Cherry Pie

Recipe with step-by-step photos for Cherry Pie, inspired by the cult TV series, Twin Peaks. This recipe uses homemade pie pastry, as well as fresh cherries but you can substitute with frozen cherries.

cherry pie with lattice pie crust with fresh cherries

Cherry Pie

To me, nothing sounds more American than a cherry pie. If you have read the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, you will no doubt be familiar with (if not envious of) Stephanie’s calorie-infused, sugar-laden diet. This bounty-hunter’s voracious appetite spans from savoury delights like Popeye’s spicy fried chicken and biscuits to an endless array of snacks featuring donuts, waffles, Pop-Tarts and Twinkies.

It is through reading books like these and growing up watching American TV shows and movies that I was introduced to the delectable world of American diner desserts, featuring banana cream pie, pumpkin pie and, of course, cherry pie.

American Cherry Pie

So when the opportunity arose to travel to the US for extended periods of work, I finally had the occasion to actually seek out these classic American desserts and see if their taste was anything close to what I had imagined them to be.

My first taste of a cherry pie was at a colleague’s home when she brought out a selection of fruit pies for dessert, producing a perfect sampling board for my husband and I.

My first bite into the cherry pie revealed that the filling was almost like a jam or compote, though absent of any bits of fruit. I loved the wobbly, ruby red filling and was surprised to find that it wasn’t too sweet.

I knew right away that I wanted to try and make my own cherry pie the moment I had a chance!

cherry pie with slices on white plates

Twin Peaks Cherry Pie

Despite being a true American dessert, this cherry pie recipe actually comes from a popular Swedish cook, Leila Lindholm, from her book, One More Slice.

Lindholm seems to be as smitten as I am with American diner desserts and her cherry pie recipe takes inspiration from the cult TV series of the early 90s, Twin Peaks, in which one of the show’s characters, Agent Cooper (played by the dashing Kyle MacLachlan), habitually ordered a slice of cherry pie with his coffee whenever he visited the local diner.

Now that I have had a taste of a cherry pie, I can see why one can become rather fixated with this classic dessert.

Cherry Pie Recipe

Leila Lindholm’s Twin Peaks Cherry Pie is comprised simply of a cherry compote which has been thickened with cornflour (cornstarch) and enhanced with the flavourings of a vanilla bean, and encased in a lovely shortcrust pastry.

The end product was a pretty quick and easy cherry pie which tastes just as it is described, packed full of cherries and little else.

This cherry pie is delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, but I wouldn’t refuse a slice of cold cherry pie either.

cherries at the farmers market

Cherry Pie Filling

The cherry pie filling is made with a generous amount of fresh cherries. Hence, it is perhaps best to make this pie when cherries are at the peak of their season and are, therefore, more reasonably priced.

You could also make this pie with frozen pitted cherries.

The most time-consuming part of this recipe is to stone the cherries. If you have a special cherry or olive pitter, that would come in handy here.

The only shop-bought cherry pie I have tried was comprised mostly of a thickened red cherry juice and had very few pieces of fruit throughout. So how chunky you want your pie is up to you – if you like the filling to be more smooth, cook the filling for longer to allow the fruit to break down more.

The cornflour (cornstarch) is what will ultimately thicken the cherry filling, preventing it from making the pastry go soggy and also giving the filling some body when you cut into the pie.

cherry pie slices on white plates

Lattice Pie Crust

The pie pastry itself is super quick and easy to make.

This pie pastry recipe is foolproof and what I love best is that it does not shrink upon baking.

This means that, if you like to make decorative pies with intricate pastry designs, or maybe even a classic lattice pie crust, this pastry will keep its shape upon baking, ensuring that the finished pie will look very much like how it was prepared when uncooked.

To make a lattice pie crust, please see my recipe with step-by-step photos here.

{Lattice Pie Crust recipe with step-by-step photos}

How to Make Cherry Pie

Making a cherry pie from scratch is really easy, especially with the recipe below.

I like to make the cherry pie filling in advance so that it has had a chance to cool properly.

The pie pastry can also be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge until needed.

A brief word of warning before you view the cherry pie pictures below … there are quite a few to get through! I got a bit carried away with the camera …

{For a printable recipe, please scroll down}

ingredients for cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie
step by step photos for making cherry pie

More Cherry Recipes

If you are looking for cherry recipes, you might also be interested in:

Cherry Clafoutis

Print

Cherry Pie

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5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 to 6
  • Category: Sweet Pies
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Recipe with step-by-step photos for Cherry Pie, inspired by the cult TV series, Twin Peaks. This recipe uses homemade pastry, as well as fresh cherries but you can substitute with frozen cherries.

Ingredients

For the pastry

For the cherry pie filling

  • 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) fresh cherries, pitted
  • 80 g (1/3 cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)

For the egg wash

  • 1 egg (extra)
  • 1 tablespoon milk

For the topping

Instructions

To make the pastry

  1. Place the butter, flour and icing sugar (powdered sugar) into the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Using the paddle attachment, mix until everything looks crumbly or like wet sand.
  3. Alternatively, you can do this in a food processor or by simply rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar with your fingertips.
  4. In a small bowl or cup, gently whisk together the egg and water.
  5. Add the egg mixture slowly to the dry ingredients, and mix until everything just comes together. You may not need all of the egg mixture.
  6. Do not knead the dough.
  7. Wrap the dough in some cling film.
  8. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

To make the cherry pie filling

  1. Remove the stones from the cherries, ideally using a cherry pitter (it is best to wear an apron while doing this). Alternatively, slice a piece off the cherry and try to extract the stone this way.
  2. Place the cherries, sugar, lemon zest and 1 split vanilla pod into a large saucepan.
  3. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes until the cherries start to break down a little. You can mash the cherries with a wooden spoon to help the process.
  4. Whisk together the lemon juice and cornflour (cornstarch) and add this to the cherries.
  5. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. You want a fairly thick mixture so that it can hold its shape when you cut the pie later.
  6. Remove the vanilla pod.
  7. Set the cherry filling aside to cool completely.

To assemble the cherry pie

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F (without fan).
  2. Divide the dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other.
  3. Roll out each piece of dough between two sheets of clingfilm, lifting the clingfilm after each roll as necessary.
  4. Roll the dough to about 5mm thickness.
  5. Using the larger sheet of pastry, remove one sheet of clingfilm.
  6. Carefully place the pastry over the tart tin with the remaining clingfilm side facing up.
  7. Gently ease the pastry into the tart tin.
  8. Carefully pull off the clingfilm.
  9. Trim off the excess pastry.
  10. Wrap the excess pastry in some clingfilm and place in the fridge to use later as decoration for the pie.
  11. Fill the pastry shell with the cherry filling.
  12. Using the smaller sheet of rolled out pastry, remove one layer of clingfilm.
  13. Place the pastry on top of the tart tin, with the remaining clingfilm side facing up, to form the lid of the pie.
  14. Remove the remaining clingfilm and trim off the excess pastry by gently pressing the pastry against the edges of the tart tin.
  15. Gently press together the edges of the pastry by using your finger against the inside rim of the tart tin.
  16. Whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk to make an egg wash and brush this mixture over the pie.
  17. Make some shapes from the reserved pastry and place these on top of the pie.
  18. Brush over the decoration with some more egg wash.
  19. Sprinkle the pie generously with demerera sugar or granulated white sugar.
  20. Bake the pie for about 35 minutes or until lightly golden.
  21. Serve the pie warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The pie is also lovely served at room temperature.

Kitchen Notes

WHAT SIZE PIE DISH?
I used a 22 cm (9 inch) pie dish for this cherry pie. The recipe produced enough pastry for this size pie dish with some leftover. For my 22 cm (9 inch) pie dish, I needed only half of the cherry pie filling.

CHERRIES
I bought 1.8 kg (4 lb) of cherries to make this pie and, after removing the stones, stems and any dodgy fruit, I was left with a mere 1.1 kg (2 lb) of cherries. I nevertheless proceeded to make the cherry filling as per the recipe which turned out very well, despite having less cherries than required.

HOW TO MAKE A LATTICE PIE CRUST
To make a lattice pie crust, please see my post on How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust with step-by-step photos.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
* Both the pastry and cherry pie filling can be made ahead of time and kept covered in the fridge until needed.
* The cherry pie can also be assembled ahead of time and kept uncovered in the fridge. When you are ready to bake, simply brush it with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar before baking.

STORAGE TIPS
This pie keeps well on a covered cake stand for several days at room temperature.

OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.

CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 481
  • Sugar: 24.6g
  • Sodium: 16.5mg
  • Fat: 24.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 61.4g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Cholesterol: 91.7mg

Did you make this recipe?

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Update

This recipe was first published on 22 July 2012. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

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76 comments

  1. Vy 22 July 2012

    Looks delicious! I hope I can get some cherries in time to make it for my husband!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      If cherries are in season where you are at the moment, it would be well worth making this pie 🙂 I made it twice in one week – that’s how good it is!

      Reply
  2. Caroline 22 July 2012

    Oh my, this is unbelievably gorgeous!! I love cherry pies but have never tried to make one myself…with this great recipe, I think it’s finally time I try one! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Thanks, Caroline! I was quite surprised by how easy this recipe was. Once the cherries are stoned and the filling is made, the rest was pretty quick. Hope you’ll give it a try whilst cherries are still in season.

      Reply
  3. Hannah 22 July 2012

    Oh my goodness what are you doing to me, I’m trying to diet! This looks devine, I will surely try it!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      LOL!! Well, I think you could argue that this pie is full of goodness, given that it is full of fruit 😉 If you’re a Twin Peaks fan, I think you need to try this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Louise Sutton 22 July 2012

    Having been a big fan of Twin Peaks, how could I go past this ? It looks wonderful, I can’t wait to try it. Love your blog Thahn!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      G’day Louise!! Lovely to hear from you here. I think any fan of Twin Peaks will appreciate a cherry pie and this recipe is a keeper 🙂 Hope you are well, xx

      Reply
  5. Dina 23 July 2012

    what a gorgeous pie! i love the crust. it looks like the perfect cherry pie.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Thanks, Dina. The pastry here was a dream to make and work with and produced a really lovely crust all over. I will definitely be using this pastry recipe again and again.

      Reply
  6. The Patterned Plate 23 July 2012

    Oh. My. God. That’s a damn fine pie if I ever saw one! The pastry looks perfect and the filling is lush!!! I adore all the process photos Thanh, so neat, haha! Stellar post, am clawing at the screen!

    Reply
    • The Patterned Plate 23 July 2012

      Think my favourite shot is the one where there the filling has leaked out from between the pastry. Fantastic!

      Reply
      • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

        Aww, thanks Carrie! Despite being a quick and simple recipe, I didn’t realise how many different steps this recipe required until I was done photographing. Lo and behold, I had to remove about 5 photos and combine the steps here and there. So after all of the photos that I took, I was quite relieved by how well the pie turned out 🙂 I can’t remember the last time I baked pastry and it didn’t shrink, so I think this particular recipe is perfect because how the pie is shaped once it goes in the oven is how it will look coming out. Plus it tastes really delicious! I’m looking forward to trying more of Leila Lindholm’s recipes.

        Reply
  7. Paula 23 July 2012

    Hey!!! That’s funny!!! I have read some Stephanie Plum’s!! What about the hamster and granny?? They’re funny books for summer, so the connection you have made with the pie and the book is very summery to me 😛

    I love cherries, so this pie is one I like a lot. But I have always make it “open”, and I like your covered version. Nice colour with the touch of sugar! 🙂

    Great step by step, and wonderful photos, I love them!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Oh yay, another Stephanie Plum fan!! I agree that the books are great to read over the summer when you need something light and funny. I have a bit of catching up to do, though … I think I am only up to 12 or 13. Have you seen the movie which was released recently for “One for the Money”? I haven’t yet.

      You could certainly make this cherry pie “open” with perhaps strips of pastry over the top in a lattice pattern. I probably should have done that with the second pie for something different!

      And I’m glad to hear that you like my photos, even if there were probably too many in this post 😉

      Reply
      • Paula 17 August 2012

        Wow, this summer vacation my boyf went for a few days to the beach, back to my parents home, and we saw One for the money, the film!! I didn’t even know that it was already, so many years waiting for it, until you said it in the comment.
        I made some sandwiches (yea, a meat pie would be more consequent), and this pie to see the film, and we enjoy all! So, thanks for the recipe, and thanks for the mention about the film!! It was funny, you have to see it!! But I thought Ranger would be a little different 😛

        Reply
        • eat, little bird 17 August 2012

          Ah you’ve seen the movie?! I showed my husband the trailer and he wasn’t interested in seeing it at all! So I will have to watch it one evening when he is away. I would be curious to see which actor plays which character from the book. Now that you have mentioned Ranger, I will be even more curious!

          Reply
          • Paula 18 August 2012

            He’s one of the actors from CSI (I think Miami, but I’m not sure…). He goes well with the role, but with the description of the book about Ranger, I had another idea 😛
            Must confess the actor looks more handsome than the book, for me 😛
            If you make this pie, like I did, to see the film, everybody would see it, I used that game 😛

            Reply
            • eat, little bird 18 August 2012

              Now I really want to see the movie! 🙂 Good idea … I will bribe my husband with some food 😉

              Reply
  8. Jennifer @ Delicieux 23 July 2012

    Thanh your pie looks absolutely gorgeous and the pastry is so perfect. I love the sound of this pastry too, especially if it doesn’t shrink.

    I haven’t tried cherry pie before, but it’s actually on the list of things to do when we are on our honeymoon in the US in September.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Have a fabulous time in the US for your honeymoon! We also had our honeymoon in the US and loved every minute of it. It’s such a fun and diverse country to visit. Having now sampled a long list of American desserts which I could only previously imagine the taste, I feel more comfortable recreating them at home. Strangely, I don’t have too many cookbooks by American chefs, something I should rectify soon! But I love that Leila Lindholm also seems to be quite inspired by American desserts and, given that this recipe worked out so well for me, I can’t wait to try more of her recipes.

      Reply
  9. Sam-I-am 23 July 2012

    You just make me want to copy you in the aim of seeming as original in thought and finess as you! LOVE the post and all that is in it! 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      Thanks, Sam! I thought of you when I was making this pie because I know that you and I both love a particular cake with cherries … something I hope to post shortly 🙂

      Reply
  10. Rushi 23 July 2012

    Oooooh yum!!! That looks divine. By the time I got to the end of the post I was drooling 😀

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 July 2012

      LOL!! I take that as a compliment 😉 Despite having eaten 2 cherry pies last week (shared, of course!), I wish I could have one more slice!

      Reply
  11. Julia Levy 23 July 2012

    I’m a Stephanie fan too, all the way up to Explosive 18, read the lot and all the ones in-between too!

    I’m not however a fan of cooked cherries but your pie looks amazing and cuts so well. And such a rich coloured pastry. Everyone says ‘as american as apple pie’ but really it’s the cherry pie isn’t it. My mum bought a fabulous pie dish in the States years ago with pictures of cherries and a recipe in, lovely.

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 24 July 2012

      Ooh someone else I can chat to about the Plum books! 🙂 I think I have most of the books in the series but somehow lost momentum a few summers ago. I have a lot of catching up to do! But I like that they are quick and easy reads.

      I wasn’t exactly sure if I was going to like cooked cherries, especially since I absolutely love them in their natural state. So I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about buying so many cherries and “experimenting” with them for this recipe. But one taste of the cherry compote when it was made and I was sold 🙂

      I also came across quite a few cute pie dishes in the US and desperately wanted to buy them, but do you know if the pies still come out crispy when baked in a ceramic pie dish? This was my main hesitation.

      Reply
      • Julia Levy 24 July 2012

        Ina Garten does her pies in ceramic dishes so I’d say yes for a crisp bottom. Also my mum’s quiches have crisp bottoms. Can’t hurt to try.

        Last year we had so many cherries of our tree in desperation i made jam, yuck!!! Everyone else loved it but me!

        Jo’s now hooked on SP and is on Seven Up. Did you know One for the money cake out as a movie last year? Kathryn Heigle (of 27 dresses) played Stephanie!

        Reply
        • eat, little bird 25 July 2012

          Ah true, my quiches also have fairly crisp bottoms. Bummer – should have bought those pie dishes when I saw them! 😉

          You have a cherry tree?? Lucky you! I would, for sure, try this cherry pie. Though, I would be more tempted just to eat the cherries fresh.

          I haven’t seen the movie yet but it’s on my list!

          Reply
  12. Nicola 23 July 2012

    I’m watching Twin Peaks right now! Just discovered it was on the Horror channel so couldn’t resist, I haven’t seen it in years. Cherries are my absolute favourite fruit and I adore cherry pie! My gran used to make it for me but I’ve never made one myself because my husband hates cherries with a passion (boo!) Maybe one day I will find an excuse to make one 🙂 By the way I love One more Slice, it’s a brilliant book! The nutella brownies are delicious 🙂

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 24 July 2012

      The Horror channel?! Ooh you are brave! I briefly considered downloading the series the other day to re-watch them and then decided not to … I think I’m still a scaredy cat!

      Those nutella brownies do sound really good … off to look up the recipe now! Thanks for the tip!

      Reply
  13. Ira Rodrigues 29 July 2012

    How I wish I could eat this dessert one day…
    Looking at your fresh cherry alike looking at a basket of diamonds 🙂 and if i make a cheery pie like yours it would the same like making a dessert of most precious jewel that because those cherries are pricey in Bali, 100g for 15bucks 🙁

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 29 July 2012

      Yikes! That’s incredibly expensive! Cherries are not cheap in Switzerland either, but there is some local supply, as well as from neighbouring France. So during the peak of their season, the price of cherries are not too indulgent. But after so many years of living here, one realises that everything is expensive in Switzerland 😉 I was hesitant to cook with such an expensive ingredient, but the risk paid off as this cherry pie is really, really worth it. Hopefully you will get to try this dessert one day … maybe plan a trip to the US? 😉

      Reply
  14. Jo 30 July 2012

    My hubby adores cherry pie – apparently it was the one pud his dad would make & he’d do it from scratch. I must make this – he’d be so thrilled to have a childhood favourite again. Perhaps something to make for our up and coming wedding anniversary :0)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 6 August 2012

      Wow, his dad used to make cherry pie from scratch?! I’m impressed! In some respects, I feel a pie is a wintry dessert but cherries are only in season in summer … I might give this recipe a try with frozen cherries when the weather gets cooler. I’ve already made two this summer which has been quite indulgent, but they are so delicious!

      Reply
  15. NYinRome 11 August 2012

    I love it! Think I need to check out this book….thanks for bringing it to my attention. The photos are so perfect, cherries are still available here….hmmmm…if I could only muster up the courage to turn my oven on.
    It’s always a pleasure to read and oggle your blog, 😀

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 13 August 2012

      Thank you!! I know what you mean about the heat at the moment. Thankfully, it is usually short-lived where I am so I try to enjoy every moment of it 🙂 Cherries are still abundant here at the moment too and it takes willpower to not eat them just as they are!

      Reply
  16. Petra 8 September 2012

    Why not take the pips out when you cooked them a couple of minutes? Might make it easier. I love all Leilas recepies :).

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 10 September 2012

      That’s a good idea! Although, fishing out the pips after cooking them a little might be fiddly as well, but it would certainly be a good option if you don’t have a cherry pitter. I have yet to try more of Leila’s recipes but I’m looking forward to it.

      Reply
  17. deecochran 25 September 2012

    Your recipes are just beautiful! I love the way you make “pictures” out of them, and most sound just delish! =)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 28 September 2012

      Thank you! I have a lot of fun making these recipe photos so I’m glad that you enjoy them 🙂

      Reply
  18. Aoife 18 February 2013

    I’m a novice baker, but I’ve been asked by a family friend to make the birthday cake for her Twin Peaks themed party – this is the clearly perfect recipe! I’ve never made any kind of pie before, and not used cherries in my baking. You’ve been it seem very straightforward and I look forward to trying this recipe out (:

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 19 February 2013

      Good luck! This is a really delicious pie which I hope you and everyone else will enjoy.

      Reply
      • Aoife 4 April 2013

        I recently rediscovered this site, and wanted to share my experience with this recipe!

        I made this February (and I live in Scotland) so finding fresh cherries proved to be incredibly difficult. I was only able to get half the required amount in fresh cherries, so I used jarred cherries for the other half. They mix of different cherries was delicious – the jarred cherries had been in syrup and gave the filling a deliciously sweet taste, I think if I used this method next time I wouldn’t add as much lemon juice, as it kind of counteracted the sweetness of the soaked cherries and wound up overwhelming the filling a little.

        My crust, sadly, didn’t look half as nice as your does but I liked the finish the sugar gave to it.

        I never actually got to try the finished product, as it was for someone else, but I’ve been told it was delicious. I really, really enjoyed making this and I’ll definitely be using this recipe in the future.

        Thanks for sharing! (:

        Reply
        • eat, little bird 12 April 2013

          Thank you for popping back to leave your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, although I wish you would have been able to try a slice 🙂 Using different types of cherries in this recipe sounds interesting and I’m glad to hear that it worked. I can’t wait for cherries to be back in season so I can make this pie again!

          Reply
  19. Lala 28 March 2013

    I’m baking it on Easter, can’t wait! Looks amazing <3

    btw; Where did you get this amazing font? 🙂

    Reply
  20. Telita 10 June 2013

    I’m baking this!

    Reply
  21. Gabrielė 21 June 2013

    i’m totaly baking this, but firstly i would like to ask if the cherries are sweet or are they sour in your recipe ?

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 21 June 2013

      Hello,
      I used fresh sweet cherries in this recipe. I hope you will enjoy this delicious pie!

      Reply
  22. Csilla 23 June 2013

    This recipe looks wonderful! I am so gonna make this today! 🙂 I am also infatuated with American diner and all kinds of desserts, even though I know they are not the super fancy French desserts. Maybe that is exactly the charm of them 🙂 Simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 23 June 2013

      This cherry pie is really lovely and, I think, perhaps better than what you can find in most American diners 😉 It’s cherry season at the moment and I’m planning on making this pie again very soon. I can’t wait!

      Reply
  23. Kristine Hansen 3 July 2013

    Hi “eat, little bird”, I was wondering, is it possible to make half a portion, was a bit short when it came to the cherries?:)

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 4 July 2013

      Yes, I think you could. For my size pie tin, I ended up with double the amount of cherry filling that I needed. I hope you will enjoy this recipe!

      Reply
  24. Sally 23 August 2013

    I’ve just moved from London to Kent, ‘the garden of England’ where this year the cherry trees have been laiden for weeks. I’ve been buying an old fashioned variety Braeburn blacks, which are deep red and luscious. My son found your blog and made this one very hot evening; the pastry looking unpromising by the time he got it in the oven! But it emerged picture perfect! No soggy bottom. Crisp and totally delicious and the pastry didn’t shrink. We eeked it out between 3 of us over 3!! Meals. Goodness knows how. Thank you. Lovely blog and photos.
    I’m about to try a savoury dish from you but a bit stuck for choice!

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 24 August 2013

      Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! I’m so happy to hear that your son’s cherry pie turned out deliciously. I don’t know if cherries are usually so abundant at this time of the year, but I still see them sold at the farmers’ markets each week here. I bought a batch of cherries the other week which were a bit past their prime so I turned them into this cherry pie and was reminded of how much I love this simple recipe. Enjoy browsing the recipes here 🙂

      Reply
  25. Faye 21 January 2014

    Hi eat, little bird,
    Just wondering if I could you frozen cherries, fresh ones are not in season and very expensive here in the UK. I thought as long as you drain them as they thawed it would be ok?
    Thankyou
    Faye

    Reply
    • eat, little bird 21 January 2014

      Hi Faye,
      I think frozen cherries would work fine in this recipe. You could probably cook them from frozen, although they might just take a bit more time to cook. If there is more liquid than you would have with normal cherries, I would just add more cornflour (mixed with lemon juice) to thicken the mixture sufficiently. I hope you will enjoy this recipe!

      Reply
  26. Have you ever considered creating an e-book or
    guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog
    centered on the same subjects you discuss and would love to
    have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would enjoy your work.
    If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.

    Reply
  27. Yulya 11 August 2014

    Cherry pie feels very American. )

    (more thn apple pie)

    Amazing Photos and description!

    Huge THANK YOU from fan of TP and Stephanie Plum ))

    Reply
  28. Rebecca 7 October 2014

    This recipe looks great! Thanks for the step-by-step photos, it’s always so helpful to have that. A word on removing pits from cherries if you don’t have a tool for it, a bobby pin works pretty well. My parents have been doing it that way for years.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 12 October 2014

      Who knew the humble bobby pin could be so versatile! Thanks for the tip 🙂

      Reply
  29. Pinklady 12 March 2015

    Hello I love how the recipe has really easy to read instructions with photos! Me and my boyfriend are nearly through the second series of twin Peaks and I am totally fascinated by the cherry pie and coffee. I tried your recipe out yesterday and seriously better than I ever imagined the pie to be. I did have trouble with the pastry, think my pie tin is a tad too big but the crust was super thin and yummy and the cherry filling was imense I did use frozen cherries and couldn’t get hold of any decent fresh ones. Just a big thank you for the recipe this one is a keeper 🙂 x

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 19 March 2015

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 And I’m glad to hear from another Twin Peaks fan! I can’t wait for cherries to be in season again soon so I can make this pie again. Unfortunately, frozen cherries are not available where I live, otherwise I would make this pie all year round!

      Reply
  30. Karl 29 March 2015

    That looks amazing and every bit as good as the one Leila makes! Well done!:D
    This particular non-shrinking pastry is what every swedish chef (Except maybe the Muppet one lol) use, and it is a really well put together pastry. The no-shrinking bit is particulary appriciated by me, since it makes pie-baking sooo much easier!

    Thanks for a beautiful and very pedagogical post! I can´t wait until my cherries are ripe so I can do this!
    Cheers (Or should I say cherries?)
    Karl from Sweden.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 2 April 2015

      Thanks, Karl!

      I love this pastry and use it quite often. I can’t wait for cherries to come into season soon so I can make this pie again. It’s a pie which tastes great both warm and cold.

      Reply
  31. Pete 21 December 2016

    hi thanh, great website and a really interesting recipe

    i myself do not use plain sugar or gluten any more so i had to adapt several recipes to come up with the right one for me and my friends and family ;0)
    it would normally be:
    225 g guten free flour (normally based on buckwheat or a mix of buckwheat and rice flour) + teaspoon of xanthin gum to tighten the dow, 110 g baking fat / butter to grate; this is almost perfect for a 9″ tin 1″ deep with three cans of cherries – 3×213 g drained weight. gets a little adventurous if i use fresh ones.
    one beaten egg to bind
    i use almost exactly the same filling as yours except the sugar, if i do not think it is sweet enough, sometimes i add a little honey and keep tasting. the lemon with corn flour does make it taste a little like sour cherries, which some people actually really like.
    i guess we live in a world of super sweet deserts and some people cannot have them because of their conditions, some just had enough of sweetness.

    i find the filling most flavoursome if i slowly cook it and then leave it to cool with vanilla gods and cinnamon sticks still in and then refrigerate over night.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 21 December 2016

      Hi Pete,
      Thanks for sharing your recipe! I have a few friends who have a gluten-intolerance, so I will keep your recipe in mind the next time I am baking for them. And I like your idea of adding cinnamon sticks to the filling. Once cherries are back in season, I’ll try some of your tips 🙂 Unfortunately, I have not seen frozen or canned cherries where I live. Although I did see today imported cherries from Australia, but that would have cost a small fortune!

      Reply
  32. Malen 28 November 2017

    Hi. Dont know how to say this but the butter should be soft? We call it “manteca pomada” when we leave it out of the freezer for 30 minutes and its mushy, soggy or mild. Or you use it direct from the freezer?
    Also the flour is self-rising or not?
    Love the recipe and twin peaks.
    Kisses from Argentina.
    PS: My name is mapuche.

    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 30 November 2017

      Hello,

      The butter should be cold from the fridge – it is the best way to make pastry.

      As for the flour, it should NOT be self-raising flour – just plain flour. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  33. Rose 11 April 2018

    I’ve made this cherry pie a few times and I really love it – your step by step photos were so helpful. I actually use this pastry quite often for pies, which is why I am back here and thought I would leave a comment this time. You were right – this pastry is just perfect for making pies!






    Reply
  34. Julia 12 April 2018

    One of my favs! You make it sound so easy! Can’t wait to try this one!






    Reply
  35. RUTH 23 January 2021

    AMAZING THANKS FOR THE RECIPES

    Reply
  36. Jennifer 25 October 2022

    Absolutely wonderful recipe.






    Reply
  37. Tegan 31 December 2023

    This recipe was absolutely amazing! The filling was so tasty ♥






    Reply
    • Eat, Little Bird 31 December 2023

      Hi Tegan,
      I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Happy New Year in 2024!

      Reply