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a piece of molasses pie on a plate
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4.80 from 5 votes

Old Fashioned Molasses Pie with Crumb Topping

Thick crumb topping, gooey molasses filling, tested Pennsylvania molasses pie recipe. Know exactly what "wet bottom" means before you slice.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 384kcal
Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

Crumb Topping:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  • In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the molasses layer. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture has thickened. This will take about 5-10 minutes, depending on your stove. Allow it to come to a low boil, but not a full boil. Allow the mixture to cool while you prepare the topping. 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, melted butter and baking soda. Mix well. 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup salted butter, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pour the molasses mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the molasses mixture. 1 unbaked 9" pie shell
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center starts to puff up.
  • Allow the pie to cool before slicing. This is considered a "wet-bottom" pie, so when you slice it, the bottom may be slightly "wet" and that's exactly how it should be.

Notes

Sugar: Dark brown sugar gives the deepest flavor.
Crumb topping add-in: Stir ½ teaspoon of cinnamon into the crumb topping mixture. It adds warmth without overpowering the molasses.
Wet bottom is normal: This pie will always have a gooey, slightly syrupy bottom layer. It's supposed to. Don't overbake.
Storage: Room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze individual slices wrapped tightly for up to 2 months.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Serving: 143g | Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg