Good ol' cherry pie...
This is an old chestnut of a recipe. I've been baking it using this same formula for over 30 years now, with the exception of using 1-2 Tb fresh lemon juice, added along with the cherries and extract. Using the lemon juice avoids the cloying sweetness that some have found objectionable. Those who think it's the same as canned cherry pie filling have to be kidding! That stuff is bright red goo with a few cherries floating around in it. This produces a cherry-packed filling that fits best in an 8" pie pan. For a 10" pie I always double this recipe, and it comes out nice and full. For those who have trouble with the crust browning too much or burning, just crimp a 2" strip of foil (you will need 3-4, depending on the size of pie you're baking. Join the strips end-to-end by folding thinly together to make one long strip) around the crust edges. Remove for the last 15 minutes of baking. Voila! Perfectly baked crusts every time. This filling recipe also works beautifully as a topping for cheesecakes, pound cakes, ice cream, etc. Provided you make a quality crust, this truly does produce the Best Cherry Pie you'll ever eat.
Read MoreI am making this for our 31st anniversary dinner dessert tonight and am having to fix it so as not require an emergency trip to the grocery. I used a 24oz jar of tart cherries and the rest of the ingredients as given (I did substituted Splenda for baking as my DH is diabetic)...the filling has the consistency of a roux, and one that's far too sweet at that! To counteract the excess sweetness I have added the juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon, 2 peeled and sliced apples, and 1 tsp. cinnamon and another chunk of butter (to thin out the sauce). I will tell my husband it's "chapple" pie and hope for the best.
Read More This is an old chestnut of a recipe. I've been baking it using this same formula for over 30 years now, with the exception of using 1-2 Tb fresh lemon juice, added along with the cherries and extract. Using the lemon juice avoids the cloying sweetness that some have found objectionable. Those who think it's the same as canned cherry pie filling have to be kidding! That stuff is bright red goo with a few cherries floating around in it. This produces a cherry-packed filling that fits best in an 8" pie pan. For a 10" pie I always double this recipe, and it comes out nice and full. For those who have trouble with the crust browning too much or burning, just crimp a 2" strip of foil (you will need 3-4, depending on the size of pie you're baking. Join the strips end-to-end by folding thinly together to make one long strip) around the crust edges. Remove for the last 15 minutes of baking. Voila! Perfectly baked crusts every time. This filling recipe also works beautifully as a topping for cheesecakes, pound cakes, ice cream, etc. Provided you make a quality crust, this truly does produce the Best Cherry Pie you'll ever eat.
Everyone that I served loved this recipe. Some notes: I used two 10 oz cans of cherries, and I thought it was still few cherries... maybe I like a lot of cherries. In addition, you really have to watch the sauce-- mine got thick really fast after leaving it for about a minute. Midway through the recipe I was discouraged because I felt I might have burnt it. Either way, the pie came out great... one of the best I've had. Hopefully someone else can use my tips, however.
Most important tip: Use arrowroot instead of the flour for a beautiful filling! This is an excellent pie. However like others, I changed it up a bit. I couldn't find either 10 or 20oz cans and used 2 14.5oz cans of sour cherries and was glad I did. I was perhaps using a slightly deeper dish than others had, but I wanted a pie bursting with cherries. I did NOT cut the sugar. I think some of the other reviewers were using pie filling cherries. You need to use cans of SOUR cherries. They will be labeled as such. The first time I made this I used the flour to thicken, but it made the filling look pink. Next time I used 2 1/2 T of Arrowroot instead and it came out a beautiful, clear red color. You won't need to use the red food coloring. Arrowroot is a more expensive, but you use less and it's worth it! And as others have said, brush with egg WHITE, not yolk. (To save time, I used a ready-made Pillsbury crust.)
My husband and I love it! I did cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup as recommended by another reviewer. Also, shouldn't the crust be brushed with egg white, not yolk? (Note: Milk can also be brushed on a pie crust.) I also adjusted the oven temperature: 425° for 15 minutes, then 325° until the crust was golden brown. Didn't run AT ALL, yay! :)Excellent for those of us who like sweet, not tart, cherry pie. I would be proud to make this for company!
This is the method used by my grandmother and mother, two master bakers who lived in the heart of fruit orchard country in West Virginia. Nearly everything I know about baking I learned from them. Last week I went to the orchard to buy some fresh sour cherries to make this pie. It was the best as usual. Fresh cherries are not as readily available as the canned cherries. If you have the chance to get them, tryit. The only difference I made in the recipe was to heat the fresh pitted cherries (4 cupe) on the stove to bring the juices alive. I then added slowly while stirring constantly the sugar, salt and flour which I had blended together. I proceeded as directed in the remainder of the recipe. It was great. I got enough cherrie to freeze for later pies. Sometimes I use corn starch instead of flour as it make a more translucent filling. I also used almond extract, but sometimes use cinnamon or lemon juice. They all create good pie. Enjoy!
I made this pie for Easter and everyone went crazy over it. It was the first thing to go and my husband and daughter were both looking for more later that night. Absolutely highly recommended although I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup. Thanks for this awesome recipe, will be making again soon.
Easy to make, and tasty to boot. But I'm glad I followed the tip that said to cut down to 3/4 cup sugar -- that certainly was enough.
My mother requested "old fashioned cherry pie" for her birthday and this pie was terrific! I followed the advice of others and used corn starch instead of flour, ditched the food coloring, used 2 14 oz. cans of cherries, added cinnamon and nutmeg, and since I could only find tart, not sour cherries, I decreased the sugar to 3/4 cup. I used Pillsbury pie crusts and cut the top crust with a pizza cutter, then latticed it, brushed with egg white, and baked at 425 for 15 minutes, then 325 for the rest of the time. It was gone before the day was out.
This pie came out well. It really held its shape (didn't run all over the place when I cut it.)
Delicious! No need for the red food coloring. Definitely will make it again.
I am making this for our 31st anniversary dinner dessert tonight and am having to fix it so as not require an emergency trip to the grocery. I used a 24oz jar of tart cherries and the rest of the ingredients as given (I did substituted Splenda for baking as my DH is diabetic)...the filling has the consistency of a roux, and one that's far too sweet at that! To counteract the excess sweetness I have added the juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon, 2 peeled and sliced apples, and 1 tsp. cinnamon and another chunk of butter (to thin out the sauce). I will tell my husband it's "chapple" pie and hope for the best.
This was a really good recipe! I liked it hot but, loved it cold out of the fridge! Filling tasted like a cherry pop tart =]
Very Good!! This recipe is a fast and easy and if you need something to take to a last minute holiday party, I would suggest this one!!
I have made a version of this recipe for 54 years. I prefer the taste, texture and color of using corn startch rather than flour to thicken. I sweeten with white sugar to taste. Wonderful Pie
This is the same recipe my mother used all through my childhood minus the red food coloring. Dad would call her from work to make one and he would pick up the vanilla ice cream on the way home. Since he worked nights they would share it together then we got to have it for breakfast the next day. Wonderful memories. Thanks.
The store only had 15 oz cans of cherries and the other reviews said the original recipe didn't have enough cherries, so I ended up using 2 cans. Because of this I had to alter the amounts of the other ingredients some- 1 1/2 C sugar, 4 T cornstarch (I thought it would result in a better texture than flour), 3 T butter and I reserved 1 1/2 C of the juice (though I had to use part water because there wasn't enough juice). The amount of filling filled my Fiestaware pie plate perfectly. I brushed the top with milk and sprinkled with sugar, then baked for 35 minutes, part of the time covered. The resulting pie is VERY good! The filling tastes great. Definitely 5 stars for flavor. Next time I'm going to either cut back on the amount of retained juice (1 cup) or add another tablespoon of cornstarch because it ended up fairly runny (the filling was thinner after baking for some reason). Also I'm going to try baking at 350 for a longer period because my pie looked done but the bottom crust is rather under done. Great pie anyway with what we think is a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness!
This recipe is fantastic. I did use corn starch instead of flour; just personal preference. I had a deep dish pie plate so I used 2-20oz jars of sour cherries and it was the perfect amount. I have always taken the easy way out and used canned cherry pie filling... never again! This pie was EASY & absolutely DELISH and my brother whose fave pie is cherry raved and asked for the recipe. And my brother-in-law who rarely gives compliments about anything loved it too! THANK YOU for this super recipe!!!
I always use this recipe for making my cherry pies. There's three sour cherry trees in my front yard and it tastes so good with fresh fruit instead of canned. Now I usually use cornstarch instead of flour and 3/4 cup of sugar. Also, I never had a problem with it not thickening because the first time I made it I had neither flour or cornstarch available, so I threw a little bit of pectin in when simmering on the stovetop, it seems to do the trick and every slice cuts perfectly with nothing falling out. Oh yeah, one more thing, I always brown my crusts a little before adding the filling, it makes sure the bottoms cooked instead of being soggy/uncooked. :3
What a great pie!! I changed a few things based on others' suggestions. I used corn starch instead of flour, added 1 tbsp of lemon juice to balance out the sweetness, used a whole egg for the egg wash, eliminated the red food coloring (was already red enough), and cooked the pie at 425F for 10 minutes, and the 350F for 25 minutes. The pie turned out fantastic and it's the best cherry pie I've ever had. I would probably double the filling for the next time we make it so that we have a thicker pie, but it still tastes amazing as is! :)
ISN'T THE OVEN TOO HOT i WAS AFRIAD IT WAS GOING TO BURN, AND SHOULDN'T THAT BE EGG WHITE INSTEAD OF EGG YOLK? WAS SWEET AND VERY GOOD ON A LOWER TEMP COOKED THOUGH.
This recipe is much like the one I use. I however use a quart of my own frozen cherries, 3 T. tapioca for thickening. After being frozen there is a lot of juice which I use since they are what came out of the fresh cherries and I cook the filling until the consistency I want. I then put on a lattice top crust. Cherry pie is my son's favorite.
I used approximately 22 oz. of frozen unsweetened Door County cherries for this pie. I happened to have heavy cream so I used that to glaze the crust and then sprinkled it with sugar. I would recommend turning down the oven temperature to 350 after 10 minutes so that the crust does not get too brown. Its a great pie and we all enjoyed it!
YUM!!!! i added a pinch of each cinnamon ginger & cloves to the pan while simmering the liquid..... gives it a nice spiced tinlge on the taste buds (good for turkey day & christmas since spiced is the flavor of most dishes & desserts)
I have been searching for a cherry pie recipe that tastes like my husband's grandmother's pie! This is it! I didn't follow recipe exactly because I like more cherries so I adjusted the other ingredients to accomodate 4 C sour cherries. (1-1/2 C cherry juice, 1-1/2 C sugar, 2/3 c flour, 3T butter - no almond flavoring or food coloring) I baked it @ 425 for 55 minutes. The top & bottom crust was a golden brown. This is the only recipe I will use for cherry pie from now on. If you like the filling less thick, just decrease the flour by 1/6 C. Absolutely delicious! The flour & butter makes the difference in flavor from pies thickened with cornstarch or tapioca.
Very nice! Made this for my FIL and he loved it. I did use 2 cans of cherries, as one didn't seem like enough. The only other thing I changed was to cut out pieces of pastry for the top crust instead of latticing it. Thanks :)
This was o.k., but not the best. I wouldn't make it again.
Good but not great. The consistency was very thick. It was very sweet, I would've preferred it to be more tart. Probably won't make again.
excellent cherry pie and very simple! I went to MI yesterday and froze alot of cherries but just had to make a pie. I did not have almond flavoring and it did not need it. Very good. I used my own crust.
I saw CookinBug's photo, and I just had to try it for our 4th of July party! The stars were very festive (I can't wait for Christmas to roll around-- bells and trees!) The pie itself was pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of cherry pie, and I was concerned about people suggesting I use less sugar, but I stuck with the recommended amount, and next time I will use MORE. I used 28 ounces of cherries because I imagine 20 oz would be too few! Perhaps it's my stove/cookware, but I only simmered for about 2 minutes before the glaze was ready. My only complaint was that the crust was a little soft, and I cooked it for 45 minutes. However, the pie nearly evaporated, and I got nothing but compliments, so this one is certainly a keeper!
This was a very good recipe to use our fresh cherries with from our one tree. We were able to get them this year before the birds. A great pie to celebrate the 4th of July with! I did add about a fourth of a cup more sugar and it was just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. Wonderful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Pie tastes good, but the suggestion of brushing the top with light egg yolk did not turn out well... looked more like a quiche baked top than like a pie should. I recommend brushing the top with egg white to get that pastry glow, instead of egg yolk!
I personally do not like cherries so when my dh asked me to make him a cherry pie I had no idea what the outcome would be. I followed this recipe word for word but without the food coloring. He devoured it!! I thought him and my daughter were going to battle it out for the last piece. Thank you for a simple yet fantastic recipe!!
Loved this recipe as is with the exception I used two ten ounce cans of cherries since that is what I had - perhaps that helped with the ones who stated they had too much sugar. I made no adjustments to anything else.
This pie deserves its name! It is not so sweet and it is just perfect on all ingredients! A++++ Don't change a thing..all of my family has asked for me to make this instead of a birthday cake for them! *LOL*
I've made this pie several times and it has always turned out really good! I don't think the food coloring is necessary, and as previous commenters have noted, the only change I make is that it should be an egg white, not an egg yolk. Be sure to let it sit for a while before cutting it, otherwise, the filling will run all over the place.
This is the BEST cherry pie I have ever tasted! Very easy to make, & very pretty, too! I made this for a church potluck, & there wasn't a scrap left over.
Ironically enough, this is the best recipe I've found so far for cherry pie. Nothing will bring a smile to your face like watching people fight over that last piece of pie. Absolutely wonderful!
I really liked the top of the pie the best. The whole pie is packed with flavor. This was my first pie I ever made and it came out great.
This pie is easy to make and tastes wonderful! The only thing I've changed is to cut back a little on the sugar as suggested by other reviewers, and I also added a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the filling. It came out fantastic!
Left out the red coloring. Used a refrigerated readymade crust and reduced the sugar a bit. Great pie.
definitely not the best cherry pie i've ever had. I agree the filling has too much sugar, i'd cut back to at least 3/4 next time. Filling was simple to put together and tasted good, but it's not the best ever.
I made this pie and it turned out good. :) I think I need to make it a few more times to perfect it.
Awesome! The filling is perfect. I used 32 oz. of real cherries. I don't even like cherry pie but this one has made my top 10 list of desserts.
Great recipe, due to where i live I couldn't find fresh or frozen sour cherries, but did find some dark sweet cherries and the pie turned out really good, my husband was in heaven!
Filling is great, but the recipe needs alterations. Do NOT use egg yolk! Use egg white! This was the ugliest pie I've ever made.
Absolutely, the best cherry pie I have found. Tried many searching for the best one and this is it. I'll never have to search again.
The taste of this pie was incredible - but the filling was slightly runny, and forget about using the egg yolk, it basically just made the crust look burnt.
Made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. The only problem was that the filling was somewhat runny, even though it was very thick when I put it in the crust to bake. Will definitely make again.
Delicious, easy and quick to make, definitely a keeper. I've only used 2/3 of the sugar, though.
the name of this says it all..it was indeed the best cherry pie i have ever made.
This was good. Like others, I used cornstarch instead of flour and cut the sugar to 3/4 cup. It was still pretty sweet. Next time I'd add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice. It looks really pretty and holds together nicely.
Very good recipe! Follow the other comments about using less sugar. Also I suggest using egg whites instead of egg yolks; it just looked to dark on top. As well just make sure you keep an eye on your temperature and your mixture in the saucepan, depending on the stove top it can cook very quickly!
Everyone in my family LOVED the pie (so much my mother actually stole the quarter I have left aside for my cousin). I did cut the sugar to 3/4 as suggested, and added a little bit of nutmeg, because I like spice.
I made this recipe with fresh cherries, crushing the cherries, draining off the liquid and adding a bit of water to make up the difference to achieve 1 cup. Also was out of almond extract and substituted vanilla. GREAT results! The family LOVED it. Making it the same way each time. :)
I wasn't thrilled with the taste of the filling. The problem may be that I used canned tart cherries rather than fresh. The filling tasted like cherry pop-tarts and that's not a good thing. I'll try fresh next time.
this really is the best cherry pie! the name doesn't lie.. mm mm YUMMY! AAAAA++++!
this pie is awesome.. i lost my recipe for cherry pie. this is the same except i don't use the almond extract. this is definetly the best cherry pie ever.
I have used this recipe to make cherry pie for years. But I use 2 cans of cherries. It is delish.
I made this for my brother-in-law's birthday...his favorite pie. He reported that it was very good, not too sweet, not too tart. I used Michigan tart pie cherries that I had frozen when I pitted them back during cherry season in July. I used a quart, which also measured out to a little over 5 cups. To get some juice, I pulverized about 3/4 cup of the cherries and they yielded quite a bit of juice, then made up the difference with water. I used 3 T. tapioca instead of flour because that's what I usually use in fruit pies. I took another reviewers suggestion and also pulverized the tapioca. I found it took longer than 5 minutes to make the filling as I cooked it slowly. Made a homemade crust and created a lattice top for that wow factor! He loved it!
I used 2- 15oz cans and a little bit less than 1 cup sugar and it was perfect! I will definitely be making this again! :)
This cherry pie is totally awesome...the only thing was I couldn't find a 20 oz. can of pitted sour cherries...so I used 2 (14 oz. ) cans of cherries and didn't adjust the recipe it turned out phenominal....will make again definately!!!
Just "YUM"... this has got to be one of the 'cherry-est' pies i have ever made; the flavor was astounding! A 'MUST' for any cherry aficianado...
Made this today. When I bought the cherries, the supermarket was not carrying sour ones, so I bought 2 cans of dark sweet cherries and left out the sugar from the mixture. The mixture also did not have to boil 5min for me, as soon as it started reaching the boiling point it was thick (perhaps because the juice was different in this case). I like the addition of the almond extract. I did not use food coloring (it was dark purple from the cherries anyway). It looked and tasted great. I used it with this crust recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Pie-Crust-for-a-Double-Crust-Pie/
As previously recommended, I decreased the sugar to 3/4 cup. I used two 15 oz cans of pitted dark sweet cherries and the pie turned out great! Everyone in my family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe.
Didn't have almond extract, so used vanilla extract. Also did not use optional food coloring. Came out wonderful -- but sweet -- in any case.
Excellent recipe, will definately use again. I did however, use my own crust recipe, as it is fail-proof and I did use cornstarch instead of flour for thickening. I omitted the red food coloring, increased the sugar to 1 3/4 cups (as I used sour pie cherries), and added 1/2 tsp. almond extract. The filling was thick and didn't ooze out when pie was cut. I will most likely try this method for my other berry pies.
This is a very good cherry pie recipe! It reminds me so much of one my grandma used to make! I did sub corn starch for the flour because it's just something I always do. I would add less sugar next time because mine turned out pretty sweet. Otherwise, it's a great recipe, even better right out of the fridge!
it was good,it was my first cherry pie,so i didn't latice it right:). I'm glad i took the advice of other viewers b/c to me even 3/4 cup of sugar was just a bit much.The cinnamon and the cloves really added something.
Best cherry pie, ever! However, I did not add any food coloring. I use corn starch instead of flour and the filling stays a gorgeous, translucent red color all on its own. Also, some questioned the high baking temperature, but this is because you are not really baking the pie filling, just baking the crust. The high heat does that quickly.
This was soo good! BUT, I had to add some things to make it so good. The recipe as it is, is a bit flavorless and a bit too sweet. The sweetness is just my opinion but to give it more flavor I added lots of cinnamon and freshly grounded nutmeg. Unfortunately, my pie wasn't that good because my crust failed but the filling: YUMMY!
Made this pie for Thanksgiving. I didn't change a thing. It was awesome and had great reviews by my family. My father (71 yrs old) said it reminded him of the pie his mom made when he was little.
I found this recipe years ago and tossed all my other cherry pie recipes. No need to continue to search. This is perfection. I have a sweet tooth and used 1 cup of sugar. I'm the cherry pie lover in the family and if no one wants to help me eat it, I just call my neighbor who is only too happy to assist me! Can't say it enough, it's the perfect cherry pie.
This was good and different. I suppose I'm just used to the canned cherry pie filling, but I did enjoy making it all myself. I could really taste the flour in the filling though. I did cut the sugar to 3/4 cups. Nice change.
Doubled the salt and almond. Used only 3/4 c. sugar as per other reviewers' recommendations. Tasted great!
I used 2-10oz cans tart cherries & added 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Next time I will cut down the sugar to 3/4 cup or less, but this was such a fabulous pie!! Can't wait for an occasion to make it again.
I found this recipe while I was searching for a cherry pie recipe that would work using the sour cherries I just picked off of my cherry trees today. Boy did I ever pick a winner! I could have gobbled that whole pie up. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
My grandmother made this pie every time I begged for it. No canned cherry filling for her or me. Old tried and true recipe. Delicious.
I wouldn't say this is the best cherry pie ever, but it's quite good. I usually just use canned cherry pie filling and this was my first attempt at making my own. I liked it, but no better than the stuff that comes in cans. Also, my grocery store didn't carry sour cherries so I had to use tart. Maybe that made a difference.
Did not turn out so hot. I make pies all of the time and this one just did not measure up. I am giving two stars because my boyfriend did eat some. Will not make again.
I made this pie today and I have to say that it is the best pie I have ever eaten and wow was it a hit! I had to add a bit more sugar because my cherries were a little tart but it turned out beautifully. Thanks for the post!
I used pilsbury ready pie dough and fresh sweet tart cherries. The preparation of the cherry filling was very good and easy.
I used frozen cherries (a blend of two different cherries), reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and used 3 tbsp of Arrowroot instead of flour. I placed 26 oz of frozen cherries, sugar, Arrowroot and 2.5 tsp of lemon juice in the pot and let it come to a gradual boil. Then I simmered it for five minutes. I forgot the butter but it turned it out great. I baked for 10 minutes at 425 with the edge of the crust covered with foil. I then reduced the temp to 350 and finished baking while keeping the crust covered. Delicious! You could almost reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup.
This pie got the most compliments at our "feast". The slight almond taste was a hit. We all wanted more!
Turned out great!!! It was so good that I had to make another. The edges were a little TOO dark for my taste though. On the second one I lowered the temp. to just 400. Other than that it was DELICIOUSE.
Doubled the filling except 1 1/2 c. sugar, used 5 T. Arrowroot in place of flour, and didn't need the food coloring. Also added 2 T. Lemon juice.
I really wanted to like this pie, unfortunately it didn't turn out for us. It was much too sweet, I have a sweet tooth but I couldn't finish what was on my plate. This is one time when I would have been better off just buying the canned pie filling. I'm extra disappointed in it because I made it for my husbands birthday, cherry pie is his favorite and I wanted to make it extra special for him.
If you like big juicy poptarts. This pie is not tart in any way like a good cherry pie should be. Its overwelmingly too sweet. But hey, if you dont like tartness.
I made this pie for Thanksgiving and everyone just RAVED! I did make some adjustments if y'all would like to know, so here they are! I used gluten-free all purpose flour instead of reg. flour because it'd a better thickener ;-) I used tart cherries instead of sour cherries I used on 3/4 up of sugar (which was just perfect!) I used vanilla extract instead of almond extract (I just don't care for almond extract) There you go! This is a killer recipe and everyone will LOVE it! Thanks for the great pie!
