Shoo-fly pie is a Pennsylvania Dutch dessert with a delicious gooey bottom and a crumb top, with a distinct molasses flavor (there are also dry-bottom versions that aren't as gooey). I grew up eating store bought shoo-fly pie all the time, but you just can't find it outside of the Pennsylvania Dutch region. We have an old family recipe, Great Grandma's Shoo-Fly Pie, but that one's a little dry for my taste, and the molasses flavor is a bit too strong. So, I went testing online recipes, found one I really liked at Taste of Home, and then tweaked it just a tiny bit.
I use a pre-made pie crust (the kind you unroll into a pan, not the kind already in a pan), and I don't bother to blind bake it. Unlike something like apple pie, the crust really isn't all that critical to a good shoo-fly pie. The filling really is the main focus of the dish. The only drawback from using a pre-made pie crust is that there are no trimmings left over for that other classic Pennsylvania Dutch dessert, milk pies.
Shoo-Fly Pie Recipe
Ingredients – Pie Crust
- 1 store bought pie crust, or your crust recipe of choice
Ingredients – Topping
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Dash salt
- 1 stick cold butter, cubed
Ingredients – Filling
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature, lightly beaten with whole egg
- 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°
- Mix dry topping ingredients. Cut in butter until crumbly.
- Mix all filling ingredients except boiling water. Add boiling water gradually, stirring constantly. (I add it to the measuring cup to help get the last drop of molasses)
- Roll pie crust into deep pie dish
- Pour filling into pie crust
- Sprinkle topping into pie crust, spreading evenly
- Put in oven. Immediately reduce temperature to 350°. Bake until filling is set and doesn't jiggle, approximately 45-50 minutes. Let cool before serving. (It's better to err slightly on under-set than over-cooked, since the gooey bottom is what makes this pie so good.)