Cherry Pie Recipe

Homemade cherry pie filling and pie crust from scratch can be intimidating and takes a while to make. But, trust me on this one the end results are so worth it! Using just a hint of almond extract brings this cherry pie filling to the top.

Cherries are one of my favorite fruit but they can be a pain in the a** to pit and I recommend using a cherry pitter. When eating cherries plain and not preparing them for a pie, I just eat around them around the pit. The type of cherries we usually get here are from Washington State. They are a dark sweet red cherry type. You can use your favorite type of cherry or any variety of cherries you prefer. Just remember if the cherries are sour you might want to add in some extra sugar for more sweetness.

Pitting Cherries

Pitting cherries can be very messy. I suggested to not wear any light-colored clothes like white, grey, or pink when pitting them. Trust me, I've stained white t-shirts before and the stain was not fun to get out. You can purchase cherry pitters on amazon or even at the grocery store. The grocery store even has cherry pitters next to the cherries.

Homemade or Store-Bought Pie Crust?

Making pie crust is pretty simple if you own a food processor. The recipe for the pie crust that I used was Ina Garten's Perfect Pie Crust Recipe.  All you need is butter, water, salt, flour, and sugar. No lard, although that really makes for a good pie crust. My Grandma says so.

Cherry Pie Filling

Frozen pitted cherries can be used for this recipe Just make sure they are defrosted first.

Canned Cherry Pie Filling - sure it's easy to just grab a can of that yummy cherry pie filling that you get at the grocery store (love this stuff) but once you make homemade cherry pie filling you will never want to use the store bought stuff again.

Like I mentioned above, depending on the type of cherries you use whether they are sour or sweet you made need more or less sugar than what the recipe calls for. The cornstarch and lemon juice help to thicken the cherry pie filling. The almond extract is optional but please do not skip this part! That gives the pie filling more flavor.

How to Make Cherry Pie

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon and almond extract gently together in a large bowl.
3. Roll out half of chilled dough (use larger piece, if you’ve divided them unevenly) on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, either by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan or by folding it into quarters and unfolding it in the pan. Trim edges to a half-inch overhang.
4. Spoon filling into pie crust, discarding the majority of the liquid that has pooled in the bowl. Dot the filling with the bits of cold butter.
5. Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the egg wash over pie crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Sometimes, I wish I could eat cherries all year long!

How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust

I must apologize for the uneven strips of pie dough in my pictures, but hey it looks kind of rustic looking don't you think? Who says all lattice pie crust strips must be all even in size? 🙂 Here's how to make a lattice crust.

From allrecipes.com Cut the dough into strips approximately ¾-inch wide. You can use a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or scallop-edged pastry wheel. If you're worried about cutting straight, use a ruler as a guide. Cover the pastry strips with plastic wrap and place the pan of dough in the refrigerator to relax while you prepare the pie filling and transfer it to the pastry-lined pie plate.

2. When you're ready to weave, moisten the rim of the pie with a small amount of water. Start with the longest strips and lay the first two strips in an X in the center of the pie. You can arrange them at 90 degree angles or at a sharper 45-degree angle.

3-9. Alternate horizontal and vertical strips, weaving them in an over-and-under pattern. Use the shortest strips for the edges of the lattice.

If you're having trouble removing the dough from the cutting board or pan, roll the strips up like a rug and unroll them onto the pie. Press the ends of the strips firmly to the lip of the pie and trim away any excess dough with kitchen shears or a paring knife.

The amount of filling left to peek through the lattice is entirely a matter of style: thin strips of dough make a more elegant lattice, while a few wide strips give the pie a more rustic look. You can even twist the strips of dough as you form the lattice, so they look like festive paper streamers.

10-12. Once the pie has been covered with the lattice, brush the top with egg wash (an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water or milk) or milk for a brown, shiny crust. Dust the top with cinnamon-sugar, if desired.

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