Active Time

　　30 minutes

　　Total Time

　　2 hours plus cooling

　　This homemade cherry pie recipe is an elegant alternative to cloying versions made with fire engine red canned cherries or cherry pie filling. It’s worth seeking out fresh sour cherries (available for a short window every summer), but if you can’t find them, we’ve offered a substitute using sweet cherries that tweaks the sugar and lemon juice, outlined below. (Frozen cherries will work too, but they tend to release more juice, so allow them to thaw first and drain them before continuing.) Pitting stone fruit can be a chore, but a cherry pitter is one of the only single-use kitchen gadgets we stand by because it makes prep time fly.

　　The best recipe for cherry pie is only as good as its pie crust, and this one’s a winner. Whether it’s your first time rolling out pie dough, or you consider yourself something of a fruit pie savant, this pie crust recipe has a forgiving fat-to-flour ratio. It’s a flexible rubric you can repurpose for apple pie, pumpkin pie, and the like. Don’t feel like weaving a lattice? Keep the top crust intact—just cut a vent with a sharp knife so the cherry mixture doesn’t bubble over—or use cookie cutters or the rim of a sturdy glass to create shapes to decorate the top. Give the pie plenty of time to cool to room temperature so the tart cherry filling can set. Serve slices with a mound of vanilla ice cream perched on top.

　　

Ingredients

8 servings

　　

Crust

2½ cups (312 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

　　1 Tbsp. sugar

　　¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

　　1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes

　　

Cherry filling and assembly

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided

　　3 Tbsp. cornstarch

　　¼ tsp. kosher salt

　　5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 lb. whole unpitted cherries)

　　1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) or 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (if using dark sweet cherries)

　　½ tsp. vanilla extract

　　All-purpose flour, for surface

　　2 Tbsp. (¼ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes

　　1 Tbsp. whole milk

　　Vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)

　　

Crust

Step 1

Whisk 2½ cups (312 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt large bowl to blend. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes, and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 Tbsp. ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.

　　

Cherry filling and assembly

Step 2

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in 5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 lb. whole unpitted cherries), 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) or 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (if using dark sweet cherries), and ½ tsp. vanilla extract; set aside.

　　

Step 3

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12” round. Transfer to 9” glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to ½”. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12” round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten ¾”-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with 2 Tbsp. (¼ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to ½”. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with 1 Tbsp. whole milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar.

　　

Step 4

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie plate to wire rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream (if using).