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Bright red fresh tart cherries + maple sugar = yummy cherry pie!

My cherry trees produced really well this year so I wanted to enjoy the bounty. I love the contrast of tart cherries and maple sugar. I don’t have a cherry pitter so I used a chop stick to remove the pits (although another year I may invest in a manual pitter). I use maple sugar in my pies – you substitute 1:1 white to maple in any recipe you use. The tart cherries are balanced by the sweet maple sugar.

For 9-inch Two Crust Pastry

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
6-7 Tablespoons ice cold water

Combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or food processor on “pulse.”Combine lightly until the mixture resembles course meal or really tiny peas.Sprinkle water over the mixture 1 Tbsp at a time and mix lightly with a fork or your hands.(If you used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl before adding the water.)

Cherry Filling

2 cups Fresh cherries – pitted
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup Maple Sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

In a saucepan combine all the listed ingredients except butter. Stir gently. Bring to a boil and cook 3-5 minutes or until it begins to thicken. Prepare pie crust first and place bottom pastry in pie dish. Pour in filling, dot with butter and add top crust. Crimp the edges. Cut slits in crust. Bake at 425* for 45 mins or until filling bubbles and crust is lightly browned.