Vintage Vittles

Downright delicious "desperation pies" are making a comeback!

“Desperation pie” may sound alarming, but these vintage desserts are downright delicious!

“As God is my witness. I’ll never be hungry again.”

Scarlett O’Hara in ‘Gone with the Wind’

You may not have heard the term “desperation pie” before, but odds are you’ve eaten one. If you’ve ever had vinegar pie, chess pie, or shoofly pie…they’re all desperation pies. Otherwise known as “make-do” pies, these pies were what grandma and great grandma made from common pantry items when they couldn’t get fresh fruit.

Forget everything you know about modern grocery aisles, where strawberries appear in January as if by magic. Step back to a time when your kitchen was a battlefield, the seasons were your enemy, and "dessert" was a daring act of survival! During the Great Depression, there were those who were hungry and had to be resourceful.

Imagine it’s the tail end of a brutal 18th-century winter. Your fruit cellar is a graveyard of empty jars. Your family is craving something sweet, but all you have is a jug of vinegar, some dusty flour, and a prayer.

Enter the Desperation Pie. These weren’t just recipes; they were culinary alchemy. Grandma didn’t need a harvest to create a masterpiece—she used her wits to turn “nothing” into “everything.”

These pies are born from sheer grit and pantry staples.

More Than a Meal—It’s a Legacy

While these pies became legends during the Great Depression and World War II rationing, they were actually perfected by agrarian pioneers as far back as the 1740s.

Before refrigeration and high-speed trains, “desperation” was the mother of invention. Every bite of these pies is a tribute to the resourceful cooks who refused to let a long winter or a lean pantry keep them from the joy of a flaky crust and a sweet filling.

They may have been called "make-do" pies, but one taste will tell you they are anything but second best.

Of course, the biggest reason these pies are seeing a comeback is simply that they’re delicious, and everyone loves discovering something so tasty! Necessity is the mother of invention, after all, and these pies show culinary invention at its best.

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From today’s Vintage Kitchen - Desperation Pies: (recipes below)

Shoo, Fly Pie

Legendary Vinegar Pie

Cinnamon Sorghum Custard Pie

Shoo, Fly Pie is considered a "desperation pie"—a dessert made from pantry staples like molasses, flour, and brown sugar when fresh fruit wasn't in season.

Most food historians trace the pie back to 1876. It is believed to have evolved from a “Centennial Cake” created in Philadelphia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Because the cake was crumbly and sticky, home cooks began baking it in a pie crust to make it easier to eat by hand, especially for farmers taking it into the fields. By the 1880s, it had fully transitioned from a cake into the pie we know today.

The "Shoo, Fly!" Theory: The most popular legend says that because the pie is made of sweet, sticky molasses, it would attract flies while cooling on windowsills. Bakers would have to constantly "shoo" the flies away.

Because Shoofly pie relies on shelf-stable ingredients (molasses, lard/butter, and flour) and originally didn’t even require eggs, it became the go-to winter dessert for pioneers and farmers. When the fruit cellars were empty at the end of a long winter, “desperation” led to the creation of this rich, spiced masterpiece.

courtesy of Shell Royster, Jennifer Causey, and Rishon Hanners

Shoo, Fly Pie

• 1 single-crust pie shell - Instructions below

  Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (6 3/8 oz.) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

  1/2 cup (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cubed

  1 cup molasses

• 3/4 cup boiling water

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• Whipped cream for garnish, optional

  Pie Crust

  Place the crust inside a greased 9-inch deep dish pie dish. Cut excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill the pie shell with dried beans.

Fold overhang under itself, creating a thicker ring of crust around the pie's edge. Crimp edge as desired. Chill in refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

stylist courtesy of Shell Royster

Bake in preheated oven on lower rack until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights; continue baking until lightly golden, about 5 more minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Make pie filling:

Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

Add butter:

Add butter and using your hands or a pastry cutter, and incorporate butter into dry ingredients until no pieces of butter remain and the mixture resembles cornmeal. Set aside.

Make molasses mixture:

In a separate bowl, whisk together molasses, boiling water, and baking soda until molasses is fully dissolved. Once cooled down, add beaten egg and whisk to incorporate.

Fill the prepared crust by adding 1/3 cup of flour mixture first:

Using a ladle or a measuring cup with a handle, gently scoop or pour the molasses mixture into the pie shell.

Finish pie topping:

Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture evenly across the entire surface of the pie.

Bake pie:

Bake in a preheated oven until the center of the pie is set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, if desired.

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This is the one that truly feels like magic because it uses a sharp, savory liquid to create a bright, fruity dessert!

The Legendary Vinegar Pie

Commonly known as “Mock Lemon Pie,” this recipe was a lifesaver for pioneers who didn’t have access to citrus trees. The vinegar provides a sharp tang that, when baked with sugar and eggs, mellows into a flavor remarkably similar to lemon custard.

This pie became very popular during the Great Depression when fresh fruit was scarce. Despite its name, vinegar pie does not taste strongly of vinegar. It has a lovely mild lemon flavor.

This Vinegar Pie is a super simple, old-fashioned pie that’s been around for years! It gets its flavor from a little bit of vinegar and is topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg!

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated pie crust

• 4 large eggs

• 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar

• 1/4 cup (56g) butter, melted

• 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• whipped cream, optional

• Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Place the pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Pre-bake according to the package directions for temperature and time. Use pie weights to keep the crust from puffing up too much when baking.
2. Adjust oven temperature to 350°F, if needed.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, butter, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine, then pour into pre-baked pie shell.
4. Bake pie for 30-40 minutes, or until pie is set but a little jiggly.
5. Allow pie to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate pie until cool and firm, and serve.
6. Serve pie with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Don’t skip the nutmeg!

Cinnamon Sorghum Custard Pie

This pie delivers tons of complex flavor. There are caramel notes from the coconut sugar and sorghum syrup, and the unmistakable bite of cinnamon.

1 (9”) unbaked pie shell

1 c. sorghum syrup (can substitute with molasses)

3 large eggs

2/3 c. coconut sugar (you may substitute light brown sugar or granulated sugar)

½ c. buttermilk

½ c. sour cream

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. vanilla extract

8 gingersnap cookies, ground to dust in a food processor

1 egg whipped with 1 tsp. of water for egg wash

Line a pie pan with pie crust and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to bake. Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sorghum syrup and eggs until smooth. Add the coconut sugar (or granulated sugar), buttermilk, sour cream, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat with a whisk until smooth.

Add the crushed cookies—either stirring them in or scattering them in the bottom of the pie crust and pour the filling in after. Pour the pie filling into the pie crust, brush the exposed crust with egg wash, and slip the pie into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

Lower the heat to 350° and continue to bake until the pie is well puffed all over and set, about 40 minutes more. A little wiggle in the center is fine, but it shouldn’t be sloshy.

Chef’s Note: The internal temperature of the pie must be 180°. The eggs do not set up at the same temperature as they would usually.

Remove the pie to a rack to cool for about an hour and then chill. Serve cold, at room temp, or slightly warm with a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.