Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Sunday 20 August 2017


I love cherry pies.  Most of my life I have just used the cherry filling for pies that you get in a tin.  I always have had a couple of tins of that in the cupboard.  Its what I use for my Chocolate Cherry Squares, and its great spooned over cheesecake, and its great in pies, of course! 


I have been oggling this photo for cherry pie envelopes on Pinterest for a very long time, attributed to Liz Bushong.  You can see her tutorial for making them here. They are gorgeous and I have wanted to try this for quite a while!  Hers look so beautiful!



Hahaha, not sure if you would call this a pinterest fail or not!!  I have to laugh when I look at it in comparison to Liz's!   You just got to laugh at yourself dont you?  Yes, you do!  Its not healthy to take life too seriously!
 


I couldn't find any pie filling at the shops and I tried three.  So I decided to make my own, from scratch and it turned out really well!  I used two containers of frozen cherries that I picked up at the shops when I couldn't find any tinned filling . . . and I just winged it, and was very pleased with the results.



It turned out lovely and red, with no food colouring added and with all natural ingredients.  Just the cherries, some sugar and some cornflour, with a bit of butter and almond flavouring added at the end.


You don't need to be adding any water to the cherries at all . . .  once they thaw out while you are cooking this, they release plenty of moisture on their own. 


I actually made the filling the night before.  I packed it into a container and let it cool, then I covered it and put it into the refrigerator overnight so it was nice and cold when I went to make my pie envelopes. 


I cut my pastry squares using my fluted pastry roller cutter thingie so that the squares would have a pretty edge.  I also cut out little hearts to decorate the fronts, but I think I should have cut larger hearts as they got lost in the baking.   They may not be very purty . . . .  but they sure tasted good!  Especially with a dollop of Devon Clotted Cream spooned on top!




*Cherry Pie Filling*
Makes enough for one pie

I love cherry pie, but the filling is often very hard to find over here in the UK.  You can only get it in certain shops. So I decided to make my own. 

700g of frozen pitted Morello Cherries (4 cups)
3 1/2 TBS cornflour (corn starch)
240g granulated sugar (1 1/4 cups)
1 TBS butter
1/2 tsp almond extract


Whisk the cornflour and sugar together in a saucepan.  Stir in the cherries and let sit for about half an hour or so.  By this time they will have started to thaw out.  Cook, stirring constantly over medium low heat until the cherries are all thawed and the juices have been released.  Increase the heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the  mixture thickens and bubbles.  Cook for a further two minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and almond extract.  Let sit until cooled.  Store, covered, in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.


Note - This can also be frozen.  Pack the cold filling into a freezer container, leaving one inch of headspace, cover tightly and freeze.  You can also make this using fresh pitted cherries.


This cherry pie filling was really simple to make and tasted a bazillion times better than the tinned stuff. I think I will make it from scratch from now on when I want to make a cherry pie . . .no preservatives and all natural ingredients, and way less sugar.  I like my pies a bit on the tart side, but if you like them sweeter you can use a bit more sugar if you like.  I wouldn't add much more however, because I think this amount is just right.  Of course a lot depends on the kind of cherries you use.  I used Morello which are a bit tarter than sweet cherries.  You can find my favourite pasty recipe here.  Bon Appetit! 




10 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Monique! Not quite as pretty as the original, but very tasty. This is a great pie filling! xo

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  2. I love cherries!
    The pie fillings are not very cheap anymore. Next time I will make ur filling, instead of buying a can of it. Thanks Marie!
    Love ur plates too!
    Big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your envelope pies may not be as "pretty" (actually they're staged, that's obvious) but your pie looks homemade and that's actually better. Unlike much of the world I detest canned pie filling, especially the cherry. I can choke down the apple usually if i have to but not the cherry. I judge an eating establishment by how they do their apple and cherry pies. If they use the premade canned garbage the place goes on my "you know what" list. If a kitchen in a restaurant can't make a simple pie filling from scratch, then odds are just about everything else they do comes from a box, bottle, jar or can. The fact that you filling foes NOT look canned is a big compliment from me. This is something I'd like to try.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Pam, this makes just enough for one nicely filled pie! Its really delicious! Love your thoughts on pies! Homemade is always best! xo

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  4. Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess
    I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog.

    I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still
    new to everything. Do you have any points for novice blog writers?
    I'd genuinely appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anonymous. Not sure why that happens sometimes, but it happens to me too. The mysteries of the internet! As an aspiring blogger I would tell you these tips. Update your content often and with regularity. It doesn't have to be every day, but you should try to update at least once or twice a week. Don't be too long winded. Short and chatty usually works. Lots of pictures are good. If you borrow someone else's recipe or a recipe from another site, always give them credit, link back to them, and rewrite using your own words and descriptions and most importantly photography. MOST important, try to respond in kind to every question or comment you receive. There is nothing worse than asking a blogger a question and being ignored, or commenting and not being acknowledged. Also it is helpful to make some friends in the blogging world and comment in return on their blogs too, then they will want to come and comment on yours. You will meet some lovely people that way! I guess that's about it! Good luck! Let me know how you get on! Or better still, give me a link to your blog! xo

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  5. Didn't look staged to me !! Look beautiful.. I have a small orchard at my home and my cherry tree is the first of the year to pick. I make jam and homemade pie filling all the time.. loved your recipes

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    Replies
    1. Thanks very much Mare! How lucky to have your own cherry tree! I would love that! xo

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