I hope that you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I’m thankful that my mom, who was a very gracious hostess, took care of the cooking. Although I was happy to relax during the holiday, I just couldn’t show up empty handed. So, I volunteered to take care of dessert.

I knew that I wanted to make both pie and cake. I made a delicious deep dish apple pie last year, but wanted to change it up a bit. I considered pumpkin, but it’s really not one of my favorites (it’s a texture thing). I eventually settled on a cherry pie. My next dilemma was whether to make a crumb topping or a lattice crust. Lattice crust is so beautiful, but crumb topping in incredibly tasty. I did a little poll on Instagram and crumb topping was the winner.

Let’s start with the crust. My absolute favorite pie crust is the Ina Garten Perfect Pie Crust. It turns out perfectly every time. I pop the shortening in the freezer for approximately 15 minutes and follow the recipe exactly as directed. I made the full recipe for a double crust pie, because I wanted to do a decorative crust. Plus, I had a little left over to make my favorite cinnamon sugar roll-ups.

Although I chose a crumb topping, I wanted to add a little flair. I started by rolling out the crust and lining my pie plate, leaving about 1” excess around the edge. I folded the excess dough under to create a base for my decorative crust.

Next, I used fondant molds to cut out two different sized leaves. Feel free to use any shape that strikes your fancy or fits the occasion. You can also do a standard crimped crust.

I chilled the leaves for about 15 minutes and applied to the rim of the crust, which I had brushed with egg wash. The egg wash helps the shapes stick to the crust. I also lightly brushed the top of each leaf as I arranged in an overlapping pattern. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

I absolutely love the filling for this pie! It is super easy to make, does not run, and produces the perfect slice every time. Cherries are the star here. For this recipe, I use canned tart cherries packed in water. They are consistent in flavor and readily available all year long. I drained the cherries and reserved the liquid. I combined ¾ cup of the liquid from the can with ¼ cup of Frangelico, sugar, lemon juice, and corn starch. The Frangelico gives this filling a warm hazelnut aroma that is perfect for fall. However, you can also substitute amaretto or use a full cup of the canned liquid vs. combining with liqueur. I cooked the mixture over medium heat until thick, added the cherries and almond extract, and poured into my prepared pie crust.

The crumb topping could be the best part of this dish. It is basically melted butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and almond extract. Simply mix together in a medium sized bowl. Generously sprinkle over the cherry mixture and bake according to instructions below.

This pie was a huge hit with my family on Thanksgiving. We topped with vanilla ice cream and enjoyed the leftovers throughout the weekend. I realize that cookie season is upon us, but hope that there is room for this delicious pie on your Christmas table. Enjoy!

Cherry Crumb Pie

Course: Dessert

Servings

slices

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

9″ unbaked pie crust*
Filling Ingredients
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
2 15-oz cans pitted sour cherries packed in water, drained, reserve liquid
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
Crumb Topping Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
5 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F
Prepare the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, corn starch, ¾ cup reserved liquid (from canned cherries), ¼ cup Frangelico hazelnut liqueur**, and lemon juice. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, fold in cherries, and add almond extract. Set aside.
Prepare the crumb topping. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in butter and almond extract until mixture resembles large crumbs.
Assemble and bake pie. Pour the cherry filling into the prepared pie crust. Top with crumb mixture. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until filling bubbles and crust is lightly golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, cover with foil strips. Cool completely before serving.

Notes

*My favorite pie crust recipe is the Ina Garten perfect pie crust.
**Alternatively, you can substitute Amaretto for Frangelico. You can also eliminate the liqueur and increase the amount of reserved liquid from the cherries to 1 cup.