SWEET CHERRY PIE FILLING

You guessed it.. another pie post. I finally mastered my cherry pie filling and I had to share it with all of you! This recipe works best for pie pops and hand pies.

Here’s what you need: 

• 2 1/2 cups frozen sweet cherries
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp almond extract

Here’s what you do: 

1. Add frozen cherries, lemon zest & juice, and sugar to a saucepan over low to medium heat. Heat until cherries begin to release juices and begin to lightly boil.

2. At this point, the mixture will have a liquid consistency. Add in the corn starch and reduce heat to a simmer to allow the cherries to reduce for about 5 minutes. Make sure to watch continuously as this time could change based on your stovetop or cookware! 

– TIP: What does reduce mean? To me, reduce is a fancy word for thicken. You want the cherries to become a syrupy consistency!

3. Once your filling is at the desired consistency, remove from heat and add in the almond extract. 

4. Finally, mash the cherries to get a jam-like consistency. This makes it easier to fill your hand pies/pie pops.

YUM

Happy Baking!

Jenny