A traditional Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch dessert, shoofly pie is incredibly unique! It has a distinct molasses flavor with a gooey filling and crumb topping. My version has a key “secret” ingredient that makes it taste incredible! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Must-Try Shoofly Pie
Have you ever heard of shoofly pie? Where I grew up, it was available at just about every farmer’s market or country store (even now, every time I drive past my Amish neighbor’s roadside stand they always have a few of these freshly baked pies for sale). Some people love it, other’s not so much, and it’s certainly worth trying to see which side you fall on!
I first shared this recipe over on my friend’s site, Spend with Pennies quite a few years ago. I’ve made very small changes since then, the most notable being that I now add a bit of vanilla to the filling (just a teaspoon). It’s not a traditional ingredient, but it softens the sharpness of the molasses and makes a big difference.
What You Should Know
- Taste: Rich, warm, distinct molasses-y flavor with notes of toffee, plus a buttery sweetness from the crumb layer/topping.
- Texture: Unique–sticky and soft center with slightly crisp topping.
- Skill level: Easy, especially if you use a food processor! I do include instructions for making this recipe without one, but it will be a bit more hands-on.
- Two types: My recipe is a “wet bottom” pie that has a gooey and custardy filling; conversely, “dry bottom” pies are cakey all the way through.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Only 11 ingredients! Here’s what I use in my shoofly pie recipe.
- Pie dough. Obviously I recommend you use my homemade pie crust recipe, but if you want to use store-bought, that will be fine (though certainly not as tasty!).
- Molasses. Always use unsulphured molasses, like Grandma’s or Brer Rabbit brand. DO NOT USE BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES! I can’t emphasize this enough. Check your ingredients on the molasses to make sure it does not say blackstrap molasses; that type of molasses is much too strong and bitter, and it’s generally not suitable to bake with. I’ve had many people accidentally use it in when making my gingerbread house recipe, gingerbread, and gingerbread men and the results were disastrous (and I’ve gotten some MEAN emails about it).
- Spices. Including cinnamon and nutmeg. These add such a warm & cozy flavor to the pie, and they pair so well with the molasses (just like in molasses cookies!).
- Hot water + baking soda. This combination thins the molasses and softens its acidity. Don’t use baking powder–we want baking soda here. You can read more about the differences between the two in my post on baking powder vs. baking soda.
- Vanilla extract. This is optional, but lately I’ve been adding it to help cut the sharpness of the molasses. It’s not traditional, but I do love how it works here!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: As long as you follow the recipe, you shouldn’t have to worry about scrambling your egg yolk with the hot water. We’ll cool the water down with the molasses before adding the egg.
How to Make Shoofly Pie
- Step 1: Make the crumb topping. Pulse the flour, sugar, spices, and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter pieces and pulse until you have coarse crumbs as shown above. Set this aside while you make your molasses filling.
- Step 2: Make the molasses filling. Stir together the hot water and baking soda until the baking soda dissolves, then whisk in the molasses. Once everything is combined, whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.
- Step 3: Layer the crumbs & filling. Add half of the molasses filling to your prepared pie crust. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture overtop. Repeat the molasses and crumb layers one more time.
- Step 4: Bake & cool before serving. We’ll start our pie at a higher temperature, then reduce it after 15 minutes. When it’s done, the pie will seem a bit jiggly in the center but will be set.
SAM’S TIP: This pie tastes even better the next day! If you can wait that long…
Frequently Asked Questions
The origin of the name shoofly pie is debated, but some say it is because the sweet filling would attract flies when cooling. Other say it’s named after a molasses brand (which also makes sense, given the fact that this pie is largely flavored by molasses).
I like to serve mine warm with a dollop of homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The texture just isn’t quite the same when it’s cold, and I personally find it a bit off-putting!
Yes! Shoofly pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dessert that dates back to the 1800s. I grew up near the Mason Dixon line where Pennsylvania Dutch baked goods can be found at many local markets and grocery stores. As a result, quite a few of my recipes have PA Dutch influence (like my whoopie pies!); I’ve linked to a few more below!
More Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes
Can’t get enough pie? Check out my full collection of pie recipes! 🥧
Enjoy!
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Amish Shoofly Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9” pie crust unbaked
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (133 g) dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter cold, cut into 6 pieces
- ¾ cup (175 ml) hot water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup (175 ml) unsulphured molasses (do not use blackstrap molasses)
- 1 large egg yolk lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Recommended Equipment
- 9” pie plate
- Food processor (recommended, see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Roll out pie crust and arrange in a 9” pie plate, fluting, crimping, or folding the edges. Pierce the bottom all over with a fork and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare your filling.1 9” pie crust
- In the basin of a food processor (see note if you don’t have one), combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine.1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup (133 g) dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Scatter butter evenly over the flour mixture and pulse again until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
- In a separate bowl, stir together hot water and baking soda until baking soda is dissolved. Add molasses and whisk until completely combined.¾ cup (175 ml) hot water, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ cup (175 ml) unsulphured molasses
- Add egg yolk and vanilla (if using) and whisk to combine.1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Retrieve the pie crust from the refrigerator and pour half of the molasses mixture into your prepared pie crust. Top with half of the crumb mixture, then top with the rest of the molasses mixture, and finally top evenly with remaining crumbs (everything will seem very liquidy and the ingredients won’t hold neat layers!).
- Place the pie on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes has passed, reduce oven temperature to 350F (175C) and continue to bake for another 22-28 minutes until pie is set, center may still seem a little jiggly but should spring back to the touch.
- Allow pie to cool completely before slicing and serving. It’s excellent topped with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!
Notes
How to make without a food processor:
You can make this recipe without a food processor, it’s just a bit more work.To do this, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then either grate the butter into the flour mixture or cut it into cubes and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients. The mixture will be very dry, cut until the butter pieces are very small!
Storing
Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend warming slightly before serving, that’s my favorite way to enjoy it!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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