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Homemade Cherry Pie is so delicious when using fresh cherries. If you can find them, (or pick them from a tree) we love tart cherries, which remind me of my childhood. But dark sweet cherries work well, too, which is what I’m using for this recipe.
I remember as a girl standing in the back of my dad’s old Ford truck picking fresh cherries from a tree. Of all the fruit harvests, I always enjoyed picking cherries the best. And these were tart cherries. So eating them fresh wasn’t all that pleasant. Plus you had to watch for worms.
From those cherries, my mom would make pies and jellies, and of course, I would be there to help. Oh, how I loved that jelly!
When my daughters were baking in 4-H, we made this recipe with dark sweet cherries, so either type works well. Whatever you can find. You may even use frozen cherries, which might require a tad more tapioca to accommodate the extra liquid.
Ingredients for Cherry Pie
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Preheat oven to 375°F. Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Using a cherry pitter or the curved end of a stainless potato peeler, pit the cherries.
If you don’t have a cherry pitter, the old-style stainless potato peelers work best for this.
Make the Filling
In a medium bowl, combine the pitted cherries, instant tapioca, granulated sugar, and almond extract. Stir until mixed well. Allow to set for 15 minutes while you prepare the pie pastry.
Some homemade pie fillings use flour or cornstarch as a thickener, but this recipe uses instant tapioca, which ensures a nice set to the filling.
Substitution for Instant Tapioca
If you don’t have instant tapioca in your pantry, you may substitute 1/4 cup cornstarch for the tapioca. Mix the cornstarch into the cherries along with granulated sugar, and almond extract. Spoon into pie filling as directed.
Prepare the Pastry
In a medium sized bowl mix together the all-purpose flour and salt.
Add vegetable shortening and cut in with a blending fork until crumbly.
Add 1/4 cup cold water and mix the dough. Then add the rest of the water to finish mixing the dough. The dough should hold together in a soft ball.
Divide the dough into two equal balls. Roll each ball out on a lightly floured surface the size of your pie plate. For top crusts, make slits in the dough so your pie can breathe while it is baking. This can be simple slits or an intricate design.
Assemble the Cherry Pie
To assemble the pie, place the bottom pastry into the pie plate. Press to form it along the bottom and sides allowing the upper edges to fold over the outer sides of the plate.
Give the cherry mixture another good mix with your spoon and add the cherries to the bottom crust. Use a rubber spatula to help transfer all of the yummy filling. Dot the top of the filling with bits of butter.
Smooth water along the edge of the pie crust with your fingertips, which will help seal the crusts together.
Add the top piece to the pie and crimp edges. I always like to smooth 1-2 tablespoons of milk over the top of the pastry and then sprinkle with sugar to make a pretty crust.
Bake the pie in a preheated oven on a lower rack for 50-60 minutes until the top crust is golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving. This recipe will serve 8 people.
A Winning Pie Dough
Of course, for this recipe you may use a frozen pie dough from the store, but I always recommend making it yourself. This pie dough has made it through at least four generations, with only a slight tweaking, and I highly recommend it. The tweaking is that I use more salt than my mom does.
This pie dough has played a part in a handful of grand champion ribbons for pie at our county fair. Try it. I hope you’ll like it as much as we do.
If desired, serve homemade cherry pie with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.
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Cherry Pie
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Ingredients
Cherry Pie Filling
- 4 cups tart or dark sweet cherries (pitted)
- 3 tablespoons instant tapioca
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Pie Pastry Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7/8 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup cold water (2 parts)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Topping
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Using a colander and a cherry pitter (or the round end of a potato peeler) pit the cherries.
Make the Filling
- In a medium bowl, combine the pitted cherries, instant tapioca, granulated sugar, and almond extract. Using a rubber spatula stir until mixed well. Allow to set for 15 minutes while you prepare the pie pastry.
Prepare the Pastry
- In a medium sized bowl mix together the all-purpose flour and salt.
- Add shortening and cut in with a blending fork until crumbly.
- Pour in the cold water, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing between each addition. The dough should hold together in a soft ball.
- Divide dough into two equal balls. Roll each ball out on lightly floured surface the size of your pie plate. For top crusts, make slits in the dough so your pie can breathe while it is baking. This can be simple slits or an intricate design.
Assemble the Pie
- To assemble the pie, form the bottom pastry dough along the bottom and sides of the pie pan, allowing the excess dough to fold over the edges.
- Using the rubber spatula, give the cherries another good mix. Then scrape the cherry filling into the bottom crust. Dot with bits of butter. Smooth water along edge of the pie crust with your fingertips, which will help seal the crusts together.
- Add the top pastry onto the filling and crimp the edges.
- I always like to smooth 1-2 tablespoons of milk over the top of the pastry and then sprinkle with granulated sugar to make a pretty crust.
- Bake in preheated oven on a lower rack for 50-60 minutes until the top crust is golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving. Serves 8.
