Cherry Pie is a light and delicious variation among the pie recipes that is a perfect dessert during summer season. In this homemade cherry pie recipe we will provide all the details for you to help you achieve making the best pie. Since we are in cherry season, and we like to share the healthiest recipes with you, there will be no store-bought ingredients. Fresh fruits always give the best result and most flavorful desserts. So, we recommend you to prepare this homemade pie all from scratch.
What is a Pie?
A pie is a baked-good made with a pastry crust and fillings made with fruits or savory ingredients. It can have just a bottom crust, a top crust, or both. Pie crust is usually made from flour, butter, and water. Depending on the style and recipe, crust can be flaky or crumbly. Besides crust, pies are filled with various types of fillings. Sweet pies are usually made of fruits such as apple, cherry, blueberry; custards like pumpkin or lemon; or nuts. Savory pies may include meats, vegetables, or cheeses.
Pie is a staple in American and British cuisine. Apple pie is one of the most popular pie variation in the US.
What is Cherry Pie?
Cherry Pie is one of the classic pie recipes filled with juicy cherry filling. It can be made with fresh, frozen, or canned cherries, and is often sweetened with sugar and flavored with lemon juice.
Using constarch or flour is important to thicken the filling.
Key Ingredients
Fresh Cherries: Tart, or sour cherries in other words, are best for this recipe. Sweet cherries will make the pie more sweet while the sour cherries gives it a more natural flavor. Frozen or canned cherries can be used, but we recommend you to try this recipe with fresh cherries to make the best sour cherry pie.
Cornstarch: It thickens to filling to prevent cherry juice to flow through the bottom of the pie.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens cherries to balance the sour flavor of cherries.
Pie Crust: For this recipe, a flaky, buttery homemade pie crust is the best.
Egg: Beat the egg to brush the top crust. Brushing with egg will make the pie crust get golden brown.
How to Make Cherry Pie?
Making the best cherry pie is divided into two steps. Firstly, prepare the pie crust, secondly make the cherry filling. The key for the best pie is a thickened filling and flanky pie crust.
Make the Pie Crust
Follow the steps on our pie crust recipe to prepare the best pie crust for this recipe.
Make the Cherry Filling
Halve and Pit the Cherries: Start by halving and pitting the sour cherries. Then, put them in a saucepan.
Combine with Other Ingredients: Add the cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract on cherries and mix them well. Bring them to a boil until the cherry filling thickens.
Add the Butter: Once the filling starts boiling, reduce the heat and add the butter. After the butter melts down, set the saucepan aside and let the filling cool down.
Combine the Crust and Filling
Use a pie dish to place the pie crust into. Then, fill the pie crust with thickened filling. Place the top crust strips to give it a traditional pie look. bBrush the top crust with the beaten egg.
Bake and Serve
Bake the pie in preheated oven until the top gets golden brown. Afterwards, remove the pie from oven and let it cool down. Do not slice the pie until it gets fully cold to prevent it getting splitted.
Serving Tips
Pair with Ice Cream: Serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream gets along perfectly with the pie with sour cherries.
Serve with Whipped Cream: A dollop of fresh whipped cream is also a traditional way to serve a pie.
Reheat in Oven: If you want to warm up leftover slices, place them in 150°C (300°F) oven for 10-15 minutes. Avoid microwaving, which can make the crust soggy.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust
- 4 cups (500 g) halved pitted fresh cherries
- 2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (28 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15 gr) cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
Start by preparing the pie crust by following the steps in our pie crust recipe which you will have enough dough for a double crust pie.
Prepare the Filling
- Grab a saucepan to boil the cherry filling.
- Combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in the saucepan and bring it to a boil.
- Once the filling starts boiling add the butter, and when the butter melts, set it aside to let it cool down.
Roll out the Pie Dough
- Divide your chilled dough into 2 pieces. Roll out on of the dough discs on a floured surface so that the dough will not stick.
- Once you have a circle of dough enough to cover your pie dish, place the dough carefully into the pie dish.
Fill the Pie
Use a spoon to fill the pie with cherry filling. Make sure that you transfer all the cherry mixture into the pie.
Prepare the Top Crust
- Take the other piece of dough and roll it. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into strips. Thread the strips over and under one another carefully.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Then, brush the top and edges of the pie crust with egg.
Bake the Cherry Pie
- Set your oven to 180°C (356°F) and wait until it heats.
- Bake the pie for 30 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.
Rest and Serve
- Once you remove pie from the oven, let it rest and cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Filling will be too juicy if you do not wait until it completely cools down.
Notes
- Cherries: You can use fresh, frozen, or canned cherries. For the best cherry pie recipe, use fresh cherries. You can use Rainier, dark sweet, or sour cherries. If you are using sour cherries, you can add a little more sugar.
- Pitting Cherries: Removing the seeds from fresh cherries can be time consuming and messy. If you want to make it easier, you can use a cherry pitter.
- Boiling the Cherry Filling: Before fillind the pie crust, boiling the cherry filling will thicken the sauce and reducing the baking time
- Save the Leftovers: You can cover the leftovers and stor in refrigerator for up to 5 days.