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With a gooey molasses filling and crumb topping in a buttery pie crust, this Shoofly Pie is a unique dessert and popular Amish recipe. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream and some coffee!
If you’ve ever traveled through Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or other areas of Amish Country, you’ve likely seen shoofly pie on the menu. It’s a popular Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch dessert made with a gooey molasses filling and crumb topping. Next to molasses cookies, it’s one of the more molasses-forward desserts I make and I love the warm, rich flavor. It’s wonderful paired with a cup of coffee, maybe after enjoying some Amish breakfast casserole in the morning.
Why Everyone Should Try This Shoofly Pie Recipe
- It’s something different! Shoo fly pie is primarily popular in Pennsylvania and other regions with an Amish community. I think it’s fun to try recipes from other areas, especially when they’re as easy as this one. We’ve tried and loved a few other Amish recipes, including Amish friendship bread, brown butter mashed potatoes, and 4-ingredient Amish white bread.
- Yummy molasses flavor. The filling in this pie is made with molasses and a few spices. It’s rich, it’s warm, and it’s so good paired with the crumbly topping and buttery pie crust.
- Great with coffee. Shoo fly pie is traditionally served with a strong cup of coffee in the morning. My preference is to also add a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream to the pie for an evening dessert.
Key Ingredients
This classic pie is made with just a handful of basic ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Pie crust – Any store-bought pie crust will work, or try my homemade pie crust.
- Flour
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar is used instead of white sugar because it adds more rich molasses flavor to the filling.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Butter – The butter should be cold, NOT room temperature, and cut into small pieces.
- Egg – Helps to stabilize the filling.
- Molasses – It’s very important to use unsulphured molasess, such as the Grandma’s brand. Do NOT use blackstrap molasses. It is strong and bitter and not suitable for baking in general. Always bake with unsulphured molasses.
- Baking soda – Helps to balance the acidity of the molasses.
How To Make Shoofly Pie
This pie is super easy to make, even if you’ve never made it before. Here’s an overview. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the rust. Preheat the oven to 400F. Gently press the pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate as well as ¼ inch over the edge. Fold the ¼ inch of crust under itself. Crimp the edges. Cover and refrigerate.
- Make the crumb layer. Combine the flour, brown sugar, and spices in a bowl. Add the salt and mix to create coarse crumbs.
- Make the filling. Add the molasses to a glass bowl. Stir in the baking soda, followed by the beaten egg. Boil the water and add it slowly, stirring vigorously, until there is a layer of foam on top.
- Assemble. Sprinkle a layer of crumbs on top of the pie crust. Pour the molasses mixture on top then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs evenly on top.
- Bake. Add foil around the edges of the pie. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350F and continue baking for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a final 10 minutes. The pie should be firm with a little jiggle in the middle and the crust golden.
- Enjoy. Cool slightly then serve and enjoy warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this shoo fly pie recipe for the first time.
- Add the water slowly. Add the boiling water in a small stream while vigorously stirring the molasses/egg mixture tempers the liquid and keeps the egg from cooking and leaving behind chunks of egg in your pie.
- Use the baking sheet. The baking sheet under the pie is essential, unless you like cleaning burned sugar from the bottom of your oven, as these pies tend to overflow.
- Reduce the oven temperature. Starting at a higher temperature then reducing the oven temperature partway through baking helps ensure the pie bakes evenly and fully.
- How do I know when it’s done? The top of the shoo fly pie should be set but the center should still have a slight jiggle to it. The edges should be golden brown. A knife inserted in the center should come out mostly (but not completely) clean.
Serving Suggestions
Shoo fly pie is excellent served warm with black coffee, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. The ice cream or whipped cream helps to balance the rich molasses flavor.
How To Store Leftovers
- Room temperature: Shoo fly pie can be stored, covered on the kitchen counter for 3-5 days.
- Reheat: Since it’s best served warm, I recommend popping individual slices of the pie in the microwave for 15-30 seconds before enjoying.
Shoofly Pie
With a gooey molasses filling and crumb topping in a buttery pie crust, this Shoofly Pie is a unique dessert and popular Amish recipe. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream and some coffee!
Servings: 8 slices
Ingredients
- 1 (9-inch) pie crust unbaked
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg beaten
- 8 fluid ounces unsulfured molasses
- 6 ounces boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place your pie crust inside pie plate and gently press the crust into the bottom and up the sides and then ¼ inch over the edge of the plate.
- Gently fold under the ¼ inch of crust under itself and crimp around the edges.
- Cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
Make the Filling
- In a medium bowl add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and stir to combine. Add the small pieces of butter to the mixture and mix creating coarse crumbs. Set it aside.
- Add the molasses to a medium glass bowl or large measuring cup. Mix in the baking soda and stir to combine. Add the beaten egg and stir to combine.
- Boil the water and add it little by little, stirring vigorously, until incorporated and there is a layer of foam on the top.
- Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and sprinkle a small layer of the crumbs on the bottom. Pour the molasses mixture into the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the top of the pie.
- Add foil around the edges of the pie and place onto a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake
- Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the pie and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pie is firm, yet still has a little jiggle in the middle and the crust is golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Last Step:
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Store shoo fly pie, covered, on the counter for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3mg
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