There’s no way to put this delicately: Whoever came up with the phrase “easy as pie” was a liar. A more truthful version would be “complicated as pie,” though “impressive as pie” or even just “wow, pie!” would also be accurate. Because while pie is typically not easy, it certainly is a centerpiece. Our Easy Cherry Pie is the notable exception to the first rule, but not to the second. It has “easy” right in the name, which for once, is not a lie! Make it and you’ll end up with a dessert you’d be proud to serve to your fanciest friends.
The trick lies in cleverly deploying a few time-saving ingredients. In fact, the entire recipe uses just five (!!!) ingredients. The filling calls for a bag of frozen cherries—plus a little bit of sugar and cornstarch. That’s it! You end up getting the fruit-forward flavor of a fresh cherry pie, without having to wash and pit a million cherries. Of course, if you want to add additional seasoning, don’t let the recipe stop you—a dash of cinnamon, ground ginger, or orange zest would absolutely be at home here.
As for the crust, our recipe uses the store-bought stuff. We figured, you have better things to do than make dough and roll it out! With some of the time saved, you can have some fun with your lattice work. Cut the strips in zig-zags for a festive rick-rack lattice, or use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, which you can layer across the top. Or keep it simple and follow our directions. No matter what, you’ll brush the top with heavy cream (this helps it bake to a nice golden brown) and sprinkle it with sugar for some added sweetness.
If you have a pretty pie dish, this is the perfect time to use it, but a simple glass or metal pie dish both have their virtues—a glass one allows you to see the bottom, to make sure it’s nice and golden, while a metal one promotes browning. Even a foil pan will work. Definitely don’t skip the preheated rimmed sheet pan: This serves the dual function of catching any juices that might overflow, and helps promote browning. (No soggy bottoms here!)
No lie: This pie is easy as pie. Even if you’re not much of a baker at all. It also makes sense any time of year. A dinner party in November? Yes! A backyard cookout in July? Also, yes! Just add whipped cream or ice cream.
Get the Recipe: Easy Cherry Pie
