Email to Filus1217      

Lots of Love Cherry Pies

Source of Recipe

.
Lots of Love Cherry Pies

Adapted from Taste of Home February/March 2012,
Reviews rate this recipe 4 of 5 stars.
Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling
Yield: 1 dozen.

Become the Queen of Hearts when you make these tart-style cherry pies (but without the pepper and treacle, as in "Alice and Wonderland"). Made as single servings, they disappear at the hands of friends and knaves alike. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
• 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold stick margarine or butter, cubed
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 9 to 10 tablespoons cold water

• FILLING:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed, halved
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Coarse sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in margarine or butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half; form each into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth. Add cherries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in extract. Set aside to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out 12 hearts with a floured 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer half of the hearts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a floured 3/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out small hearts from the remaining hearts. (Discard small hearts or reserve for another use.)

4. Spoon 2 tablespoons cherry mixture onto the center of each solid heart. Brush edges of pastry with egg. Top with cutout hearts; press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. While tarts are baking, repeat with remaining dough and filling.

6. Let pies stand 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve warm.

1 pie (calculated without coarse sugar) equals 445 calories, 25 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 262 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.