As American as.... CHERRY Pie

Its cherry pickin season here in Colorado! If you have picked cherries before, you know this can be quite the tedious job. If you havent picked yet but are planning to, bring a helper or 2! (Or wine 😉)

To make it fun and help pass the time, we love to bring our kids along with us and make a game of it! (Warning a little patience and a slightly lowered standard may be required 🤣)

Our younger kids, they love to see how fast they can pick them. This often means more leaves in our buckets but when its pickin time, trust me. It is worth it LOL!

Our older kids, they seem to be the more productive thinkers in their game (phew 😅). Their entertainment is seeing who can get the most cherries in their buckets... how great is that?! 

Now, dont get me wrong. This comes with a little of its own chaos too, but again. TOTALLY worth it!
To help keep ourselves on task, we also take turns talking about our favorite ways eat the cherries. Im sure we have tried almost every way there is to freeze, can and prepare the tasty little red fruit. The one way my family all have in common on this one is cherry pie!

I mean, what better way to enjoy the delicious bounty than a good 'ol cherry pie, dont you think? Digging in to that first bite of that hard earned, warm cherry pie with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream on top that has already began to melt a little around your little [or if your like me, large] slice of dinner.. er..I mean dessert! Yum! My mouth is watering just writing this. 

When you include the kids in the process, start to finish, they are not only learning life skills along the way. They are experiencing for themselves, that rewarding feeling knowing how much work they put in too. They too get a sense of appreciation in each bite and its joyful to watch that manifest for them.

I would like to share with you our recipe to our most cherished cherry pie. And I promise, its going to be much easier and faster than the picking 😉 and the list of ingredients is surprisingly minimal.
(This recipe will make one 9" pie or about 4 mini pies, which is what I made in the photos. You can shop the mini disposable pie pans here).

   

                             

    

Below are a few step by step photos to help you visual the process a little better.. Scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of ingredients and the detailed recipe instructions. 

Rinse and pit the cherries. You will then place them in a sauce pan with 1/4 cup water and heat on medium heat until juices release. Usually this can take anywhere between 10 and 15 minutes. 

This is your cornstarch 'gravy'. Whisk your water and cornstarch very well so there are no lumps. You will be adding this to your heated cherries.

Once you have combined your heated cherries, sugar and cornstarch gravy, you will have pie filling! It should look like this.

Take your crust (homemade or store bought if youd prefer) divide it in half and begin to roll it out thin. You will be making the bottom, lining crust first.

This is what it should look like. Then gently transfer from your counter top into your pie pan.

 

Next you will fill your pie (or mini pies) with the pie filling. I uses a big soup ladle to keep things clean and get an even distribution of filling.

Take your remaining pie crust and once you have it rolled out flat, if you have a decorative roller like pictured ( you can click this link here to shop Big R's rolling pins) you can start rolling your adorable rolling pin print into your crust. If your new to these pins, press very firmly to ensure you get the stencil deeply engraved into your crust.

Gently lift off your top crust and place over your pie that you just filled with cherries and either pinch closed with your fingers or press down with a fork to seel shut. Make sure to make slits in the top for the steam to release during baking.

If your making minis, I love to switch up my designs. Not only does it make it fun and very aesthetically pleasing when they are displayed side by side, you can give people the choice of a lot of crust or a little bit of crust depending on the style you do. 

Don't be afraid to get creative. You will be surprised with how forgiving pie crusf can be once it has baked up and taken the golden brown color.

Here is my finished product. Ready to be eatin by our happy customers ❤

Cherry Pie filling:

4 1/2 - 5 Cups cherries, pitted

1/4 Cup water 

2/3 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup cornstarch
1 TBS lemon juice (only if your NOT using sour pie cherries. If using sour pie cherries, omit the lemon juice)
Ground Cinnamon and ground clove (optional but I recommend it for a fun dimension of flavor)

1. Pit Cherries and place them in a medium sauce pan with your 1/4 cup water. Cook on medium-low heat and cover. Bring it to a boil and then cook until the cherries have softened and released their juices. This process can usually take around 10-15 minutes.
2. Make a cornstarch 'gravy'. Put your cornstarch + an additional 1/4 cup water COLD water in a small bowl and whisk together with spoon. Note: make sure that you mix very well and that it is smooth and no clumps, otherwise it could effect your overall pie fillings texture.
3. Stir your sugar into the cherries.
4. Add your cornstarch gravy and stir continuously until your mixture has thickened, this may happen fast. I continue to stir for a little bit longer, until the filling begins to change from the pasty pink color to more of a glossy color.
5. Remove the cherries from heat and put them in a bowl or large jar to let cool to room temperature. Once they have cooled, you can add your ground cinnamon and ground clove, to taste. I normally use about 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp clove.

NOTE: while your cherry filling is cooling, use that time to prepare your pie crust. You can use your favorite crust recipe or store bought, refrigerated pie crust works great too!

6. Roll out 1/2 of your pie crust and line it in the bottom of your pie pan and add your cherry pie filling.
7. This where the fun starts. For the 2nd 1/2 of the crust, I roll it out with a smooth roller until I get my desired thickenss. I then use this gorgeous rooster and foliage designed rolling pin that you can find in store or online at big r! (They have so many more designs to chose from too!)
You can place that beautiful pie crust directly on top and seal the edges by either pinching with your fingers or pressing around the edge with a fork.
Or! You can cut that darling designed crust top into strips and make a lattice top design too! (This is your time to get creative and fancy if your into that!)

Next, place that pretty pie on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 min or until pie crust is beginning to turn slightly golden. Remove, let cool slightly, slice and ENJOY!
You can top with your favorite ice cream or enjoy it without. And watch your kids become more motivated to pick more cherries again and repeat 🤪

*You can find the hat im wearing here. It is the Gigi Pip Monroe Rancher in Brown. You can also shop all their hat styles here!