Classic Cherry Pie Recipes

THE BEST CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bottom pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan; made pricks along the bottom with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie crust is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
• Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract together in a bowl. Pour cherry mixture into the prepared pie pan; dot with butter. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife. Place the pie on a foil-covered baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. If it is browning too fast cover the pie with an aluminum foil tent. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 10 to 20 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

CLASSIC SOUR CHERRY PIE WITH LATTICE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
• For filling:
• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

CLASSIC CHERRY PIE WITH A BUTTER CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Toss together cherries, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl.
• Make the crust: Roll out 1 disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling; dot top with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.
• Roll remaining disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 4 or 5 holes using a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter. Place on top of pie.
• Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears, and press together to seal around edges. Fold edges under; crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet set on the middle rack, with a foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack to catch juices, until pie is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool before serving.

CLASSIC BING CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crust into a pie pan.
• Combine cherries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and almond extract together in bowl. Refrigerate until cherry filling begins to set, about 10 minutes. Stir filling again; chill until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Pour the filling into the bottom half of the pie crust; cover with top crust, crimp the edges to seal, and dot with butter. Cut vents into the top with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes; rotate the pie 1/4 of a turn. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

TRADITIONAL CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Combine flour and salt in processor and blend. Add butter and shortening and process, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and toss or pulse just until combined. If necessary, gently mix in additional ice water, a little at a time, until mixture forms moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide in half and flatten each piece into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until cold, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
• Make filling:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line heavy baking sheet with foil and set on middle rack of oven. In large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, and tapioca or cornstarch; mix well and let stand while rolling out crust.
• On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll out 1 piece dough into 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into 9-inch (1-quart) pie pan, leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll out second piece dough into 11-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick).With sharp knife or fluted pastry wheel, cut into 1-inch-wide strips.
• Remove pie pan with bottom crust from refrigerator and pour in filling. Top with pieces of butter. Brush rim of bottom crust lightly with water.
• Make lattice top:
• Lay 5 pastry strips vertically across pie, spaced evenly. Fold strips 2 and 4 back halfway, and insert new strip across center of pie, perpendicular to other strips. Drop folded strips back over inserted strip.
• Fold back strips 1, 3, and 5 and add another cross strip, leaving room between strips for filling to show through. Lay folded strips flat again. Continue from center out to edge of pie, weaving lattice top. Repeat process on other half, again working from center out. Gently press ends of strips to edge of bottom crust to adhere. Trim lattice edges flush with rim of pie plate.
• Roll overhanging dough from bottom crust up over edge of lattice top. Press to adhere and crimp decoratively. Brush lattice with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.
• Place pie on baking sheet in oven. Bake 20 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil collar to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles and crust is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CLASSIC CHERRY PIE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into two 6-in. rolls; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm., Unwrap and cut into 3/8-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve piping consistency. Tint frosting with cocoa and food coloring. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with frosting., Spread preserves over cookies to within 1/4 in. of edges. Pipe lines across the top of each cookie, forming a lattice. Pipe a fluted edge around the tops of cookies.