Cherry Pie Filling

Colorful homemade cherry pie filling

Yield: 

About 3 cups

Ingredients: 

3 cups pitted sour cherries*
1 1/2 cups sugar
approximately 1/2 cup water
approximately 1-2 tablespoons clear jel or cornstarch, for thickening

(Please see additional notes before making!)

Instructions: 

1. Combine fruit and sugar in a pan and stir together. If cherries are soft and mushy, you won’t need additional water, but if cherries are firm, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil.

2. Mix cornstarch or clear jel** with some cold water or reserved cherry juice (about 2 tablespoons of cold water with 2 tablespoons corn starch or clear jel), whisking to remove lumps.

3. When cherries are boiling, add thickening while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add enough thickening to make the consistency you desire. We like our pies fairly thick, but cheesecake topping thinner. Stir the thickening as it bubbles, just until the juices are clear. (When the filling looks clear, it’s fully cooked. Over-cooking will start to break down the filling.)

4. Pour into pie crusts (unbaked pastry) for pies (bake pies at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes or until browned) or use as topping in other recipes.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.