As we all gather with family and friends for the holiday season, it’s only natural to celebrate the bonds of tradition and nostalgia that we share. Every family has its own set of traditions, whether it be welcoming the Elf on the Shelf, cutting down a Christmas tree together, or making and enjoying a special dish. In our family, there’s one holiday ritual that has been observed ever since my parents were married almost 40 years ago: making shoo-fly pie.
Bring a shoo-fly pie to your next holiday event — it’s easy to make, and always a crowd-pleaser. Photo Credit : Marie Adele Schultz
While not considered a New England dish, shoo-fly pie is a dessert I’ve enjoyed for as long as I can remember. But growing up I often heard, “Shoo-fly pie? What on earth is that?” It doesn’t help that the pie – though delicious – looks, well, not that appetizing, thanks to its dark, molasses-infused filling. My advice? “Don’t judge the pie. Try the pie.” Nine times out of 10, people end up asking for the recipe.
But just how did my family stumble upon this tradition in the first place? As my mother remembers, it all started in a little town near the White Mountains…
Shoo-fly pie has simple ingredients, which can easily be halved if you would like to make only two pies (or, in my case, one pie and six mini pies). Pictured here is a copy of our original family recipe. Photo Credit : Marie Adele Schultz
“After a day of skiing at Wildcat Mountain in Jackson, New Hampshire, your father and I stopped into Wal-Rico’s Restaurant in Glen for dinner. We asked for a recommendation for dessert, and the owner, Rico, recommended his wife’s shoo-fly pie topped with whipped cream. It was the first time I had ever tasted shoo-fly pie, and it was so delicious I decided to ask Rico for the recipe. He explained that he could not give me the recipe, so I began searching for shoo-fly pie recipes and found that it was of Pennsylvania Dutch origin and there are several varieties.
“We would still stop in occasionally [to Wal-Rico’s] just for shoo-fly pie. One day, Rico told us that his wife’s recipe was going to be published in Gourmet magazine. At last, I would be able to obtain the recipe! I contacted Gourmet magazine and asked when it would be published. They told me they would send me a copy of the recipe, which was a photocopy of the original handwritten recipe, copied on Gourmet magazine letterhead. I was so excited! The recipe yields four pies; I usually adjust the recipe to make two pies. It has now become a family favorite.”
I improvised mixing the molasses with a hand mixer rather than the blender, and came out with very similar results. Photo Credit : Marie Adele SchultzFeel free to use your hands to make the crumbs for the pie. Play with the mixture until you have pea-sized crumb toppings. Photo Credit : Marie Adele Schultz
While spending Christmas with my in-laws last year, I brought the treasured pie, which always makes me feel at home. I was so happy to share this tradition with my new family. Helping my mother make the pies might not have seemed important to me when I was young, but as I grow older and I watch her continue to make them, it becomes more and more special.
Start your own family tradition using the recipe below!
Mini pies are filled and ready to go in the oven! I put them in 10 minutes before taking out the larger pie. Photo Credit : Marie Adele SchultzThe finished product. Photo Credit : Marie Adele Schultz
Shoo-Fly Pie
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: Four 9-inch pies
Note: The pie does not come with crust instructions. You may choose to look up how to make them from scratch (like this 100-year-old pie crust recipe from Yankee) or use frozen pie crusts.
Filling:
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups water
4 tablespoons flour
Instructions
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender, and then cook mixture on a stovetop until it thickens.
Crumb Topping:
Ingredients
2½ cups sugar
5 cups flour
½ pound melted margarine or butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together until the mixture looks like small peas.
In the uncooked pie crusts, put a handful of the crumb mixture in first, then cover with about a cup of the liquid mixture. Alternate crumb and liquid mixtures until all of the ingredients are used. Make sure to finish the pie by sprinkling the remaining crumb mixture on top.
Bake the pie at 350° for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Does your family have a favorite holiday recipe tradition? We’d love to hear about it!
Marie Adele Ware
Marie Adele Schultz is a recent graduate of Gordon college. She grew up on the Massachusetts North Shore, where she currently resides with her husband and cat. Marie works for a small business called Roost & Company, and enjoys taking photos of the local landscape in her spare time. She says that photographing this beautiful scenery has become a true passion. See more of Marie's New England on Instagram!
