Continuing with recipes for the festive season…one of the things I like to make at Christmas are Cherry Pies. Cherry pie was a staple dessert when I was a child as my family comes from the United States. I have made Cherry Pies many times and I have recipes for both large pies to share and individual pies.
The recipe below is for easy individual cherry pies. These are very simple to make as they use commercial puff pastry sheets for the crust. These pies can be baked and eaten cold or served hot preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The cherry pastry pies turn a beautiful golden brown as they bake. Before going into the oven, brush them with a little egg wash, which gives the tops a beautiful sheen. A sprinkle of coarse sugar adds a little sparkle.
Ingredients
This recipe is for 6 individual pies but you can double the ingredients for 12.
Crust
- 1 box or 4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons milk
- coarse sugar for garnish
Filling
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons room temperature water
- 2 and 1/4 cups (500g) commercial pitted cherries or fresh cherries, pitted and stemmed. I like to use the jars of cherries by Delmaine and available at supermarkets.
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the filling: Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until combined and milky. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until the cherries begin to release their juices– about 4-6 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, then bring to a boil while stirring often. Once boiling, remove from heat then stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. The filling can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. On a lightly floured surface, lay out one pastry sheet. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut sheet into 6 rectangles. 3 of these rectangles will be the bottom pastry pie crust, 3 will be the top. Transfer the 3 bottom rectangles to the prepared baking sheet. (Make sure there will room for all 6 pies– if not, use a second baking sheet.) Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the bottom rectangles with the egg wash. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of cooled cherry mixture onto each of the 3 bottom rectangles. Place the top rectangles over the cherry filling, lining up the edges as best you can. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal shut. Repeat this entire step with 2nd pastry sheet so you have a total of 6 pies. Slice 2-3 slits in the tops for air vents (use a super sharp knife to do that).
- Brush the tops of the pastry pies with egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Chill the pies in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes or up to 1 day.
- During the last few minutes of chill time, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
- Bake the pastry pies for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Make sure to rotate the baking sheet once or twice during bake time. Remove pies from the oven and allow to cool on the pan or serve hot with a sprinkle of icing sugar on top and cream or ice cream on the side.
- Wrap cold leftover pastry pies up tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Feel free to make these for your loved ones this Christmas…they are delicious!!!
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