Shoofly Pie

Shoofly pie is a regional specialty of Pennsylvania Dutch country, especially the Moravian, Mennonite, and Amish communities. My grandparents had a farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, surrounded by Amish neighbors, and my grandmom, Merle Condon, made a killer shoofly pie. It’s a simple recipe and a relic from baking traditions long past: It starts with a classic pie crust to cradle a dense and sticky molasses filling. Then the pie gets coated in a sugary crumb that somewhat soaks into the filling, but mostly rests on top. The result is a three-in-one dessert that melds pie, tart, and crumb cake into a single slice.

The funny name has two origin stories. One involves the sugary pie attracting the attention of flies; the other (more likely) version is the pie was inspired by a long-forgotten brand called Shoofly Molasses. Either way, the pie became popular in the late 1800s as a hearty, filling breakfast alongside a strong cup of coffee, usually served in the winter when fruit was scarce, but molasses was shelf-stable in the cool temperatures.

Grandmom Condon was not from the late 1800s, so she served it as a dessert when my cousins and I would come to visit. After we ran in the fields, rode on Grandpop’s tractor, terrorized the horses and cows, and pushed each other on the tire swing, Grandmom would call us in. Her cooking was fine, but her dessert game was unparalleled, and of all the pies she loved to make, she took the most pride in her shoofly. Even now in my 30s, long after Grandmom is gone, just one bite transports me back to that farm kitchen, the wooden stools, the big table, and being a kid, when everything felt so simple.