Sour Cherry Pie with Crumb Topping

Sour cherry season is somewhat of a sacred time for me. It’s here and gone within the blink of an eye, which makes it even more special. What’s more, is you really can’t find sour cherries at the grocery store–in season or out of season. Which is why each year, I anxiously await the last weekend in June when the local orchard opens open the sour cherry orchard for only 3-4 days. Then my family and I load up the car with our buckets in hand and fill them to the brim with our haul.

Sour cherries are a labor of love. The next 24 hours are spent washing, pitting, and flash freezing our excess cherries so we can use them in the months to come. But I always reserve some to make a pie with, fresh from the tree.

In my opinion, nothing compares to a sour cherry pie. I never ate cherries growing up. It was something I discovered in early adulthood. It was love at first bite–tart and fresh, an absolute celebration of summer produce.

If you love a tart dessert with summer fruit, this sour cherry pie will change. your. life. Here’s my secrets to a stellar pie, topped of course with a delicious crumb topping, because is there any better way to top a pie?

How to make a sour cherry pie:

1. Make your pie crust. You can use my Flakey Honemade Pie Crust recipe here. You can use a store-bought crust if you’re in a pinch, but in my opinion this fruit is too special not to make your own crust. I recommend putting your pie in a disposable foil pie shell and putting in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before assembling and baking your pie. this will create a flakier pie crust that will retain its shape it bakes. I also recommend making your pie crust in a food processor, which is fast and gets a flakier crust without overworking the dough.
2. Make the crumb topping. I always make the crumb topping in my food processor right after making my pie crust. Since it’s mostly the same ingredients, it means I don’t have to wash it out between the pie crust and the crumbs. Then place the crumbs in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the pie.
3. Wash & pit your cherries. A cherry pitter will be an essential tool for this task. They’re pretty cheap, so I recommend investing in one. This is the one I use.
4. Make the filling. Combine the cherries, thickeners, and sugar. That’s it!
5. Assemble & bake. Pour the filling in the frozen pie shell and top with the crumb topping. Then place on a dark baking sheet. This will help prevent any juices spilling onto the bottom of your oven while it bakes. It will also serve as a heat conductor and direct more heat to the bottom of your pie crust, which will prevent the dreaded “soggy bottom.” And we know how much Paul Hollywood hates a soggy bottom… Place on the lowest rack in your oven (this will also help crisp up the bottom of your pie while preventing overbrowning on the crust), and bake for an hour.
6. Cool & serve! Don’t skip the cooling step. This will allow your thickeners to settle so your pie doesn’t ooze everywhere when you cut into it. I recommend at least 2 hours, which will give it time to set but the pie will still be warm. Sour cherry pie is delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Sour cherry pie is the ultimate summer dessert. Post your pictures and tag me @fullfilledrecipes so I can see your creations!

Sour Cherry Pie with Crumb Topping

Celebrate summer with this sour cherry pie and a delicious crumb topping

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Cooling Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Equipment

• Food Processor optional
• cherry pitter

Ingredients

  

Crumb Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 6 Tbs cold, salted butter cut into cubes

Sour Cherry Pie Filling

• 5-6 cups sour cherries, pitted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs cornstarch
• 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

 

Make the pie crust

• Make a pie crust using my Flakey Homemade Pie Crust recipe. You can also use a store-bought pie crust.
• Place the pie crust in an 8-inch disposable foil pie shell. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or even days in advance.

Make the crumb topping

• Place all ingredients except butter in a food process and and pulse to combine and break up the oats.
• Add the butter and pulse until combined.
• Place in the fridge until you're ready to assemble your pie.

Make the filling

• Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

Assemble the pie

• Take the frozen pie shell and scoop the filling into the shell.
• Spread the crumb topping all over the top of the pie.

Bake

• Place your assembled pie on a large baking sheet. This will help catch any juice that oozes out of the pie during baking. Don't skip this step or you could end up with juice burning on the bottom of your oven!
• Place the pie and baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven.
• Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 10 minutes, until the pie is bubbling and the crust is a golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let cool at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Keyword apple crumb pie, crumb pie, dessert, fresh produce, fruit, pastry, sour cherry, summer