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simple cherry pie

Course: Dessert

Ingredients

  • 3 bags frozen tart cherries
  • 2 rolls ready-made pie dough from the grocery store freezer section (Mine is gluten-free due to food allergies.)
  • .5 tbsp almond extract
  • .5 cup raw sugar
  • 1 stick butter (You won’t use the entire thing, but it is helpful to have a full stick handy.)
  • .5 cup cornstarch (You may not use the full amount since this is based on how thick you like the pie filling.)
  • 1 egg beaten

Hollyized Steps:

  • Oven to 375 degrees
  • First, pull out a pie dish and your Le Creuset dutch oven. These are the only two dishes you will need, which is wonderful for the holiday season when you have so many better things to do with your time than dishes!
  • Add all three bags of frozen tart cherries to your dutch oven. Cook covered on medium heat for about 5 minutes. This will create the juices and the main flavor for your pie.
  • Before the cherries completely reduce, add in the raw sugar, about 3-4 tablespoons of corn starch, and almond extract. The almond extract gives the pie that classic ‘cherry pie’ smell. You’ll want to stir constantly on low heat until all the dry ingredients are absorbed and the filling is approximately the thickness that you enjoy. For a thicker filling, add in about .5 a tablespoon of cornstarch at a time. I added approximately 5 tablespoons for my filling since Mr. S and I both like a thicker filling in pie. A thick filling also makes it a little easier to serve. Once the filling is to your liking, remove it from the heat and let it cool a bit. While you work on the crust.
  • Next, use part of the stick of butter to cover the bottom of the pie dish. Then line your pie dish with one of the pie crusts. Make sure that you have plenty of dough along the outer edge so that you can seal it with the crust on top. Add your cherry filling, and cover with the pie crust. Press the edges of the bottom crust and top crust together to make sure it is sealed all the way around.
  • Cut a few slits in the top crust so that the pie can let steam escape and won’t explode in the oven. Melt some butter in a ramekin and paint the top with a mixture of the egg wash and butter, and then sprinkle with a pinch of raw sugar.
  • Then bake the pie for approximately 45 minutes (you may want to keep an eye on it after 30 minutes passes, especially if you are using gluten-free pie crusts) and remove it from the oven when the crust is golden brown and you can smell the cherries!
  • Let your cherry pie cool and then enjoy it plain or with a side of vanilla ice cream!