It has been said that this old-time pie's name came about because the pie was so sugary sweet it attracted the flies and was placed to lure the flies away from people dining -- thus the name 'shoofly'. Personally, I think the story is more than likely an 'urban legend' of yesteryear...because no one wasted food back in those times, especially sugar and molasses.

Shoofly Pie

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Cover the pie crust with aluminum foil and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour with the sugar and cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.
4. In another bowl, mix together the molasses, water and baking soda.
5. In the bottom of the baked pie crust, ladle 1/4 cup of the molasses mixture. Carefully top this with 1/4 of the dry mixture. Repeat these steps 3 more times with the remaining ingredients.
6. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil and place the pie in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie.