Champion Cherry Pie Recipes

CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Use your favorite pie dough recipe. Prepare your crust. Divide in half. Roll out each piece large enough to fit into an 8 to 9-inch pan. Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.

CHAMPION CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• 1. For the cherry filling: Mix all ingredients and set aside while making crusts.
• 2. For the crust: Dice the margarine and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.
• 3. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the margarine and shortening.
• 4. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the margarine is the size of peas.
• 5. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
• 6. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 7. Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Spray the bottom of a pie pan with PAM Bakers. Fold the dough in half, place in pie pan. Repeat rolling process for the top crust.
• 8. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour on the inside of the bottom crust.
• 9. Fill crust with cherry mixture.
• 10. Put other crust on top of the pie. Fold top crust slightly under bottom crust all around the edge of the pie. Add cherry crust cut-outs to edges of the pan. With extra crusts, make some cherry cut-outs and put them in a circle in the middle of the pie. Trim pie around the edges.
• 11. Beat one egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush mixture over pastry and edges. Sprinkle with sugar.
• 12. Take a sharp knife and make four slits in the pastry to let out the steam.
• 13. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn oven down to 350 degrees for the remaining 45-55 minutes.
• 14. If edges start to brown too quickly, place aluminum foil over them. Pie is done when golden brown and some filling may be bubbling out.

THE BEST CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place bottom pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan; made pricks along the bottom with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pie crust is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
• Combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract together in a bowl. Pour cherry mixture into the prepared pie pan; dot with butter. Cover with top crusts, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents into the top with a sharp knife. Place the pie on a foil-covered baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. If it is browning too fast cover the pie with an aluminum foil tent. Continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 10 to 20 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

FIRST SNOW CHERRY PIE WITH SNOWFLAKE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency of fine meal. Add 4 tablespoons water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if it doesn't hold together, add a tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing between additions, until it does.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and work it until it just comes together.
• Form the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic and place it in the refrigerator to chill at least 20 minutes.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Roll or trim the edges as you like.
• Line the dough with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake until set, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights from the crust.
• For the filling: In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, cherries, apples, sugar, orange juice and zest and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook until the cranberries pop and the cherries and apples are soft. Be careful to not cook the apple to mush. If using frozen cranberries and cherries, hold the apples until the last 5 minutes and then add them. Thicken by stirring in the cornstarch mixture. Stir for 1 minute. Stir in the brandy and remove from the heat.
• To make the pie: Fill the pie crust with the pie filling. Bake until bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to just warm or room temperature. Top with the Sugar Cookies.
• For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter, flour, sugar, vanilla and eggs on medium speed until well combined. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill in the refrigerator, at least 20 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to desired thickness. Cut out cookies with your favorite cookie cutter.
• Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until slightly crisp on the edges, 9 to 11 minutes; adjust for thickness.
• Let cool, then decorate as desired.

CLASSIC CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the crust: Blend shortening, flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt. Cut flour until it resembles cornmeal. Beat egg, blend in vinegar and water, and sprinkle over flour mixture. Toss with fork. Chill before rolling, about 1 hour. Makes 2 (9-inch pie crusts).
• For the filling: In a large size bowl, mix together all ingredients and pour into the pie shell. Cover with top crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

CHERRY PIE III

Steps:

• Cut the shortening into the flour and salt with the whisking blades of a stand mixer until the crumbs are pea-sized. Mix in cold water by hand just until the dough holds together. Divide the dough in half and form it into two disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled through, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out one disk of dough into a 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry. Refrigerate until needed. Roll out the dough for the top crust, transfer it to a plate or baking sheet, and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place a baking tray in the oven to preheat.
• Place the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized non-aluminum saucepan. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes, or until the sugar draws out the cherries' juices. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat; simmer for 1 minute, or until the juices thicken and become translucent. Remove pan from heat, and stir in butter and almond extract. Allow the filling to cool to lukewarm. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover with top crust, crimp the edges to seal, and cut vents for steam.
• Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven on the baking tray for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for several hours before slicing.