Cherry Pie is the BEST.

Pie is our favorite dessert.  Hands down.  And cherry pie happens to be Dave’s second favorite (top favorite is key lime, but I – Sarah – am not a huge fan so I tend not to make it very often).  And on top of pie being our favorite dessert, perfecting a pie crust was a mission of mine for a while.  We decided we like an all butter crust the best and I tried recipe after recipe and method after method until I found my favorite.  Now I’ve got a good ol’ standby that works for pretty much every pie recipe.  I should probably do a more specific walk through of my pie crust process…note to self for a future blog post.  But for today, I give you my absolute favorite cherry pie recipe.

The process of pie.

Just like with any good baking project, pie is a process.  Set aside several hours because your crust will need to chill and your pie will need to cool and set up.  It’s just way too tempting to cut into a pie before it’s ready but self-control is your friend here.  Lately, I’ve been making my pie a day in advance so that it’s got plenty of time to develop the perfect consistency and avoid the dreaded drooling pie.

Ingredients

Pie Crust (double crust needed)

Process

Find a nice big bowl and dump those cherries in.  Sprinkle the cornstarch, sugar, salt, lime juice, and almond extra over the cherries.  Stir really well, until the cherries are fully coated.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, roll out your bottom pie crust and line your pie pan with the crust.  I like the drape it over the rolling pin method, but do whatever works best for you.  Trim the crust, but leave a good overhang.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a big spoon, fill the pie pan with the cherries.  Don’t get too much of the extra juice into the pie pan because it will just end up a soupy mess.  Dot the filling with the cut-up butter.

Roll out the other pie crust and gently lay it over the top of the cherries on the pie.  Trim but again, leave a bit of an overhang.  Fold and tuck the top crust layer under the bottom crust layer so that it sets on the lip of the pie pan.  This makes a nice, thick crust that holds up well on baking.  You can flute the edges with your knuckle or find another way to make it pretty!

Beat the egg with a little water.  Brush the egg wash over the pie crust, then sprinkle with that fancy sugar.  Vent your pie by cutting slits (or a pretty decoration).   Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or more, until the pie is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.

After you pull the pie out, place it on a rack on the counter and let cool for as long as you can possibly stand it.  The longer it sits, the more set the filling will get and you’ll have a beautiful consistency (no runny filling!).  But I get it.  It’s not an easy feat to wait for cherry pie.

We like to just dig in with forks, but this pie is also lovely topped with some ice cream or whipped cream flavored with a smidge of almond extract.

Enjoy!