Cherry Pie Recipe
Cherry pie is created in the same basic way that other fruit pies like blueberry and apple pies. You can follow the instructions below to make a pie crust from scratch. However, if you don’t want to take the time to do so, feel free to use a refrigerated pie crust from your grocers dairy case. With these crusts, you simply place them in the pan, add the filling and top crust, flute the edges, cut vents on top, and bake. Refrigerated pie crusts are an excellent shortcut for bakers who are in a hurry. Between the use of frozen pitted cherries and a refrigerated pie crust, you can probably have this pie in the oven in less than ten minutes.
Equipment
- Oven
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Sharp knife
- Pastry blender
- Fork
- Rolling Pin
- Pie Pan
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- ¼ to ½ cup cold water
- 5-6 cup frozen, pitted tart cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, use a fork to combine the 2 ¼ cups of flour and the salt.
- Cut the butter into small pieces using a sharp knife.
- Using a pastry blender or a fork, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture, cutting it into smaller and smaller bits.
- When you are completely done, the mixture should resemble cornmeal, with tiny bits of butter distributed throughout the flour mixture.
- Next, slowly pour in about ¼ cup of the cold water.
- Stir the pie crust dough with a fork, and slowly drizzle in a little more water, a few tablespoons at a time.
- Once the dough begins to ball up in the bowl, stop adding water.
- There should be no dry spots in the pie dough, but it shouldn’t be sticky and gummy either.
- The texture that you are aiming for is that similar to playdough.
- When the correct amount of water is added and the pie crust dough is starting to stick together, use your hands to press the dough into a ball.
- Divide the ball in half and press each half into a disk.
- Roll the disk out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin until it is about 12 inches across.
- Fold the dough into quarters and transfer it into the pie pan.
- Using the same bowl as you used to create the pie dough, now make the cherry pie filling.
- Put the cherries in the bowl. They don’t have to be thawed.
- Add the sugar and flour and toss the cherries to coat them.
- Put the cherries into the crust-lined pan.
- Cut the 2 tablespoons of butter into little bits and dot the surface of the pie filling with butter.
- Roll out the top crust and put it on top of the cherry pie filling.
- Crimp the edges, and cut vents in the surface of the top crust to keep the pie from bubbling over in the oven.
- Using your hands, rub the top of the pie with milk and sprinkle it with the extra sugar for decoration.
- Bake the pie for about 45 to 60 minutes.
- You may want to use a pie shield or strips of aluminum foil folded over the edges of the pie to protect the pie from over-browning during baking time.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about two to four hours to help the juices in the pie thicken up.
Notes
While apple pie is a favorite of many, cherry pie is often a close second. Featuring cheerful red cherries encased in a pastry crust, cherry pie is probably one of the prettiest pies that you may put on the table. Some people may only have experience with cherry pies that include canned cherry pie filling.
While some may like it, canned pie filling often tastes metallic, overly sweet, and may have a somewhat slimy texture. Our recipe for the cherry pie is nothing at all like those kinds of cherry pies. The flavor of tart cherries gives our pie a tart sweetness and the filling feels like fresh fruit in the mouth.
Of course, you can make a cherry pie with fresh cherries from the store when they are in season in the summer months. However, fresh cherries can be a little bit of a nuisance. You not only have to clean them and pull off the stems, but you also have to pit every one of the cherries before you can put them in a pie.
Even with a tool called a cherry pitter, this procedure can be tedious, time-consuming, and boring. Our recipe for cherry pie gives you all the flavor of fresh cherries with none of the hassles by using frozen, pitted cherries. The cherries come to you ready to be used. You don’t even have to thaw them before you incorporate them into the pie.
When you buy your frozen cherries, be sure that you choose tart cherries. Even if you don’t care for sour things, the tart cherry is perfect for this pie. When you use tart cherries, the flavor of the pie becomes much more complex. These cherries have a bold, fruity flavor that makes the dessert taste amazing.
While cherries taste great, they also have plentiful nutritional benefits. Tart cherries in particular have high levels of antioxidants which can help with the prevention of cancers and heart disease. Some studies have shown that those who drink the juice of tart cherries have relief of pain related to gout and arthritis. Other people have reported the relief of their headache pain and insomnia simply by drinking tart cherry juice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cherry pie is cheerful, tasty, and fun to make. Our recipe for cherry pie uses tart cherries for complex taste. You can use frozen cherries to get all of the flavor of fresh cherries with none of the work.
April Freeman enjoys creating all kinds of recipes for her friends and family from her country kitchen in Middle Tennessee. She and her family raise beef cattle, chickens, and all sorts of fruits and veggies on their farm, and she specializes in featuring farm-fresh foods in the recipes that she creates and serves. April says that her slogan is “Are you hungry?” and she feels that one way of showing love and connecting with others is to serve delicious favorite foods to others. Her favorite thing to cook is pies of all kinds.
