Almond Crunch Cherry Pie brings back the memories of your grandmother’s best recipe – but with a little added crunch that everyone loves!
The Secret Crunch
The secret to bringing the crunch to Almond Crunch Cherry Pie is the buttered almonds and granulated sugar that top the pie. The butter helps to gently roast the almonds for a deeper flavor and crisper texture as the pie bakes. Also, the sugar caramelizes to give a perfectly delicate crispness to the topping.
However, both almonds and granulated sugar can burn easily during the long baking time for this pie. A single sheet of aluminum foil laid over the top of the pie during the first 30 minutes of baking will deflect a bit of the heat that could singe the topping. You don’t need to seal the pie under foil – simply lay the sheet of foil loosely over the top. After 30 minutes of baking, simply pull away the sheet of foil from the top of the pie and continue to bake.
A big slice
Notes for Novice Bakers
If you are a novice baker, make sure you are aware of the size of your pie plate. Some pie plates are deeper, which holds more filling and needs more crust. Some pie plates are shallow, which need less filling and crust. The double crust recipe of my Basic Sweet Pie Crust is more than enough for even the deepest pie plate. In fact, you may have a little pie crust left over after you trim your pie. (I need to upload a tutorial as using up leftover pie crust, but that is for another post!) This pie recipe is best when using a standard 9”/22cm pie plate that is at least 1.5”/3.8cm deep.
Deep Dish Pies
I am just mentioning the depth of your pie plate because you may notice the pie plate I am using is extra deep! If you want a big deep pie like mine, simply use a very deep dish, the same double pie crust recipe, and make one and a half times the amount of filling as noted in this recipe. That is what I did! When I was a kid, I always marveled at the beautifully deep cherry pie on the blue shortening can, only to be disappointed when I followed the cherry pie recipe to the letter. My cherry pie was always puny in comparison. Finally somewhere in my 50’s, it occurred to me that if I wanted a big pie, I needed a bigger pie plate and more filling!
Also, you will need to add 10 extra minutes of baking to the first 30 minutes. Therefore, 40 minutes of baking under the sheet of foil, remove the sheet of foil, and then continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Everything else is the same!
A lovely crisp topping
Hopefully these instructions are not confusing. If so, drop me a line. Almond Crunch Cherry Pie is a new twist on an old favorite for me. I even got it to look like the cherry pie of my childhood fantasies! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Adding cherry pie filling to crust
Almonds tossed with butter
Topped with buttered almonds and sugar – I made a lattice top crust
Almond Crunch Cherry Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Two 14.5oz cans red tart cherries (2x 411g each)
½ cup sugar (100g)
3 tbsp. cornstarch (21g)
½ tsp. almond extract (2ml)
1 tbsp. butter (14g)
2 recipes Basic Sweet Pie Crust (recipe requires double crust)
1/2 cup slivered almonds (48g)
2 tbsp. melted butter (28g)
1 egg, well beaten with 1 tsp. water (5ml)
2 tbsp. granulate sugar for dusting top (25g)
Instructions
Using a mesh strainer over a bowl, drain the cans of cherries, reserving the 1 cup (240ml) of the cherry liquid. Heat your oven to 400°F (204°C)
Add the cherry liquid to a small saucepan and whisk in the cornstarch. Heat over medium heat, constantly stirring until the liquid is clarified and thickened. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, almond extract and butter. Stir to combine well. Add the drained cherries and stir until well combined.
Meanwhile, toss the slivered almonds with the melted butter until well coated. Set aside.
Prepare the crust by rolling out into a top half and bottom half. Place the bottom half in a deep dish 9” dia. (22cm) pie dish.
Fill the prepared pie dish with the cherry filling, and then top with the top half of the crust. Using a pastry brush, brush the top crust the egg wash. Sprinkle over the buttered slivered almonds, distributing evenly. Dust with granulated sugar.
Place the prepared pie in the oven. Gently lay a single sheet of aluminum foil over the top to deflect heat from the almond crust. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for another 25-30 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown.
Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before serving.
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