Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
- 180 ml Quebec maple syrup (dark, robust)
- 180 ml boiling water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g cold butter, cubed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 190 °C. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, then whisk in maple syrup and beaten egg to form the wet layer.
- Rub flour, cold butter, cinnamon, and salt together until crumbly to form the streusel topping.
- Pour maple liquid into the unbaked shell, then scatter the crumb topping evenly over the surface.
- Bake 35–40 min until the filling is just set with a slight wobble in the center.
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing; the filling firms as it cools.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g brown sugar + 120 ml molasses
Conversion used: Replace molasses and brown sugar with 180 ml dark Quebec maple syrup. Reduce added water by 30 ml to compensate for extra liquid from syrup. Bake at 190 °C instead of 205 °C (−15 °C) to prevent over-caramelization.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Dark maple syrup mirrors molasses depth with cleaner mineral notes (zinc, manganese) and no refinery by-products, while anchoring the pie to Quebec terroir.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →