Fresh Cherry Pie

This fresh cherry pie skips the canned filling entirely. Real cherries tossed with flour, sugar, and a touch of almond extract give you a filling that tastes like summer in every bite.

The almond extract is what sets this apart. It pulls out the natural stone-fruit flavor in cherries the way vanilla never could. Just a teaspoon transforms the whole pie.

Flour thickens the filling here instead of cornstarch, which gives the juices a softer, less gel-like consistency. Cut those steam vents in the top crust generously so moisture escapes and you get a crisp, flaky lid instead of a soggy one.

This pie also freezes beautifully unbaked. Assemble it, wrap tightly, and bake straight from frozen when you need it.

Chef Tips

• Pit cherries over a bowl to catch all the juice, then add that juice to the filling.
• Tart cherries work best for baking. Sweet cherries like Bing will need less sugar.
• Let the pie cool at least two hours before slicing so the filling sets up properly.
• Dot the butter on top of the cherry filling, not the crust, so it melts down through the fruit.

Variations

• Add a crumb topping instead of a top crust for a cherry crumble pie.
• Mix in a handful of blueberries for a cherry-berry twist.
• Brush the top crust with egg wash and coarse sugar for extra sparkle and crunch.