Description
This classic cherry pie recipe features tart frozen cherries cooked into a sweet, spiced filling with a beautiful lattice top crust. Perfect for summer or any time of year using frozen cherries, this pie offers a delightful balance of tangy fruit, warm spices, and a buttery flaky crust. Serve it chilled or slightly warm with vanilla ice cream for an irresistible dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 2 pounds frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed, juices reserved
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch salt
Crust and Assembly
- 1 recipe Pie Crust, chilled at least 2 hours
- 1 large egg
- Coarse sugar, optional
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Cherries: Place the thawed cherries in a strainer set over a bowl to catch excess juices. Measure out 1 cup of reserved cherry juice; save any leftover juice for another use. Transfer cherries to a large bowl.
- Make Cornstarch Slurry: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ¼ cup water until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook Filling: Pour 1 cup cherry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Return to a boil, then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook while stirring until the juice thickens and looks clear and glossy. Remove from heat, then stir in cinnamon, ginger, almond extract, and salt. Let cool completely.
- Prepare Bottom Crust: Roll out the chilled pie crust dough according to your pie crust recipe, leaving a ½-inch overhang on all sides of a 9- or 9.5-inch pie plate. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F placing a baking sheet inside on the bottom rack.
- Prepare Top Crust: Roll out the remaining dough using the same method. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover loosely, and chill in the refrigerator while bottom crust chills.
- Make Egg Wash: Whisk the egg with the remaining 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Assemble Pie: Remove bottom crust from fridge and pour in the cooled filling. Transfer top crust to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch strips. Lay 4 to 5 strips crosswise over the pie filling. Weave another 4 to 5 strips perpendicularly to create a lattice pattern, carefully pulling strips to weave. Trim excess dough and fold the bottom crust edges over the lattice strips, pressing and crimping edges to seal.
- Finish and Bake: Brush the lattice crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet in the oven. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 40 to 50 minutes until crust is golden and filling bubbles. Tent edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the pie to cool completely for about 4 hours before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- If you do not have 1 cup of cherry juice, microwave the cherries for 15 seconds and press gently to release more juice. Repeat until you have 1 cup. Save any extra juice for another use.
- You can make the pie dough and cherry filling 1-2 days ahead for convenience.
- Use frozen tart cherries for best flavor and natural tartness.
- Protect crust edges with foil if browning too fast during baking to avoid burning.
- Allow the pie to cool fully so the filling sets properly for clean slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 pie)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
