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This wet bottom Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie is the perfect pantry pie recipe. If you love molasses, and simple ingredients this pie is for you. The strong molasses flavor is tempered with butter and a warm-spice crumble topping. This pie is just what your coffee break needs.

My husband AJ had never had shoofly pie before, which makes sense, as he was born and raised in the Midwest before moving to California. Shoofly pie is mostly a Pennsylvania Dutch dessert, one that is less common outside of Central Pennsylvania and the surrounding area.
But after I asked if he wanted a bite of my slice, he proceeded to eat the entire piece, which was not part of my initial offering! Thankfully, I had more pie left. I took a sip of coffee, cut myself another slice, and made sure not to offer him anymore bites off of my plate.

WHAT IS SHOOFLY PIE?
This uniquely-named pie is sometimes lumped together with other “desperation pies” like chess pie, vinegar pie and sugar pies. You can find references to it all over the web with the spelling as Shoofly, Shoo Fly or Shoo-fly pie.
Regardless of how you spell it, the pie ingredients are pretty much the same. Shoofly pie is made with simple pantry staples, the sort you always have around the house, which means you can have dessert practically any time.
Unlike most “desperation pies” associated with the South, according to Anne Byrn, author of the book American Cake, Shoofly pie is part of the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that dates back to 1876. Shoofly pie was actually a Centennial cake, made in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The cake later morphed into a pie, with a crust, which allowed it to be eaten without a plate or fork and with a strong cup of coffee for breakfast.

WHAT DOES SHOOFLY PIE TASTE LIKE?
The dominant flavor of shoofly pie is molasses. It’s a strong flavor but is tempered with the buttery spiced, flour topping on the pie.
It’s no wonder the pie is often served with a strong cup of coffee, as the dark bitter hot beverage elevates the sweetness of the molasses while cutting the richness of the pie.
WET BOTTOM VS DRY BOTTOM PIE
Shoofly pie comes in two different versions: wet bottom or dry bottom. Wet bottom pie has the filling in the pie baked until it is just set, with an oozy custard texture.
For my recipe, I opted for the wet bottom version. The dry bottom pie is baked longer with more flour and, occasionally, an egg added to the filling, leading to a drier, cake-like center.

WHAT IS THE BEST MOLASSES FOR THIS PIE?
Molasses comes in different flavors and varieties and it can get confusing, especially when some brands have different labeling categories.
I recommend opting for light molasses which has the mildest flavor. If you really like the flavor of molasses you can opt for regular/medium flavored molasses or dark/robust molasses both of which are more assertive in flavor.
However, avoid blackstrap molasses. It’s extremely dark and has a bitter burnt flavor which can be overwhelming in this pie.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING A SUCCESSFUL SHOOFLY PIE
Make the pie crust in advance: I recommend making the pie crust ahead of time and letting it chill in the fridge for an hour or longer. If you have the forethought, make the pie crust the night before and let it chill overnight. The gluten in the crust will relax and the water will fully hydrate the flour, making the crust easier to roll out.
Chill the crust after you roll it out: Once you’ve rolled out the crust, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes. This does two things. It relaxes the gluten, so the dough won’t shrink or slump when baked and it chills the butter, which will lead to a flakier crust.
For crispier crust, blind bake or pre-bake the crust. There are instructions for how to do that at the bottom of our perfect pie crust recipe.
Mix a little bit of the crumb into the filling: This gives the filling a little bit of body and form so it’s not so liquidy. If you prefer a firmer filling, double the crumb topping and mix half of it into the filling, reserving the other half for the top of the pie.
Chill the pie before slicing: Warm pie will mean the filling will be a little oozy. If you want a nice even cut, try chilling the pie in the fridge for 30 minutes. A cooler pie will firm up the molasses and result in cleaner slices.

CAN YOU MAKE SHOOFLY PIE AHEAD OF TIME?
You can make this pie ahead of time but keep in mind the crumb topping won’t be as fresh. Shoofly pie, because it’s mostly made of molasses, keeps fairly well.
Store it at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just keep it covered with plastic wrap on under a cake dome to keep the flies away!
CAN YOU FREEZE SHOOFLY PIE?
Yes! Shoofly pie freezes well. Just keep in mind, again the crumb topping will thaw out and be less crisp.
Once the pie has been baked and cooled completely, cover it in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and slip the whole pie into a large heavy-duty resealable freezer bag.
You can freeze the pie whole as stated above or cut the pie into individual slices and freeze them in a container, allowing you to thaw out one slice at a time on the countertop.
MORE GREAT PIE RECIPES LEGGI TUTTO

Nothing like a Cosmopolitan! Made with citrus vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup, this easy-to-make cocktail is a favorite for every occasion.

The Cosmopolitan is a bright, easy-to-make cocktail with a bouquet of lime, orange, lemon, and cranberry. Neon pink, the “Cosmo” revivifies, refreshes, and rightfully earns its place beside the Margarita and Sidecar on your table.

THE HISTORY OF THE COSMOPOLITAN
The Cosmopolitan is a vodka daisy, which is a sour made with fresh citrus and a liqueur like curacao. Where its siblings, the Margarita and the Sidecar, play it fairly straight, the Cosmopolitan’s nod to the cranberries of Cape Cod makes it an almost singular pleasure.
For such a relatively new drink, the Cosmopolitan’s origins have become as often (and hotly) debated as the classics of the late 19th Century. What we can say for sure is that the drink—a standard sour customized with cranberry juice—first found real popularity and recognition in the mid-1980s, just before Absolut Citron would launch and become its signature vodka.
Neal Murray, Cheryl Cook, Toby Cecchini, and others from South Beach to New York City to Minneapolis to San Francisco all have elaborate stories to support their claims of invention. But we can look back a little further to see the fingerprints of this drink in everything from Ocean Spray promotions from the 1950s through 1970s, to a handful of drinks from the 1930s bearing the same name (one of which featured gin in place of vodka, and raspberry syrup in place of cranberry juice).
Given its similarity to the combination of vodka, cranberry juice, and lime in the “Cape Codder” or “Harpoon”—both creations of Ocean Spray’s promotions department—that company might have the best claim. But its refinement at the hands of Cheryl Cook, Dale DeGroff, et al, and its posterizing by Sex and the City, made it the standard it is today.

WHAT IS THE BEST VODKA FOR A COSMO?
While purists will insist on a lemon-accented citron vodka such as Absolut Citron (and I recommend as much), there are more than a few ways to approach the Cosmopolitan. The citrus accents to the vodka are somewhat key, however, unless you want to add lemon juice on your own.
Stolichnaya Lemon is a common runner-up, while Absolut Lime would make for a complementary, semi-creative substitute. You’re only advised to avoid overly expensive “sipping” or prestige vodkas, whose more subtle qualities would likely be lost in the sour party that is a Cosmo.
TRIPLE SEC OR COINTREAU
While somewhat interchangeable in most recipes, Cointreau is better balanced between bitter and sweet. It’s also typically of higher quality than your average triple sec or other curaçaos, has a better palate, and usually has a better nose. At 40% alcohol (against Triple Sec’s 15% – 30%), Cointreau will also make for a stronger or less-diluted drink, accentuating the orange without sapping the vodka’s quiet strength.
That said, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao, an elegant, dry, bitter recipe crafted by Cognac Ferrand in consultation with cocktail historian David Wondrich and based on a 19th century recipe, would be a clever feather to stick in your Cosmopolitan’s cap.

100% CRANBERRY JUICE OR CRANBERRY JUICE COCKTAIL?
The best bet is 100% cranberry juice (unsweetened). Resist the urge to go with a cranberry juice cocktail. Different cranberry cocktails can have a variable amount of sugar, and this would make it far too difficult to balance the drink.
Fresh, unsweetened cranberry juice is far too tart on its own—but with the perfect measure of simple syrup, it will come across as pleasant, if slightly cheeky, and add exactly the flavor, character, and sourness it was meant to. Also with cranberry juice, you can customize the sweetness and end up with far better color for your trouble.
If you want to forgo the simple syrup in the recipe, you can substitute Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail for the unsweetened cranberry juice: You’ll still get the necessary sweetness to balance the drink, and have one fewer ingredient to measure out. Not the worst outcome!
VARIATIONS ON THE COSMOPOLITAN
Watermelon Cosmo: 1.5 oz vodka, 1 oz triple sec, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz watermelon juice
Cosmopolitan Strawberry: 2-4 fresh strawberries, 1 oz Cointreau, 0.25 oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz Absolut Citron (citrus vodka). Halve the strawberries (saving one half for garnish) and muddle the others with the Cointreau and lime juice. Add the vodka and ice, and shake well until cold to the touch. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with the reserved strawberry half.
Rude Cosmopolitan: Substitute tequila for the vodka.
Brazilian Cosmopolitan: Substitute cachaça for the vodka
The 1934 Cosmopolitan: A dry gin in place of the vodka, a dash of Raspberry (framboise) sugar syrup in place of the cranberry juice

MORE CLASSIC COCKTAILS LEGGI TUTTO