Homemade Tart Cherry Pie

This Homemade Tart Cherry Pie is made with luscious red tart cherries and it’s filled with a perfect sweet-tart pie filling.  A large scoop of vanilla ice cream totally complements this scrumptious pie!

The other day I was craving a juicy tart cherry pie, so went straight to the kitchen and searched my freezer for frozen tart cherries. I got busy making a pie and called my husband, Don, to bring home some vanilla ice cream. That evening we enjoyed warm juicy cherry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some hot coffee. Well…I think Don enjoyed at least 3 slices.

Do you love Cherry Pie?  It is super easy to make one.

Pro tips for making this recipe

1. Don’t use canned cherry pie filling.
2. Use fresh tart red cherries if they are in season or use frozen tart red cherries.  They have just as much flavor as the freshly picked ones.
3. Whether you use fresh or frozen, don’t drain the cherries. Keep all of the juice.
4. Don’t skip step #1 for the filling. Heat the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan until the cornstarch thickens the cherry juice. This helps keep the cherry pie filling from boiling over in the oven.
5. To ensure the bottom pie crust gets done, bake your pie on the lowest baking rack in your oven. I also place mine on a pizza stone that I preheat with the oven. This helps to brown the bottom.
6. Use a glass pie dish. This way you can see when the bottom crust gets done.

Top Crust

For the top crust, you can use a solid top crust or cut strips for a lattice top. I do both, depending what mood I’m in at the time. If you use a solid top, cut 2 to 3 slits in the top so it can vent. Brush the top with an egg wash made of egg and water, then sprinkle the top with coarse sugar. This results in a pretty finish and slight crunch on top. I used my Aunt Elsie’s flaky pie crust recipe here, but you can use any pie crust recipe.

You might also like these cherry desserts…

Red Tart Cherry Fritters

Cherry Hand Pies 

Cherry Vanilla Cream Pie 

Easy Puff Pastry Cherry Turnovers 

Buttermilk Pancakes with Cherry Compote

If you make this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment below on how you liked it. I love getting your feedback! 🙂

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Homemade Tart Cherry Pie

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• Author: Cindy Gibbs @ My Country Table
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 90
• Total Time: 120
• Yield: 8 Servings 1x
• Category: Pies
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This Homemade Tart Cherry Pie is made with luscious red tart cherries and it’s filled with a perfect sweet-tart pie filling.  A large scoop of vanilla ice cream totally complements this scrumptious pie!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Pie Dough

• 1 double crust pie crust, homemade or store-bought

For the Pie Filling

• 2 bags frozen tart cherries, 12 ounces each, thawed
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half & half
• Regular or coarse sugar for sprinkling

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

For the Pie Dough

1. Form the dough into two disks. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12-inch circle and place in a 9-inch shallow pie dish.
2. Roll the second disc out the same as the first one. Using a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into long strips. You can cut them into any width, all the same or different widths if preferred. Place the strips on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until you’re ready to use them.

For the Pie Filling

1. Add the thawed cherries, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir constantly and mix until the mixture begins to slightly thicken.  Add the vanilla and butter and mix until the butter is melted and mixed in.  Transfer the filling to the prepared empty pie shell.
2. Remove the pie strips from the refrigerator. Arrange strips of pie dough over the filling to form a lattice pie crust. See the notes above recipe for how to make a lattice pie crust.
3. Egg Wash: Whisk together the egg and cream in a tiny bowl. Brush the egg wash over the strips of pie dough. Sprinkle with sugar.
4. Wrap foil around the edges of the pie. Place pie on an old cookie sheet and bake until the center is bubbly and the top is a light golden brown. This will take about 45 minutes, depending on your oven. 
5. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool.
6. Serve warm with ice cream or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Notes

• The purpose of cooking the pie filling before baking it is to thicken it ahead of time so it won’t bubble over in the oven.  You’re really not cooking it, just thickening the filling.  The reason a lot of fruit pies bubble up and over the sides while in the oven is that the juices don’t have time to thicken up before getting hot.