Pretty Easy Cherry Pie

    Sure, it may be easier to get a store-bought pie for your July 4th get together, but then you couldn’t say, “Thanks, I made it!” when people say how great the pie is! The first time I made this pie, it was the first pie I ever attempted, and it turned out perfect. Since then, I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, and made it my own. I call it a Pretty Easy Cherry Pie, because there will be times you’ll have to use your own judgment, and because it does take some time to make. 
    Let’s get into it though, because there’s nothing worse than an online recipe that makes you scroll a mile to find the important parts. I'm also including a downloadable recipe card at the bottom. Save it to your phone, tablet, or computer for easier access. 

Pretty Easy Cherry Pie

Ingredients 
6 cups Frozen Cherries, Pitted (tart or sweet - I use tart) 
1/2 cup Water
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar 
4 tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 package Refrigerated Pie Crust (make sure you get 2 pie crusts)
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon of Milk (any kind of milk will do. I used almond)
Red Food Coloring (optional - helps make that cherry red color really pop!)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (optional - gives it a subtle spiced flavor)

Instructions 
Filling

1. In a non-stick saucepan, add cherries, water, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. Mix together and cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Stir and cook until it becomes thick and liquid is reduced. Since we are using frozen cherries, it may take up to 15 minutes. If it's not getting thick, you can add a Little more cornstarch.)
3. Once you have a nice, thick mixture, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. If you're using red food coloring, stir that in too.
4. The filling needs to cool down completely before assembling the pie. 

Assemble

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Unroll one pie crust and spread it out in a 9in. pie dish. Poke some holes in the crust with a fork . Trim the edges and put it aside.
3. If you want to cut stars into your top crust or cut strips to do a lattice, this is the time to do so. I printed out some star shapes to use as a stencil, but you can free hand it. Don't cut the shapes too close together, or your crust will have a hard time staying together. 
4. Spread the completely cooled down filling into bottom pie crust that you have in the pie dish. 
5. Place the second pie crust on top of the filling. Trim and crimp the edges with a fork. If you didn't cut any design into your crust, or didn't do a lattice, you'll need to cut some slits in the crust for venting.
6. Whisk together the egg and milk until well combined. Brush on top of the pie and around the edges. 
7. Cover the pie crust edges with aluminum foil and place the pie dish on a baking tray. The aluminum foil helps keep your edges from burning, and putting the pie dish on a baking tray will help stop a mess if the pie filling spills out during baking. 
8. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.    
9. After the first 15 minutes, reduce heat to 375 degrees F, and then bake for another 30 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown.

    See, it's not so hard to make a pie! No doubt, your friends and family will appreciate the effort you put into making this pie for them. If needed, you can store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also make the filling a day or two before you assemble the pie. 
    Please let me know how yours turn out! And if you have any tips on pie making, leave them down in the comments. Same goes for any questions about the recipe! Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

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