This cherry pie has homemade flaky, buttery pie crust and is filled with a fresh cherry filling. Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream for the perfect summer dessert!
Prepare the pie crust dough and place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the cherries, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cherries begin to break down and the filling starts to simmer and thicken, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Allow to cool completely to room temperature before filling the pie crust. [My most important note with pre-cooked filling however is that you want it to be completely room temperature before you assemble the pie! If it's too hot, it will melt the butter in the crust too soon and if it's too cold, it won't heat up all the way through in the oven.]
Lightly flour your counter-top and roll out half of the pie dough to ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and cut away any excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like! Place the pie pan back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Roll out the top crust and cut into 2 inch wide strips (or keep it in one piece, you do you).
Pour the cooled filling into the bottom crust and top with the strips in a lattice pattern. Place the pie back in the fridge to chill again while the oven is heating.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Lightly brush the top of the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar if desired.
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. If the edges of the crust start to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remainder of baking.
For best results, let the pie cool completely and then chill for 1-2 hours to let the filling fully set.
Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Notes
You can make both the pie crust dough and filling ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before assembling the pie!Store pie covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.Note: Most standard pie pans are about 1 inch deep. So if you're using a deep dish pie pan (1 ½ to 2 inches deep) this recipe will not yield enough filling to completely fill your pan and you may want to double it.