gets poured into the pie shell. The crumbly topping gets sprinkled on top and most of it gets baked into the filling while some stays on top and gets crunchy.

shoofly pie in a pie pan with two pieces missing

What is shoofly pie made of?

  • 1 single pie crust – You can use a homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust.
  • 1 ยฝ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly. 
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar, If you don’t have any, make your own brown sugar in a food processor quickly!
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ยผ cup (ยฝ stick, 57 g) unsalted butter, softened -You can also use salted butter if that’s all you have.
  • 1 cup molasses – You can use light molasses or dark molasses. Blackstrap molasses is very bitter and strong and I do not recommend. I used Grandma’s brand.
  • ยพ cup (180 ml) hot water – Hot to boiling water should be used. 
  • ยพ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 egg, beaten – Make sure your egg is at room temperature.
shoofly pie ingredients

How To Make Shoofly Pie

Make The Pie Crust

Prepare pie crust, roll and place into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes (this helps with keeping crust from puffing up while baking).

Cover the crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove parchment and weights. Do NOT prick bottom. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool while you make topping and filling.

Increase oven heat to 450F.

pie crust filled with rice to be blind baked

Make The Crumb Topping

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

streusel ingredients whisked together in a bowl

With a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

streusel topping in a bowl for shoofly pie

Make The Molasses Filling

Combine molasses, hot water, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; whisk in beaten egg until well combined.

molasses mixture in a bowl

Pour mixture into pie shell.

molasses mixture being poured into pie shell

Assemble And Bake

Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of pie filling.

streusel topping sprinkled on top of molasses mixture

Place pie on the cookie sheet and bake in lower third of your oven in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C); bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the pie filling is set and firm. If the crust edges are browning too much, cover with a pie shield to keep from burning.

 If the crust edges are browning too much, cover with a pie shield to keep from burning.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before serving or storing.

baked shoofly pie

How To Serve This Pie

You can serve this pie as is on a plate and everyone is going to love! 

But like any pie I like to serve with a dollop of homemade whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

slice of shoofly pie

Recipe FAQ’s and Storage Instructions

What type of molasses should I use for this shoofly pie?

I used Grandma’s brand of molasses. But you can use a light molasses or dark molasses. I don’t recommend blackstrap molasses which is very strong and have a very bitter flavor.

Can I make this pie ahead of time?

Yes you can make this pie up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover and store at room temperature or in the fridge. You can serve cold or at room temperature.

Can I freeze this pie?

Yes you can freeze any pie leftovers for up to 3 months. Wrap well or store in a freezer bag in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature overnight in the fridge before serving.

How do I store this shoo-fly pie?

You can store leftovers for up to 3 days. Wrap the cooled pie in plastic wrap or tinfoil. You can also store in the fridge for longer – up to 5 days.

slice of shoofly pie and a fork on a plate

More Recipes To Try

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slice of shoofly pie and a fork on a plate

Shoofly Pie

This Amish shoofly pie recipe is so simple to make! It's a traditional molasses pie from Amish country and topped with a cinnamon crumb topping. This unique dessert with a rich molasses flavor is perfect to serve with a strong cup of coffee!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 481kcal

Ingredients

For the topping:

  • 1 ยฝ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour *spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ยฝ cup (1 stick, 113 g) unsalted butter softened

For the filling:

  • ยพ cup (180 ml) molasses
  • ยพ cup (180 ml) hot water
  • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • Position a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC) . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Prepare pie crust, roll and place into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes (this helps with keeping crust from puffing up while baking).
  • Cover the crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove parchment and weights. Do NOT prick bottom. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool while you make topping and filling.
  • Increase oven heat to 450oF (230ยฐC).
  • Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
  • With a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
  • Combine molasses, hot water, and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Pour mixture into pie shell.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of pie filling.
  • Place pie on the cookie sheet and bake in lower third of your oven in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350โ„‰ (175โ„ƒ); bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the pie filling is set and firm. If the crust edges are browning too much, cover with a pie shield to keep from burning.

Notes

  • Molasses: I used Grandma’s brand of molasses. But you can use a light molasses or dark molasses. I don’t recommend blackstrap molasses which is very strong and have a very bitter flavor.
  • Make ahead/Storage: Yes you can make this pie up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover and store at room temperature or in the fridge. You can serve cold or at room temperature. You can store leftovers for up to 3 days. Wrap the cooled pie in plastic wrap or tinfoil. You can also store in the fridge for longer – up to 5 days.
  • Freezing : Yes you can freeze any pie leftovers for up to 3 months. Wrap well or store in a freezer bag in an airtight container. Thaw at room temperature overnight in the fridge before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 356IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg
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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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