Cherry Pies (Again!)

With all of the beautiful cherries I'm finding at the market this week, I just had to repost one of my favorite recipes~

Cherry Pocket Pies (from Williams-Sonoma)
(makes 6-8 pocket pies, or one 8-inch cherry pie)

Piecrust (you can purchase a premade crust if desired):

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch dices
6-8 tablespoons ice water

Using a pastry blender (or stand mixer), mix together the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add the butter and combine until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons of ice water; combine well. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers, but should not be sticky. If crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, blending well after each addition. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and shape each into a disk. Refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Filling:

2 cups fresh pitted cherries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Wash and pit the cherries. I did not have a cherry pitter, and had to use a small paring knife. Slice the cherries in half, and use the tip of the knife to gently scoop out the pits.

How beautiful do they look?

In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the cherries and extract; mix well. Set over medium high heat and cook until slightly thickened; about 15 minutes. Allow filling to cool.

When ready to assemble, let dough stand at room temp for five minutes. On a floured surface, roll out one dough disk into a round, about 1/8 inch thick.

Using a pie pocket mold, cut out heart shapes, 4 solid/4 decorative. If you don't have one of these, make an 8 to 9" pie.

Place the solid dough piece in the bottom of the cutter and gently press into mold. Fill the center with filling and brush the edges with egg wash. Top with shape from decorative cutout. Press the top half of the cutter down to seal and crimp the edges of the pie.

Remove the pie from the mold and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. (Use the same concept if making a pie, except use 8-inch pie plate.) Freeze mini pies or whole pie for 30 minutes on cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is gently bubbling, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

*(I also made cherry stuffed cookies with the filling and pie dough. Just cut squares of dough, place a teaspoon of filling in the middle, fold up the edges, then pinch and twist at the top. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.)