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Homemade Cherry Pie
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
 

This flaky Homemade Cherry Pie is an old fashioned cherry pie recipe made with fresh cherries, sugar, lemon, and a hint of almond.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade cherry pie
Servings: 10 slices
Author: Michelle
Ingredients
Crust
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6-8 Tbsp ice water
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
Filling
  • 5 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted*
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Topping:
  • egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp water whisked together)
  • raw sugar (optional)
Instructions
Crust
  1. Using a standing mixer or a pastry cutter, mix flour and salt together.
  2. Work the butter into the flour mixture, a little at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (you can do this on low with your standing mixer or with your pastry cutter/fork).
  3. Add in almond extract, then add ice water to the mixture, 1 Tbsp at a time, until the dough just begins to come together (I used approx. 7 Tbsp).

  4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and form the dough into a ball. Cut the dough in half and reshape each half into a ball (or a flat disc shape). Cover each in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and get out your 9” or 10” deep dish pie plate and set it aside.
  2. Mix pitted cherries, lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, flour, vanilla extract and almond extract together. Allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes.
Assembly
  1. On a floured surface, roll out one of the balls of dough into a large circle, about 1/8” to 1/4” thick.
  2. Transfer the dough to your pie plate (I like to loosely wrap the dough around my rolling pin and then gently unroll it over the pie plate).

  3. Gently press dough into the pie plate and remove any excess dough on the edges of the pie (leaving about 1/2” of overhang, if possible).

  4. Pour cherry filling into the pie crust.

  5. Place the 2 Tbsp of cubed butter in and around the pie filling.
  6. Next, roll out your second pie dough into a large circle. Again, you want the dough to be about an 1/8” to a 1/4” thick.

  7. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into long strips, about 1/2” in width. You will need about 8-10 strips. To get 8-10 strips, you may need to use the scraps (form the scraps into a ball and roll out).

  8. Place 4-5 strips on your pie. Weave the remaining strips in and out of the ones on your pie.

  9. Crimp the edges of the pie together.
  10. Brush the crust of your pie with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar, if desired.
  11. Bake your pie for 15 minutes. Then, cover the edges of your pie with a pie shield (this keeps the edges from browning too quickly) and bake for a remaining 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
  12. Allow the pie to cool before serving.
  13. Top with ice cream or whipped cream.
Recipe Notes

*I usually keep about half of the cherries whole and cut the rest in half. I like the texture it adds to the pie. However, you can keep them all whole or cut all of them in half.