What is more old-school than a Kitchen-made Cherry Pie? Tart pie cherries in a glossy thick sauce, baked in a flakey kitchen-made pie crust… what could be better? Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a steaming cup of coffee!

Did you know February is National Cherry Month?

It is! A whole month dedicated to those sweet and tart gems. I’m not sure why it’s January because fresh cherries aren’t in the produce section until late spring or early summer, but regardless I am for it. Knowing this, I bought a 40-ounce bag of frozen Michigan “red” pie cherries with a mission to bake a pie and kitchen-made maraschino cherries. I’ve had this cherry pie on my “to-blog” list for a while now. Since it’s national cherry month and also because Valentine’s Day is simply a day away, now is the reliable time.

What A regular here about this pie recipe, is that like my apple pie, you make the filling ahead of baking the pie. So that there’s no sinking of the top pie crust and everything thickens up perfectly.

One reliable kitchen-made cherry pie coming right up!

For this Kitchen-made Cherry Pie gather:

sweet red pie cherries (reserve all juices from thawing)
recipe for kitchen-made pie crust
granulated sugar
cornstarch
vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
nutmeg
unsalted butter
heavy cream
coarse sugar

The night before: place 5 cups frozen sweet pie cherries into a mesh strainer and set over a bowl. As the cherries thaw, juices will drip into the bowl below. This takes about 6+ hours or so and is go-to to do overnight.

Pour the juices into a measuring cup and, if needed, add in enough water to make 3/4 cup.

Next, into a heavy bottom saucepan, add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch and the 3/4 cup cherry juices, whisking to combine. Then bring to a boil, while whisking until thickened or about 5 minutes or so.

Remove the pan off of the heat and whisk in 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

Set it off to the side until the mixture has cooled completely. It will thicken even more as it cools

Finally it’s time to assemble the pie!

Position an oven rack in the lower third of your oven and then preheat your oven to 425℉ (or 220℃).

Then into your chilled bottom crust add the thawed pitted cherries.

Next, pour the cooled filling over top of the cherries and then spread evenly with a spoon.

So pretty, right!

Lastly, dot with 2 tablespoons butter and drape the top crust over top.

Make sure you cut air vents before you place the top crust onto the pie.

Brush the top of the pie crust with milk or heavy cream and then scatter any cut out pieces of dough (if using).

Brush with more heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake on the the lower third rack with a sheet pan below it to catch any spills. Bake for 30 minutes before reducing the heat to 350° and continue baking for 25 to 30 more or until the filling is bubbling through the vent cutouts.

Next allow the pie to cool for a few hours before slicing and serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As you know, A regular here nothing more than a warm fruit pie and its flaky crust with cold ice cream.

This sweet and tart cherry pie was so unfussy to prepare, tastes better than any store-bought or diner pie.