Gooey Melasses and Crispy Crumbs: The Secret to Baking a Perfect Pennsylvania Shoofly Pie

To some, molasses might seem like an old-fashioned ingredient that is rarely used in modern baking, but this legendary American recipe proves that traditional country desserts still make the absolute best comfort food.

Despite the shoofly pie looking pretty complicated, in reality it doesn't require any professional pastry chef expertise. The cozy combination of deep, rich molasses and a buttery crumb topping will let you enjoy a unique slice of history that will instantly warm up your evening tea routine.

Ingredients: 1 pie crust (homemade or store-bought), rolled out and placed in a 9-inch pie pan, 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of light brown sugar, ½ cup of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes, 1 cup of molasses (unrefined).

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), placing the rack in the lower third of it.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

Using a pastry knife or fork, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the pieces are no larger than peas. Set the crumb mixture aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the molasses, boiling water, and baking soda until smooth.

Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture evenly over the crust.

Pour the molasses mixture over the crust on top of the crumb mixture. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake until the center of the pie is set and barely wobbles when gently shaken (about 20–25 minutes).

Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.