After three years of various people trying this spiced molasses pie, it was time for a post update. As it turns out, this pie is a delicious hit with everyone we know. However, it seems there should be two options for different palates. Below, you'll find a recipe for a strong, rich, not-so-sweet pie and a slightly modified recipe for those who prefer a very sweet holiday treat.
A and I spent Wednesday afternoon making pies and Christmas wreaths. We made the same maple cream custard tart as last year, with no adjustments and no problems. Knowing that others were bringing more traditional pies, we also decided to have fun and make a strong, sugary molasses pie with gingerbread spices. I had a frozen Whole Foods gluten-free pie crust I wanted to use, although this could also be tasty with the almond meal crust we use for the maple cream tart.
After doing some googling, and coming up with a few recipes on forums, we came up with the following.
Option One: Spiced Molasses Pie with Maple Whipped Cream: Strong and Rich
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1 cup white sugar
Splash of apple cider vinegar
3 eggs (4 if your eggs are small)
1 T vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
Nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, ground cloves to taste
Melt 1/2 cup butter, then simmer with 1/2 cup of blackstrap molasses, 1 cup of white sugar, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and slowly beat in 3 eggs, 1 T vanilla, 1/4 tsp. salt, and nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and ground cloves to taste.
Pour filling into an unbaked pie shell and cook at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 25 more minutes.
The molasses taste here will be rich and strong. To soften this a bit, and to make a prettier pie, pipe a thin layer of homemade maple whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream, 3 T maple syrup) over the top. The molasses lovers at your table will really enjoy slivers of the pie, especially with strong coffee or tea. The texture-soft and gooey-is beautiful, as is the color.
Option Two Modification: Spiced Molasses Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream: Sugary Sweet
For those who are entertaining a crowd that loves very sweet desserts, we recommend adding another 1/4 or 1/2 cup of sugar or reducing the molasses by 1/4 cup and replacing with a 1/4 cup of honey. With the sweeter version, we recommend topping with homemade cinnamon whipped cream rather than the maple! (Just add cinnamon to heavy cream prior to whipping.)
I just bought molasses this week for some baked beans and want recipes to use it up with. Might have to try this one out. I will probably try reducing the molasses and adding honey since I have some great Wyoming honey from the ranch.
ReplyDeleteI thought the pie was delicious, it just had a very distinctive taste. I do agree that the changes would improve it, though. I'm excited to try it again sometime! And I will be enjoying a small slice of the leftovers with my coffee in the morning. :)
ReplyDeletethat sounds really good! I substituted half agave nectar for molasses in a muffin recipe once, I wonder if that would work for the pie?
ReplyDeleteYou know it's funny, I found it actually mellowed out by day 2 and was delicious. I do think reducing the molasses by a bit would still be good...agave or honey or brown rice syrup would probably work. It could be a bit runnier with agave, though. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteI've made this twice with your recommended changes and it is INCREDIBLE! Perfect with a cup of coffee or black tea.
ReplyDelete