Sweet Cherry Pie
This Sweet Cherry Pie, made using frozen cherries, is the best dessert to make regardless of what season it is! Sweet cherries are paired with lemon and tart cherry juice to balance it out, accented with almond extract, and tucked inside a flaky lattice crust. The best type of thickener for this pie is quick-cooking tapioca. Quick-cooking tapioca is great because it works by absorbing the juicy cherries within the granules to create a thick filling. See the notes for an alternative.
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 01:00
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Fruit Pie
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 batch Flaky Pie Crust (see notes for alternatives)
- 7 cups (32 ounces) frozen sweet pitted cherries
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup tart cherry juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (see notes for substitute)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch of coarse kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced (optional)
- Egg wash (1 egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon water)
- Coarse sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pie pastry and let rest overnight, if possible.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place an oven rack in the lower and middle part of the oven.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, mix the cherries, granulated sugar, cherry juice, lemon juice, tapioca, almond extract, and salt until combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, to hydrate the tapioca, about 10-15 minutes. The cherries will slightly defrost in this timeframe.
- Roll out the pastry: Roll out 1 pie pastry disk to an 11-inch circle. Fit the pastry into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure to press the pastry into the sides and the bottom. Roll out the second disk of pastry and cut strips to make a lattice, if desired, or just roll out as a full top crust. Place the lattice strips or top crust in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Transfer the cherry pie filling and all of its juices into the pastry-lined pie plate. Gently press down on the filling to eliminate any gaps between the fruit. Dot the pie with the pieces of butter, if using.
- You can top the pie with a lattice or top it with the rolled-out pie dough with a few slits or small shapes stamped out of it to let steam escape. Trim the edges and crimp the bottom and top crusts together.
- Brush the top crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake on the lowest rack for 25 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 400ºF. If the crust is browning, cover the outer edges with aluminum foil or a pie shield, leaving the middle of the crust exposed. Bake for another 35-40 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the temperature of the middle of the pie reaches above 200ºF.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for 3-6 hours to let the juices set up.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
If you don't want to purchase tart cherry juice, you could substitute orange juice. It results in a slightly different flavor but it is still lovely!
The tapioca can be swapped for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
The added butter to the pie filling is completely optional. It adds a bit of "luxury" to the filling, but is not essential.
This pie tastes best with a homemade buttery pie crust. There are a few options on this website:
If you find that your pie is done but the top crust isn't as golden brown as you'd like, move the pie up to the middle rack to cook for about 10 minutes, or until baked to your liking.
Baking tip: If you find that your pie is done but the top crust isn't as golden brown as you'd like, move the pie up to the middle rack to cook for about 10 minutes, or until baked to your liking.
Find it online: https://everydaypie.com/sweet-cherry-pie/