Cherry Pie Perfect for Valentine’s Day

Yesterday the skies were overcast and I had a feverish boy home from school. So naturally, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen doing a little baking.

I love a good pie. It has taken me a couple of years of practicing, and experimenting to find the perfect crust recipe. But now making it is like second nature to me. Thankfully, it’s not hard and with just a few ingredients (that I bet you already have on hand) you can whip one up too.

If you have been reading here for a while, it’s the same recipe I use to make my Slab Apple Pie, and my Mom’s Fresh Peach Pie. Only this time I filled it with Cherries and cut the crust into a “lovely” shape.

To make the crust follow my recipe here:

The BEST Cherry Pie Crust

Ingredients

  • 3 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Cups (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter
  • 1/2-3/4 Cup Ice Cold Water

Instructions

Place flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a Food Processor. Process until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles course meal. (About 10-15 seconds) with the machine running add the ice water in a slow steady stream through the tube just until the dough starts to hold together. Do not process for longer than 30 seconds. Test dough by pinching a small amount, if it is still crumbly add a little bit more water. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal parts. Try not to overwork the dough. Place each piece tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Once your dough is nice and chilled, pull it out of the refrigerator and roll one section out into a nice round circle to cover the bottom of your pie pan.  Place in a 9″ pie pan and flute the edges.  

Then fill your crust with 2 cans of cherry pie filling.  (See I told you this was going to be easy!)

Set aside and pull out the second half of your pie dough, again roll it out, but instead of doing a lattice top, I decided to make something a little more festive since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. 

I took a small 1″ heart cookie cutter ( I found mine at JoAnn’s)  and cut out a bunch of hearts, and then placed them right on top of my pie in a spiral pattern.  

Place in an oven preheated to 425 degrees.  And bake for 40-45 minutes.  You will know it will be done when the edges start to bubble and the top is a nice golden brown.

So if you love to bake like me, (or even if you don’t) this is such a fun dessert to make for your Valentine. I, of course have to have my pie with a big scoop of ice cream! And if you are a chocolate cherry lover, try adding a dollop of hot fudge on top of that ice cream!