Shoofly Pie
4.5
(3)
Active Time
40 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes (plus cooling)
Shoofly pie is a regional specialty of Pennsylvania Dutch country, especially the Moravian, Mennonite, and Amish communities. My grandparents had a farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, surrounded by Amish neighbors, and my grandmom, Merle Condon, made a killer shoofly pie. It’s a simple recipe and a relic from baking traditions long past: It starts with a classic pie crust to cradle a dense and sticky molasses filling. Then the pie gets coated in a sugary crumb that somewhat soaks into the filling, but mostly rests on top. The result is a three-in-one dessert that melds pie, tart, and crumb cake into a single slice.
The funny name has two origin stories. One involves the sugary pie attracting the attention of flies; the other (more likely) version is the pie was inspired by a long-forgotten brand called Shoofly Molasses. Either way, the pie became popular in the late 1800s as a hearty, filling breakfast alongside a strong cup of coffee, usually served in the winter when fruit was scarce, but molasses was shelf-stable in the cool temperatures.
Grandmom Condon was not from the late 1800s, so she served it as a dessert when my cousins and I would come to visit. After we ran in the fields, rode on Grandpop’s tractor, terrorized the horses and cows, and pushed each other on the tire swing, Grandmom would call us in. Her cooking was fine, but her dessert game was unparalleled, and of all the pies she loved to make, she took the most pride in her shoofly. Even now in my 30s, long after Grandmom is gone, just one bite transports me back to that farm kitchen, the wooden stools, the big table, and being a kid, when everything felt so simple.
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What you’ll need
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Pie Pan
$23 At Williams Sonoma
Rolling Pin
$19 At Amazon
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Ingredients
8 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Roll 1 disk Easy All-Butter Pie Crust or thawed packaged store-bought pie crust into a 12" round on a lightly floured surface. Fold in half, then fold semicircle in half again. Set point of dough in the center of a 9"-diameter glass pie dish and unfold dough. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish; press to ease into corners. Trim any excess dough, leaving about 1" overhang. Fold overhang under itself so crust is flush with edges of pan and crimp as desired. Set dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and prick bottom and sides of dough with a fork in several places Freeze at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
Step 2
Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Line crust with 2 sheets of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are set and look dry, 13–16 minutes. Remove parchment paper and pie weights and continue baking crust until bottom looks dry and is golden, 13–16 minutes more. Let cool. (Leave oven on.)
Step 3
Whisk 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (packed; 150 g) dark brown sugar, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces, and work into dry ingredients by pinching and smashing with your hands until mixture is sandy with very few visible pieces of butter remaining.
Step 4
Transfer ¼ cup crumb mixture to another medium bowl and add ¾ cup mild-flavored (light) molasses, ¼ tsp. baking soda, and remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; whisk to combine. Pour in ½ cup room-temperature water, whisking until mixture is foamy and light brown. Immediately pour filling into cooled crust. Gently scatter remaining crumb mixture over filling, starting at the edges and working toward the center to make a thin layer, then repeating process with remaining topping (this will help keep the topping from sinking into the filling and create an even layer).
Step 5
Bake pie (still on baking sheet), tenting crust with foil if browning too quickly, 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake pie until filling is set but still jiggles very slightly when gently shaken (like a firm cheesecake), 20–28 minutes. Transfer pie dish to a wire rack and let cool before slicing, about 2 hours.
Do Ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead. Store lightly wrapped at room temperature.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopGreat recipe. Very nostalgic of the Amish pies I grew up eating. I've never seen the crumb mixed into the filling but it helped keep it together without bubbling out of the pan. Might make it again for Thanksgiving.
Stew
Woodlawn, PA
11/14/2023
Perfect. Salty, rich, dense and impressive. As is the tradition, it's perfect for breakfast but also as a proper dessert for any autumn dinner.
JsnHdsn
Toronto, Canada
11/14/2023
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