Individual Cherry Pies
If you love a good cherry pie, then put these Individual Cherry Pies on the menu! They’re a fun way to serve up a classic dessert!
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It was only a matter of time before this recipe showed up in my kitchen. For years, I’ve had 6 mini-springform pans sitting on one of the shelves in our basement storage area. (That’s my overflow spot for stuff that won’t fit in the kitchen cabinets – I’m sure you understand!) Then last year I realized that those springform pans would be perfect for making mini chicken pot pies. And that led to the idea to make individual apple pies. And then – yup, you guessed it – that led to the idea to make these Individual Cherry Pies.
I love a good cherry pie filling. Cherry pie might not quite beat out pecan pie in my book, but it comes really close. And if an extra spoonful of cherry pie filling gets eaten along the way? The baker’s secret!
These Individual Cherry Pies feature a homemade filling that couldn’t be easier to make. If you’ve got 10 minutes, then you can make a batch of homemade cherry pie filling! Every time I make this recipe, I’m always skeptical that the filling has too much liquid. Cornstarch is used as the thickener here, and cornstarch has an incredible ability to absorb a lot of liquid. Once heated on the stovetop for ~10 minutes, the result is a perfect cherry pie filling. (I like to add a tiny bit of almond extract, but that’s entirely optional. I feel like it adds a fun twist!)
Individual Cherry Pies
Individual Cherry PiesThis recipe also includes a homemade pie dough. If you’re not into making your own pie dough, then you could easily use store-bought. (Similarly, you could use store-bought cherry pie filling, too…but what’s the fun of that!?) I often make the pie dough in advance and then store it in the refrigerator or freezer until I need it. That makes this recipe even easier since the pie dough is already made. (And I used the vodka trick for making this pie dough, too.)
If you love cherry pie, then you have to put these Individual Cherry Pies on the menu! Despite the name, Laura and I ended up splitting these pies for dessert – they freeze beautifully. Warm ’em up, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you’ve got one heck of a homemade dessert!
I recognize that mini-springform pans aren’t the most common bakeware to have lying around in your cabinets. However, from the chicken pot pies to the apple pie and now the cherry pie, I think you’ve got several good reasons to pick up a couple sets of these from Amazon)!
I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we do – it’s one of our favorites around here! Happy baking!
Did you make these Individual Cherry Pies at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Individual Cherry Pies
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 Tbsp vodka can substitute water
For the Filling
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cherries pitted
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- {optional} ¼ tsp almond extract
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tbsp of water
- 2 Tbsp coarse sugar such as sanding sugar or turbinado
- {optional} vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
For the Dough
- Grease and flour (4) mini pie pans, each one measuring ~4”x2”. (Note: This set of mini springform pans works perfectly for this recipe.) Place pans on a foil-lined baking pan; set pan aside.
- Using a food processor, add the flour, butter and salt. Pulse several times until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Add egg yolk and 2-3 Tbsp of water; pulse until dough comes together in a ball.
- Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. (Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight.)
For the Filling
- Using a medium saucepan, add cherries, water, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice; stir until well combined. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and {optional} almond extract. Let mixture cool completely (~30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into an 8” circle. Press one piece of dough into each of the 4 prepared pans.
- Divide filling evenly into 4 pans. Fold excess dough over top, but do not seal. Brush tops of dough with the beaten egg. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until tops of pies are golden brown.
- Let pies cool for 30 minutes before serving.
- {Optional} Serve pies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Will be making this soon for the dough can i use vegan butter as am dairy free i never had cherry pie before perfect for my home snacks while i work on the computer andphone will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hey Ramya! I haven’t baked with vegan butter before, but I imagine it would work for this pie dough. If you’ve never had cherry pie before, then you are in for a special treat! I hope you enjoy this one! 🙂
Such a great idea! Everyone gets their own and no one has to worry about not getting an even piece (not that that happens in my house ;))
I love cherry pie and these look just perfect. As soon as my cherries are ready for picking, I know what I’m making!
Haha – I hear ya, Kathy! No need to debate and argue over whose slice is larger with these individual desserts. I love that you have cherry trees in your backyard! I absolutely think you should come back and make these pies once those cherries are ready. These were a HUGE hit here in our house!
Love the idea of these mini cherry pies and I so happen to have these springform pans! Will have to make these real soon, when we get those cherries in sesason! 😀
Those mini springform pans have been great! They sat on my storage rack in the basement for quite a while, but once I realized I could use them for mini pies? They’ve been seeing a lot of action! From savory pot pies to sweet dessert pies, they’ve been a lot of fun to use. These cherry pies are fantastic, too – totally company worthy! 🙂
Who doesn’t like some good cherry pie (of course such people exist, but I’m not sure I can understand them!) And individual pies are so elegant and cute, too! While I love pies with sour cherries and a touch of cinnamon, sour cherries are not so easy to find in Canada, so I’d definitely enjoy the sweet cherry pies. I mean pass me a couple please! 🙂
I’m not entirely sure who doesn’t love a good cherry pie. In fact, I want to meet them! (That way, I can eat their cherry pie since they don’t want it!) Seriously, though, this cherry pie is fantastic. I highly recommend it! Thanks, Ben!
Oh I love 🍒 anything the best! Remember that ok’d times dessert, Cherries Jubliee? I always ordered that at restaurants if it was on the menu. I am also a crust lover (homemade!) so these individual pies really do offer a good crust to filling ratio. And I’m with you on the almond extract—almond are cherries a match made in heaven! Did you use sour cherries? Now I need to find these pans. I think I saw some at TJ Maxx. I’ll have to store them in the basement, too, even though it is very old-house creepy down there. I call it the Criminal Minds basement. 😱
I’m with ya on the cherries, Kim! So good! And, yes, I do remember Cherries Jubilee. I haven’t seen or heard of that one in ages though. It’s funny how some recipes come and go with the times. Either way, this one is a classic!
I actually did use sour cherries in this recipe as I found a bag of frozen, pitted sour cherries in the grocery store. Fresh sour cherries are nearly impossible to find here, but frozen worked great! And, yes, I think I’ve seen similar springform pans at TJ Maxx in the past – Amazon has them if all else fails, though!
And I had to laugh at your Criminal Minds basement comment. Basements up here in the north are often finished, so they are just another room in the house. But growing up, we had the kind of basements where monsters lived under the stairs – I’m sure of it!
these look absolutely adorable david. i love those cute little tins. and i love cherry pies! i too have an extra cupboard or 2 downstairs for overflow kitchen paraphernalia. it never gets any less 🙂
Haha – I know what you mean, Sherry! That rack of extra kitchen storage only seems to grow over time. I need to go down and do a purge…but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Thanks for commenting, my friend!
These are such beautiful cherry pies, David. And how wonderfully decadent to get a whole one to yourself!
Thanks so much, Marissa! Individual desserts are so much fun, right?? 🙂
You just reminded me, I haven’t had a cherry pie for quite sometime now, so keeping this recipe and making it soon
Ah, this is a classic recipe, Raymund! You should make a cherry pie soon! 🙂
We are on the verge of cherry season here in Washington and I happen to have a set of those mini sprigform pans hanging out on my extra storage rack as well {completely relate to too many pans for the kitchen😂}. Cannot wait to give this a try for my cherry loving family!
Ah, I am jealous, Tasia! Washington cherries are the best. We get them on occasion over here on the East Coast, but they aren’t common. I love that you have these same mini springform pans, too. Haha! Pull ’em out and make these small cherry pies. They’re fantastic! Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting. 🙂