I love to serve this pie around the holidays and also in the summer months. Everyone loves a good fruit pie, and it’s kind of rare to find a cherry pie as a dessert option. So this pie is always a happy surprise! The sweet cherry filling is a little bit almond flavored, and the lattice pie crust topping gives it a pretty touch. That makes this Cherry Amaretto pie a good choice to serve to guests.
How to make Cherry- Amaretto Pie:
I’ve included instructions in the recipe below for the double crust, foolproof pie dough from America’s Test Kitchen. This was my first time trying this pie dough recipe, and now it’s my favorite! The dough is super easy to work with, it rolls out nicely, and it turns out light and flaky. Winner! If you have a two-crust pie recipe that you prefer, then you can certainly use your own recipe. Or to make things even easier, you can use store-bought pie crust. The cherry filling is super easy to make. You’ll combine frozen (defrosted) pitted cherries with sugar and cornstarch. And then you’ll soak some dried cherries in Amaretto, and combine the two cherry mixtures together to make the filling. You don’t have to pre-bake the crust, so you’ll simply roll out the first crust, add the filling, and then put the second crust on top.
How to make a lattice pie crust:
You could always just place the second crust on top and cut a few vents to complete this pie. But a lattice topper is so much prettier since you can see the red cherry filling mixture peeking out. To make the lattice topping, roll out your second disk of dough. Cut strips of the dough (as thin or as wide as you want) with a knife, pastry cutter or pizza wheel. Start with the longest strips and lay the first two strips in an X in the center of the pie. You can arrange them at 90 degree angles or at a sharper 45-degree angle. Alternate horizontal and vertical strips, weaving them in an over-and-under pattern. Use the shortest strips for the edges of the lattice. Then use a little water to seal the strips to the edges of the pie.
About Cherries:
When cherries are not in season, it’s perfectly okay to use frozen cherries for this Cherry Amaretto Pie. And when they’re in season and at their sweetest, you can pit 4 cups of cherries and use fresh cherries instead. If you are using sour cherries, you will want to use more sugar (3/4 cup). And if you’re using sweet cherries, use a little less sugar (1/2 cup).
What is a good substitute for Amaretto?
Amaretto is an almond-flavored liqueur. If you don’t want to buy Amaretto, or if you don’t wish to use alcohol in your pie, you can use almond extract instead. Substitute 1 teaspoon of almond extract for the Amaretto. To soak the cherries, combine 1 tablespoon of water with 1 teaspoon of almond extract, and soak the cherries in that mixture. It will be better with the Amaretto, so consider that. And also… the alcohol burns off completely in the cooking process, so you don’t need to worry about serving alcohol to little ones.
I hope you try my Cherry Amaretto Pie! Enjoy 🙂
Here are a few more pie recipes you might like to try:
Snickers Bar Pie Grasshopper Pie Fresh Pear Pie Oatmeal Pie Old Fashioned Custard Pie Hoosier Pie Pink Lemonade Pie Classic Pumpkin Pie
