Welcome back to PIE WEEK, where every day this week I'm sharing a new pie video! Today we are making the best easy cherry pie.
If you love this recipe, you are going to love the rest of my Pie Week videos, so be sure to check those out too just in time for the holidays! I am going to be sharing everything from THE BEST Easy All-Butter Pie Crust, to how to make fun and amazing Decorative Pie Crust Designs, my fave Cherry Pie with Braided Lattice Top, Pumpkin Pie with Pie Crust Leaves, THE BEST Apple Pie with Pie Crust Roses, THE BEST Lemon Meringue Pie with Ruffled Pie Crust and THE BEST Chocolate Cream Pie, just in time for the holidays!
I cannot believe I've never made a cherry pie before. It's such a classic and this is also one of the easiest pies you can make, so I went a little extra with the decoration and did a really pretty braided version of the classic lattice top.
If you guys give this a try be sure to tag me in a picture on social media @LindsayAnnBakes!
If you've never made homemade cherry pie from scratch, this is a great one for beginners to start with, it's such a classic and it feels so good to say you made a homemade sweet cherry pie. You can start with a basic pie crust, too, if you don't want to get super fancy with the decoration. Just place a whole pie crust over the top, slit some holes in it and seal to the bottom crust and you're all ready to bake.
I love a saucy filling, and these sweet cherry are just swimming in it. It's perfectly thick and full of juicy cherries with a hint of sweet almond and vanilla.
I made my favorite, super simple buttery pie crust recipe to kick off pie week, because you can do it in advance and just pop it in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to make your pie, but you can use store bought pie crust if you want, which tends to be easier for making decorations to top your pie with.
Since this pie is great year round, if you're making it during the summer, and can get your hand on fresh sweet cherries, go ahead and use those, or if you're making it when cherries are not in season, you can go with the good ol' standby, frozen cherries. Plus it's a lot easier since they already come pitted, so that's what I love to use. Note, if you are suing sour cherries, you will need to add up to 1/2 cup extra sugar in this recipe.
It literally couldn't be easier. You just mix everything in a bowl and pour it into a pie crust to bake and something about the fresh, bright lemon and the sweet vanilla and almond extract just create the most magical flavor combination for this cherry filling.
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Sweet Cherry PieYield: One 9" pie; serves 8
Ingredients
- Two 9" Pie Crusts, Homemade or Store Bought (1 for bottom crust and 1 for decorations on top)
- 2 lbs. (about 4 cups) pitted sweet cherries, thawed and drained if frozen
- 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
- egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Directions
Crust:
Create braids and lattice top from one of your pie crusts: Roll out pie dough dough about 1/4" thick. Using a ruler and a knife, cut out 4 thick strips of pie dough from the center (about 1 1/4"), and 18 thin strips (about 1/8"). Make 3 braids from 9 of the thin strips for the lattice. Use remaining dough to cut 9 more strips to create 3 more braids, long enough to go around the edge of the pie. Cover and set aside.
Press second pie dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie dish and place on top of a baking sheet, to catch any filling that bubbles over the edge during baking. Chill pie dish in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
In a large bowl, defrost cherries until completely thawed. Strain out juice in a colander, rinse and return to bowl. Mix in sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Add lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract. Gently stir together until thoroughly combined. Refrigerator filling as the oven preheats to preheats to 400°F.
Pour filling into prepared pie dish and dot with tiny cubes of butter all around the top. Place lattice pattern on top, and press down edges to seal. Use a pastry brush to adhere the braid around the edge of the crust with egg wash. Brush tops of entire crust with egg wash.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil if the edges from getting too brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling.
Cool for at least 3 hours at room temperature before serving, or refrigerate overnight, to allow filling to thicken. Serve warm, a la mode, with vanilla ice cream, if desired. Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 5 days; reheat for 10 minutes at 350°F.
