Eau Claire’s Main Street doesn’t see a lot of action 364 days out of the year: Only a few businesses dot the nearly mile-long stretch. But on the Fourth of July, the place is one big party as visitors roll in for the Cherry Festival parade and cherry-themed baking contest. Joyel Timmreck, 2014’s grand-prize winner, turned over the recipe for her blue-ribbon cherry pie. She used to make it with blueberries, but Joyel tweaked it for the contest after a friend persuaded her to enter.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 24 sheets)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 cups fresh tart (sour) cherries, pitted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Sliced almonds, for topping
Instructions
- Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the crushed graham crackers and melted butter in a medium bowl. Press into the bottom and up the side of an 8-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly golden brown, 10 minutes. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling: Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth.
- Make the cherry filling: Bring the cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch and almond extract to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Pour half of the cherry filling into the pie crust; top with the cream cheese filling, then the remaining cherry filling. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 580 |
| Total Fat | 31 g |
| Saturated Fat | 17 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 46 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 82 mg |
| Sodium | 304 mg |
Reviews
I do not like cherry pie, but the cream cheese filling and almond flavoring make this way better than any pie I’ve had. It’s amazing.
Excellent pie. Have made it several time.
Cherry pie filling was awful and had to be remade. I saved it by adding some water and lemon juice or it would have burned. Cream filling is made backwards from the way I’ve always seen it made. I saved this by making our own graham cracker crust, cheesecake using Greek yogurt and my blueberry pie filling recipe using cherries and a splash of almond extract.