Best Sour Cherry Pie Recipes

PERFECT SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crusts into 2 pie pans.
• Combine cherries, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Let sit until sugar begins to draw out the cherries' juices, about 10 minutes. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat; simmer until the juices thicken and become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and almond extract until well mixed. Pour into the bottom half of the pie shells. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes.

MARTHA'S SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a bowl.
• Make the crust: Roll out 1 disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Pour in filling; dot with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.
• Roll remaining disk pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 4 to 5 holes using a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter or pastry tip. Place on top of pie.
• Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears and press together to seal around edges. Fold edges under; crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• Brush crust with egg wash. Bake pie on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet set on the middle rack, until pie is bubbling in center and crust is golden, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool before serving.

CLASSIC SOUR CHERRY PIE WITH LATTICE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
• For filling:
• Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
• Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

FRESH SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Press the bottom pie crust into a lightly greased 9-inch pie pan.
• Combine cherries, sugar, flour, orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
• Place cherry mixture into the bottom pie crust and add butter in a few small dollops on the top. Place the top pie crust over in a woven lattice design or leave it whole, being sure to cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
• Mix egg white and milk together in a small bowl and brush over the top of the pie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top has a golden brown sheen, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool thoroughly before serving.

SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Press one of the pie crusts into a 9 inch pie plate. Stir together the cherries, tapioca, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl. Let the mixture stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the other pie crust into 1/2 inch strips to make a lattice top. Pour the cherry mixture into the pie shell. Lay the strips across the pie in a lattice pattern, and pinch the edges to seal.
• Bake in the preheated oven 40 to 50 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

SOUR CHERRY CRUMBLE PIE

Steps:

• Roll out a pie crust disk on floured surpace. Transfer to a 12 inch pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inchl. Fold edges under. Crim, forming high rim. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to a day.
• For crumble:Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Add butter which should be at room temperature as well as vanilla. Rub with fingers until small clumps form.
• For filling:Position rack in enter of oven. Preheat to 375°F Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and sald in large bowl. Add cherries, toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add almond extract and tapioca before mixing gently and transfering filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. You can decrease amount of tapioca if your cherries are not very juicy. Sprinkle crumble over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
• Bake pie 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until filling bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes longer. Cool on a rack.

SOUR CREAM CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Arrange cherries evenly in the pastry shell. Dot with butter. In a large bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the eggs, sour cream and lemon juice. Spread evenly over cherries. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. , Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer or until topping is set. Cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers.

SOUR-CHERRY STREUSEL PIE

Steps:

• Roll out pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold edges under. Crimp, forming high rim (about 1/2 inch above sides of dish). Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• For streusel:
• Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; rub in with fingertips until small clumps form. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. Sprinkle streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
• Bake pie 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until filling bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Cool on rack.

CHERRY PIE INSPIRED BY AN "OLD FASHIONED" COCKTAIL (SOUR CHERRIES STEWED WITH RAW SUGAR, BOURBON AND ORANGE BITTERS)

Steps:

• For the cherry filling: Combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan, combine the cherries with sugar and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the tapioca and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the bourbon, almond extract and orange bitters. Let cool and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece on a lightly-floured surface into a 12-inch disk. Gently place one disk into a 9-inch pie pan, bringing it up the sides. Make a few incisions in the middle of the remaining crust. Pour the cherry filling into the prepared pie shell. Lightly brush the border of the pie shell with water, and top with the second piecrust. Tightly seal the dough by pressing the edge with a fork or your fingers. Create some decorative touches with the scrap dough if desired to decorate the pie. Lightly brush the pastry shell with the cream and sprinkle with a little sugar. Place the pie on a larger baking sheet lined with parchment paper to catch any spills. Bake the pie until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the cherry juices are starting to bubble, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool, and then serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

SOUR CHERRY SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If using frozen cherries, defrost and drain. In a large bowl, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine; set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of dough into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a 15-by-10-by-1-inch rimmed baking sheet, (pastry will hang over sides of pan). Pour cherry mixture into lined baking sheet; set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough into a 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Drape over filling. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, prick top crust all over. Brush with heavy cream.
• Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until just warm to the touch, about 45 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until desired glaze consistency is achieved. Use a spoon to drizzle over top. Serve warm or room temperature.

PATE BRISEE FOR SOUR CHERRY SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two with one piece slightly larger than the other. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, and form two rectangles. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

TWICE-BAKED SOUR CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• To make dough: in bowl of a food processor pulse together flour and salt just to combine. Add butter and pulse until chickpea-size pieces form. Add 3 to 6 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture just comes together. Separate dough into 2 disks, one using 2/3 dough, the other using the remaining. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before rolling out and baking.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place larger dough disk on a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12-inch circle, about 3/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Line dough with foil and weigh it down with pie weights. Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• While pie crust is baking, prepare filling. In bowl of a food processor, combine sugar, tapioca and cinnamon (use more tapioca if you prefer a thicker, more solid filling, and less if you like a looser, juicier filling). Run the motor until tapioca is finely ground. Place cherries in a bowl and add sugar and tapioca mixture. Drizzle in kirsch or brandy and toss gently to combine.
• When pie crust is ready, transfer it to a wire rack to cool slightly and reduce heat to 375 degrees. Remove foil and weights. Scrape cherry filling into pie crust.
• Place smaller disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it 3/8-inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter (or several round cookie cutters of different sizes) to cut out circles of dough. Arrange circles on top of cherry filling in a pattern of your choice.
• Brush top crust with cream and sprinkle generously with Demerara sugar. Bake until crust is dark golden brown and filling begins to bubble, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours, allowing filling to set before serving.

SOUR CHERRY-ALMOND PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces. Add the vodka and 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until the dough just comes together but is still crumbly. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap; shape into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Make the filling: Put the cherries in a medium bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup cherry juice with the cornstarch in a small bowl. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the remaining 1 1/4 cups cherry juice and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, about 30 seconds. Pour over the cherries. Add the almond extract and gently fold to combine.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven with a baking sheet on the lower rack; preheat to 425 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Add the filling to the chilled crust. Transfer the pie to the hot baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 55 more minutes. (Tent the crust with foil if it browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine the almonds, sugar and egg white in a medium bowl; stir to coat. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake on the upper oven rack, stirring halfway through, until dry and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely, then break into clusters. Sprinkle around the edge of the warm pie. Let cool completely.

PEAR AND SOUR-CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in center and bottom third. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a scant 1/8 inch thick (about 13 inches in diameter). Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Roll remaining disk of dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment to a scant 1/8 inch thick. Starting on right side, 2 inches from edge with a ruler held vertically, cut 2-inch slits with a paring knife into dough, spaced about 1 inch apart. Move ruler 1/2 inch to the left and continue making 2-inch slits, starting parallel to center of first set, so spaces alternate. Continue working across rest of dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around, then transfer parchment with dough to a baking sheet. Gently stretch dough horizontally to reveal grate pattern (if dough is too soft or breaking, refrigerate until pliable, about 10 minutes). Refrigerate pie dish and baking sheet with dough while making filling.
• Place cherries in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries release their juices and come to a simmer, about 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Pour mixture into pan with cherries; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until juices thicken, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Peel, quarter, and core pears. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Add to cherry mixture along with vanilla, spices, and salt; stir to combine. Let cool completely. Filling can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 day.
• Transfer filling to crust; dot with butter. Cover with lattice piece of dough. Pinch dough where top and bottom crusts meet. Trim excess to a 1-inch overhang; roll dough underto seal and crimp as desired (to create a rope effect, slash rolled edge witha paring knife on a diagonal). Freeze 30 minutes.
• Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water, then brush over top of pie. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. Bake pie on center rack until golden brown and bubbling in center (if browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours. Serve room-temperature.

CHERRY PIE INSPIRED BY AN "OLD FASHIONED" COCKTAIL (SOUR CHERRIES STEWED WITH RAW SUGAR, BOURBON AND ORANGE BITTERS)

Steps:

• For the cherry filling: Combine the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan, combine the cherries with sugar and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the tapioca and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the bourbon, almond extract and orange bitters. Let cool and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece on a lightly-floured surface into a 12-inch disk. Gently place one disk into a 9-inch pie pan, bringing it up the sides. Make a few incisions in the middle of the remaining crust.
• Pour the cherry filling into the prepared pie shell. Lightly brush the border of the pie shell with water, and top with the second piecrust. Tightly seal the dough by pressing the edge with a fork or your fingers. Create some decorative touches with the scrap dough if desired to decorate the pie. Lightly brush the pastry shell with the cream and sprinkle with a little sugar. Place the pie on a larger baking sheet lined with parchment paper to catch any spills. Bake the pie until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the cherry juices are starting to bubble, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Let cool, and then serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

SOUR CHERRY PIE WITH PISTACHIO CRUMBLE TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• On a well-floured surface, roll the prepared pastry dough out to an even circle about 12-inch diameter. Carefully fold the dough in half and transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold the dough and press gently so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pan - there should be some dough overhanging the edges. Leaving about 1/2-inch overhang, cut off any dough in excess of that. Tuck the overhang under and pinch the edges decoratively to make a fluted edge.
• In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the cherries and vanilla and stir until evenly coated. (If using frozen cherries, let thaw at room temperature before proceeding with the recipe).
• Place the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor. Chop coarsely using on/off pulses. Remove to a bowl. Add flour, butter and brown sugar to the processor and process, using on/off pulses until it form a crumble mixture that sticks together in clumps. Return the chopped pistachios to the processor and process briefly just until mixed.
• Spoon the cherry filling into prepared pastry crust, and sprinkle evenly with pistachio crumble topping.
• Place the pan on a pizza pan or a cookie sheet (to contain any spill-over from the pie as it bakes) and place in the preheated oven.
• Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375F and continue baking for about 60 minutes or until the filling begins to bubble through the crumble topping and the cherries are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
• Let cool slightly before serving with vanilla ice cream.

PEAR AND SOUR CHERRY MINCEMEAT PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out half of dough 1/8 inch thick (about a 12-inch round). Fit dough into a 9-inch (1-quart capacity) pie plate and trim edge, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Chill shell 30 minutes.
• On lightly floured surface roll out remaining dough 1/8 inch thick (about a 10-inch round) and with a sharp large knife or pastry wheel cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Put a 9-inch cardboard round (see above) on a baking sheet and arrange 4 pastry strips 3/4 inch apart in middle of round. Working with 1 pastry strip at a time, weave remaining strips over and under pastry strips on round, beginning in middle and working out to sides, and letting excess hang over round. Freeze lattice top, covered loosely, on round on baking sheet until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Spoon mincemeat into shell, smoothing top. Lift lattice top together with round off baking sheet and slide pastry carefully onto pie. (If pastry sticks to baking sheet or round, pry loose carefully with a small knife.) Let lattice top soften until pliable and trim flush with rim of pie plate. Roll shell overhang up over edge of lattice top, crimping edge decoratively. Brush lattice top with egg wash and bake pie in middle of oven until pastry is golden and filling just begins to bubble around edge, about 25 minutes. Transfer pie to a rack and cool. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

SOUR CREAM CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• FOr crust: sift together flour, orange zest and salt.
• Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until the mixture looks crumbly, with most of the pieces the size of small peas.
• Sprinkle with some of the water,no more than 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing gently with a fork to incorparate wenough water to form a dough ball- it will just start to stick together.
• Press into a ball.
• Wrap dough and chill for 20-30 minutes.
• Roll out on a floured board to 1/8" thickness.
• Place ungreased pie plate upside down onto the pastry and cut a circle of dough out, leaving at least a 1 inch border.
• Remove pie plate, flip right side up and carefully place pastry into the pie plate.
• Trim and flute the edges decoratively.
• Press the nuts into the bottom of the crust.
• For Filling: In a small bowl, mix pie filling, lemon juice, and orange zest.
• Spoon over the crust.
• Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until thick and lemony, approximately 10 minutes using an electric mixer.
• Stir in sour cream to the egg mixture, then pour over the cherry layer in the pie plate.
• Bake in a preheated 350 F oven on the lowest rack for 45 minutes, or until crust is brown.
• Let cool on rack, then chill well before serving.

PATE BRISEE FOR SOUR-CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).
• Divide dough in half, and shape into disks. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

SOUR-CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place foil on bottom oven rack to catch any juices.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disc of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out an 11-inch round, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate crust while you prepare the lattice strips.
• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out second disc of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Trim to make a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a clean ruler as a guide, cut 16 strips (each 12 inches long and 1/2 inch wide) with a fluted pastry wheel or a sharp knife. Place strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub vanilla seeds into sugar mixture. Add cherries, and toss. Pour cherry mixture into prepared pie plate. Dot top with butter. Lightly brush exposed edge of crust with egg.
• Make the lattice: Lay 8 strips of dough across pie. Fold back every other strip. Lay another strip perpendicular in center of pie. Unfold the strips over perpendicular strip. Fold back the strips that are under the perpendicular strip. Lay a second perpendicular strip next to the first. Unfold the strips over the second perpendicular strip. Repeat, weaving strips across half the pie. Return to center, lay a perpendicular strip on unwoven side of pie, and repeat. Trim strips to make a 1-inch overhang. Tuck extra under rim of crust, and crimp to seal. Brush lattice with egg.
• Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling (if using fresh cherries, begin checking after 1 hour; if using frozen, it will take about 1 hour, 35 minutes). If top begins to brown too quickly, tent with foil and continue to cook.
• Let pie cool slightly on a wire rack. Meanwhile, warm jam in a saucepan over medium heat, then pass through a sieve. Brush warm pie with jam, then let cool.