Traditional shoofly pie originated from southeastern Pennsylvania in Lancaster County and is known as a classic Amish country dessert with a thick and fudgy molasses-based filling. This recipe is a dry-bottom shoofly pie variation with a slightly gooier filling. The added crumb top layer creates a similar effect to the streusel topping of a coffee cake!
This shoofly pie recipe makes a great comforting dessert with its rich decadent flavors. It is also the perfect treat to serve at group gatherings or during holidays and special occasions. Enjoy a slice as is, or top it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence! For more pie recipes, try my pumpkin pie, apple pie, or blueberry pie.
What You Need To Make This Recipe
Pie crust – use a store-bought pie dough or frozen pie shell, or make your own crust for the best homemade flavor. If you use a homemade crust, I recommend parbaking it before adding the filling. See my Pro-Tips for the steps!
All-purpose flour – helps to thicken and stabilize the molasses pie filling so it is not too runny or watery. It also produces the pie’s iconic cake-like texture in the filling.
Molasses – I recommend using mild or dark molasses for this recipe, not blackstrap molasses.
Brown sugar – opt for light brown sugar for a more subtle molasses flavor to compliment the molasses used in the filling. Alternatively, you can use dark brown sugar for a more robust and dimensional flavor if desired.
Butter – use cold unsalted butter to create a perfectly crumbly topping. If you only have salted butter, just omit the added salt in the recipe.
Spices – a warming mix of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and a bit of salt adds depth and aromatic flavor.
Hot water – you will need boiling water to dissolve the baking soda and create a reaction with the molasses to make the pie filling rise and develop a light and tender texture.
How To Make Shoofly Pie
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. If using a homemade crust, parbake it first. See my notes for the instructions!
2. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are no larger than the size of peas. Set the crumb mixture aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the molasses, hot water, and baking soda until well combined.
4. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture evenly in the bottom of the pie crust.
5. Pour the molasses mixture into the crust over the crumb mixture.
6. Gently sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the filling. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the center of the pie is set and barely wobbles when gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
What Is Shoofly Pie?
A specialty of the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch, shoofly pie is filled with a molasses syrup mixture and a buttery brown sugar crumble, resulting in a sweet and gooey pie that is cake-like in the center. Sometimes spelled as “shoo-fly pie” or “shoo fly pie” as well, this decadent slice is common throughout several counties in Pennsylvania, but Lancaster is most known for it.
There are two different types of shoofly pie as well- a dry bottom and a wet bottom shoofly pie. Dry bottom pies are most common in the Lancaster region, whereas wet bottom pies are typically preferred elsewhere.
What’s The Difference Between A Wet Bottom And Dry Bottom Shoofly Pie?
The pie’s assembly method determines which type of shoofly pie it is! This recipe is a dry bottom shoofly pie, meaning a layer of crumb topping is sprinkled into the bottom of the pie crust, then the molasses syrup filling is poured on top with more of the crumb mixture sprinkled on top. This results in a pie filling that is gooey but with a more cakey texture. Think of it like a very gooey gingerbread cake (minus the ginger!).
A wet-bottom shoofly pie is typically made by pouring the molasses filling into the unbaked pie crust and gently spreading the crumb mixture on top. Some of it sinks during baking, but a layer of the syrup stays at the bottom and soaks into the crust, creating a “wet bottom” or syrupy layer on the bottom crust. Areas outside of Lancaster, PA, typically enjoy this soggy bottom version most.
How To Bake This Recipe In A Store-Bought Pie Shell
Choose a frozen or refrigerated pie shell that is, ideally, labeled “deep dish.” A regular pie shell will also work, but you will need to add less filling, or it will overflow during baking. You do not need to blind-bake a pre-shaped store-bought crust.
For a deep dish shell, layer the filling into the unbaked pie shell and bake as directed in the recipe. Fill a regular unbaked pie shell, layering in enough crumb mixture and molasses filling until it’s about three-quarters full to avoid spillage, and place it on a baking sheet in the oven just in case anything bubbles over. Reduce the second bake time (at 350°F) to about 15 minutes.
Can You Use Sorghum Or Another Syrup In Place Of Molasses?
Yes, but keep in mind that molasses is a balance of sweet and bitter. Some syrups are much sweeter, and your pie filling, with the addition of brown sugar, may be much sweeter than you like (I would advise against using honey or agave for this reason). Sorghum molasses or syrup or dark corn syrup are both great swaps. If you make either of these switches, I suggest using dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for a more robust molasses flavor. You can even use pomegranate molasses for a tangier twist.
What Type Of Pie Dish Should I Use?
I recommend a glass or metal pie pan that’s about 1½ inches deep. You can use a deeper dish, but you may end up with a taller edge crust. Ceramic pans can also work, but pie crusts tend to shrink in them when blind baking, so I like to use metal or glass.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Make a homemade pie crust. If you have the time, make your pie crust. The flaky crust and true butter flavor will elevate this recipe for shoofly pie!
- Parbake a homemade crust. Because a homemade crust has more moisture and uses real butter, it’s best to parbake the crust before adding the filling. Follow my guide for how to blind bake a pie crust until the crust is parbaked. Then continue with this recipe!
- Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven. This is a key step to allow the heat to circulate more evenly around the pie, which ensures the bottom is not underbaked or soggy and creates a crisp, sturdy base on this Amish shoofly pie.
- Cool before slicing. It is essential to let the pie cool completely to room temperature before slicing to allow the filling to set properly. The filling is quite gooey when hot and will firm up as it cools which is key to holding it together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow the pie to cool completely before loosely covering it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap or storing it in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
There are a couple of tales surrounding the name. One is that the common brand of molasses used when the recipe was created was “Shoofly,” named after a famous circus animal, Shoofly the Boxing Mule. Another tale is that the filling is so sticky that it attracts flys so bakers must “shoo” them away.
The filling textures share some qualities, but the key difference is that shoofly pie has a crumb mixture added to the filling for a cake-like texture and contains no nuts. Pecan pie is full of, you guessed it, pecans and contains no crumb topping. The gooey filling is also typically made with corn syrup and eggs, whereas shoofly pie uses molasses, boiling water, and baking soda.
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Shoofly Pie
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) pie crust (homemade pie crust or store-bought, rolled and placed in a pie dish)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (110g)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed (113g)
- 1 cup molasses (unsulphured) (240mL)
- ¾ cup boiling water (180mL)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. (If using a homemade crust, parbake it first. See my notes for the instructions!)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the cold butter until the pieces are no larger than the size of peas. Set the crumb mixture aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, water, and baking soda until well combined. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture (about 1¼ cups) evenly in the pie crust. Pour the molasses mixture into the crust over the crumb mixture, and gently sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over top.
- Bake the pie for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the center of the pie is set and barely wobbles when gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours before slicing.
Notes
- Make a homemade pie crust. If you have the time, make your pie crust. The flaky crust and true butter flavor will elevate this recipe for shoofly pie!
- Parbake a homemade crust. Because a homemade crust has more moisture and uses real butter, it’s best to parbake the crust before adding the filling. Follow my guide for how to blind bake a pie crust until the crust is parbaked. Then continue with this recipe!
- Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven. This is a key step to allow the heat to circulate more evenly around the pie, which ensures the bottom is not underbaked or soggy and creates a crisp, sturdy base on this Amish shoofly pie.
- Cool before slicing. It is essential to let the pie cool completely to room temperature before slicing to allow the filling to set properly. The filling is quite gooey when hot and will firm up as it cools which is key to holding it together.
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