American
Cherry Pie
A double-crust pie filled with tart cherries thickened until the center bubbles. The filling has to boil in the oven so the starch cooks and the slice holds.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Total
- 1 hr 35 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- Cornstarch only thickens after the filling bubbles in the center, not just at the edge.
- Drained frozen cherries, or pitted fresh ones, keep the juice from flooding the crust.
- A hot start sets the crust, then a lower oven finishes the fruit.
- The pie cools for hours so the filling gels before you cut it.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Stir 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp sugar. Cut in the cold butter until pea-sized bits remain.
- 2
Add the ice water 1 tbsp at a time, tossing, until the dough holds together when pinched. Divide in half, flatten into disks, wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
- 3
Heat the oven to 400°F. Drain the cherries well if they were frozen.
- 4
Toss the cherries with 3/4 cup sugar, the cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, almond extract, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- 5
Roll one dough disk and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the cherry filling. Dot with the 1 tbsp butter.
- 6
Roll the second disk, cut strips, and weave a lattice. Trim and crimp the edge. Set the pie on a rimmed sheet pan.
- 7
Bake 20 minutes at 400°F. Lower the oven to 350°F and bake 35 to 45 minutes more, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling in the center, not only at the edge.
- 8
If the crust darkens, shield it with foil. Cool at least 3 hours before slicing so the filling sets.
Pro tips
- Bubbles at the edge are not enough. Wait until you see thick bubbles in the middle.
- A sheet pan under the pie catches the spill. Cherry filling always bubbles over a little.
- Do not eat the raw dough. The flour in the crust is baked with the pie.
Easy substitutions
- pitted cherries
- 2 cans tart cherries in water, 14 oz each, drained
- almond extract
- an extra 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ice water
- cold vodka for a slightly flakier crust, still using 8 tbsp
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cover and keep at room temperature up to 1 day, or refrigerate up to 4 days.
Reheating
Warm a slice in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes. The microwave loosens the filling, so use 20 seconds only if you do not mind a softer slice.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 412
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Oven
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