Pennsylvania Dutch "Molasses"

James Troutman

Date: 2002/12/20
Last revised: 2003/07/13

I've figured out what the problem is with my rendition of my mother's Shoo-Fly Pie recipe. It's the molasses.

I made mine with real unsulphured molasses, which works fine and produces a good Shoo-Fly Pie, but it isn't an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch Shoo-Fly Pie (let alone an authentic Arlene's Shoo-Fly Pie).

To produce a "real" Shoo-Fly Pie, you need to use what the Pennsylvania Dutch call "molasses." I've been living away from PA Dutch country for so long, I had half-forgotten the distinction.

Anyway, the short answer is to use a dark corn syrup. In central PA you can find King Syrup, which is what my mother uses. Another brand that I remember from my childhood is Turkey Table. Around these parts, however, the closest thing you're likely to find is Dark Karo Syrup.

If you can't find a dark corn syrup, use half unsulphured molasses and half light corn syrup.

Whatever you do, don't use blackstrap molasses! About 25 years ago, when my sister was living in San Francisco, my mother went for a visit, and naturally enough my sister asked her to bake a Shoo-Fly Pie. But my mother wasn't able to find anything similar to the "molasses" that she used back home. The only thing she could find was blackstrap molasses, and the resulting pies were a disaster.

References

The Amish Country Store is a good online source for King Syrup.

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