Baking with cherries has caught my attention. I’ve become obsessed with these ruby-colored fruits! I love fresh cherries and eat copious quantities during cherry season, yet I never made desserts with cherries as the star. Now I’ve added a myriad of cherry desserts to my baking armamentarium. 

Cherry pie, cherry crisp, and crumb bars join our favorite family desserts. We love biting into a juicy piece of pie, especially if topped with vanilla ice cream! When fresh cherries are not in season, I use frozen cherries instead of fresh which have to be pitted. 

And if you want to cut additional time, use store-bought refrigerated, which I think is excellent tasting.

Classic Cherry Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen dark tart cherries, 365 Whole Foods Market

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 tablespoon almond extract

Refrigerated pie crust, Pillsbury pie crust

 or pie dough recipe for 2 crust pie

2 tablespoons butter, to dot

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Prepare pastry. 

Stir together sugar and cornstarch. Mix lightly with the cherries. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle cherries with vanilla, almond extract, and dot with butter.

Cover with top crust, seal, and flute. Cut slits into the top of the pie crust to release steam. 

Make the egg wash by adding milk to the beaten egg, then brush the top of the crust. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until the crust is browned and the juice begins to bubble through the slits. Serve slightly warm.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, King Arthur Flour

1/4 cup sugar, Domino’s Sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening, Crisco

1/3 cup sweet butter (I love my Cabot!)

7 tablespoons cold water

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt with a pastry blender, cut in shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle water over the top and mix it together with a pastry blender or fingers until it comes together to form a ball. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Divide pastry in half. Roll one pastry half into a 12 inch round on a floured surface. Fit into a 10-inch pie plate, letting the pastry hang over the edge.