Lower Sugar Shoofly Pie

GF V DF Sep 15, 2026

Recipe Nutrition Comment Print
Share on:

No I did not make up "Shoofly Pie", though it sounds like a term I would coin. A Shoofly Plie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dessert or breakfast. It features a pie crust and a brown sugar crumble top, with a molasses filling.

To make this healthier and lower in sugar, I'm using my homemade Healthier Graham Cracker Pie Crust, and replacing the sugar topping with homemade Aquafaba Whipped Cream.

The main difference comes in the filling though. I'll be lowering the full 1 cup of molasses to a more manageable 1/4 cup, and swapping out the standard molasses for blackstrap molasses.

Compared to standard molasses, blackstrap molasses is bolder in flavor and lower in sugar. It also contains notable amounts of some nutrients like calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Though mainly, blackstrap molasses contains a significant amount of iron, to the point where small dosages are often recommended for those with iron deficiency.

To replace the remaining molasses that I left out, I will be using sugar free syrup. This provides the extra liquid needed for the filling, as well as sweetening the pie for minimal calories. Finally, I'm mixing some delicious spices directly into the pie, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

If you don't like the taste of blackstrap molasses, then you probably won't like this pie. But for me, the filling is a delicious rich and bold flavor full of gingerbread, caramel, and pumpkin spice notes. It's a warming and filling dessert or snack that's surprisingly easy to throw together.

FILLING
- 1 cup (320 g) Sugar free syrup
- 1/4 cup (80 g) Blackstrap molasses
- 1 tsp (3 g) Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) Ginger, ground
- 1/4 tsp (0.75 g) Nutmeg, ground
- 1/8 tsp (0.25 g) Cloves, ground
- 1/8 tsp (0.75 g) Salt
- 1 large (50 g) Egg
- 1 tsp (6 g) Baking powder

CRUST
- 1 batch, 9 oz (255 g) Healthier Graham Cracker Pie Crust

TOPPING
- 1/2 batch, about 3 cup (123 g) Aquafaba Whipped Cream

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

2. Add sugar free syrup to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, until hot.

3. Add in the molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Whisk together to fully incorporate the spices.

4. Crack in the egg and add the baking powder. Vigorously whisk to ensure there are no clumps of baking powder.

5. Transfer your batter to a prepared pie crust. The filling should be about the consistency of maple syrup.

6. Bake uncovered at 350F for about 45 minutes. The top and edges will be set, but the center will jiggle slightly when the side of the pan is tapped.

7. Let the pie chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before topping with whipped cream. Cut into 8 slices.

https://www.poormanprotein.com/recipes/shoofly-pie

Servings: 8
1 slice
Calories: 201
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 5 g
Net Carbs: 26 g
Fiber: 3 g

Description

Time

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Rest Time:

4 hours

Cook Time:

45 minutes

Total Time:

5 hours

Cost

Total Cost:

Cost per Serving:

$0.67

Ingredients

Serving(s)

Filling

1 cup Sugar free syrup

1/4 cup Blackstrap molasses

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ginger, ground

1/4 tsp Nutmeg, ground

1/8 tsp Cloves, ground

1/8 tsp Salt

1 large Egg

1 tsp Baking powder

Crust

1 batch, 9 oz Healthier Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Topping

1/2 batch, about 3 cup Aquafaba Whipped Cream

Instructions

Cook Mode Off: Prevents screen dimming

Pictures: Shown

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Add sugar free syrup to a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, until hot.
Add in the molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Whisk together to fully incorporate the spices.
Crack in the egg and add the baking powder. Vigorously whisk to ensure there are no clumps of baking powder.

Transfer your batter to a prepared pie crust. The filling should be about the consistency of maple syrup.

Bake uncovered at 350F for about 45 minutes. The top and edges will be set, but the center will jiggle slightly when the side of the pan is tapped.

Let the pie chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before topping with whipped cream. Cut into 8 slices.

Notes

A traditional Shoofly Pie would normally use a full cup (320 g) of standard molasses in the filling. Instead, here I cut it down to 1/4 cup (80 g), went for blackstrap molasses instead of the standard molasses, and swapped out the hot water for hot sugar free syrup.

Traditional recipes also typically have a brown sugar crumble topping. Below are the nutrition facts comparing my version to the traditional recipe, both with the classic topping and with whipped cream topping.

For all 3 versions, I will be assuming the same pie crust, my Healthier Graham Cracker Pie Crust. For the first and third, the ones with the whipped cream, I will be assuming my Aquafaba Whipped Cream.

Nutrient	Mine	Traditional With Crumble Topping	Traditional With Whipped Cream
Calories	201	500	266
Protein	5.8 g	7.8 g	5.5 g
Fat	4.6 g	10.5 g	4.6 g
Net Carbs	26.2 g	92.1 g	47.9 g
Added Sugar	5.2 g	54.2 g	26.7 g

To be honest with you here, the actual crust I used was just an extra Gluten Free Lentil Loaf (but made with brown rice instead of lentils) that I had in my freezer. I just mashed it and shaped it into a pie pan. The crust doesn't specifically have to be the Healthier Graham Cracker Pie Crust.