Nothing speaks summer in Traverse City like cherry pie.

Or January, because of the beauty of things like frozen fruit. This recipe actually originally called for frozen cherries, but it all turns out about the same whether you use fresh or frozen, so feel free to use whichever you have available.

How do you know when you find the best cherry pie? Or the best anything? I don’t know, and I don’t love recipes that boast to be the best, but this is pretty darn good. This is my go-to cherry pie recipe, until such a time as I should come across a better one!

The beauty of fruit pies is that they don’t need much. A good recipe lets the fruit shine. This recipe does exactly that. It’s perfectly cherry; tart, sweet, and one of my favorite flavor combinations: cherry / almond.

It features a crumble topping and this recipe has an extra: amaretto. It takes it up a notch, but if you don’t happen to have any on hand, this recipe is still delicious.

Here’s to July, or summer in January!

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Recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Tart Cherry Pie

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

For the Crust

1 bottom pie crust, homemade or store-bought, find an all butter pie crust recipe here, OR an oil crust recipe here

For the Filling

6 cups / roughly 24oz fresh or frozen tart cherries, pitted
1 cup / 200g sugar
2 Tbsp / 15g cornstarch
2 Tbsp / 16g flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 Tbsp / 14g butter
1 Tbsp amaretto liqueur, optional

For the Crumble Topping

1 cup / 120g flour
1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
1/4 cup / 20g rolled oats
6 Tbsp / 84g butter, melted

Directions:

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.

Make the crust

Prepare pie crust; refrigerate until filling is ready

Make the Filling

In a medium large pot, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, flour, and almond extract over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar has melted and cherries begin to break down.
Add butter and amaretto. Continue to stir occasionally until mixture begins to bubble and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare topping

Make the Crumble Topping

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and oats.
Add melted butter and stir until mixture resembles clumpy wet sand.

Assemble and Bake

Pour filling into prepared crust. Evenly sprinkle crumble topping over filling.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until edges are bubbling and crumble is golden brown. Place a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil under the pie plate to catch any filling that bubbles over.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Jenny’s Notes:

For crumble topping, I use rolled oats and quick oats interchangeably.
If not using the amaretto, I recommend increasing the almond extract to 1 tsp
Check the pie halfway through baking to ensure it’s not browning too quickly. If it is, place some tinfoil on top to prevent it browning too quickly.
Fruit pies like this are best made in the morning or the day before you need them, since they need to cool completely before being sliced into. If it’s not completely cool, it won’t be completely set, and the filling will ooze out.