Cherry Cutwork Pie Recipe

Cherry Cutwork Pie is as fun to make as it is to eat! I’ve never really been a pie person; cakes and cookies are the baked goods that call my name. But in the fall of 2020, inspiration struck, and an overwhelming desire to make pies that were both tasty and beautiful came over me. The Cherry Cutwork Pie was born, made with frozen cherries that were conveniently, already pitted!

When it comes to fruit pies, sweet, juicy cherries are hard to beat. To balance the sweetness of the fruit, plenty of lemon juice was added. Frozen fruit releases more juice than fresh fruit so a good amount of cornstarch is used to thicken the filling. Both of these ingredients ensure a beautiful and irresistible pie!

What makes the Cherry Cutwork Pie so interesting is that no pie plate is used. The puff pastry is manipulated to create this golden brown disk with a gorgeous scored design on top. If you like a crunchy sweet top crust; sprinkle a little more sugar on the top crust before baking to perfection.

Cutwork Cherry Pie

2 sheets puff pastry, I used Pepperidge Farms

Filling

1 16-ounce package of frozen cherries or 3 cups frozen cherries

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 egg

Mix cornstarch and lemon juice together well.  Add all filling ingredients, reserving the egg, to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat and simmer, continuing to stir constantly until the mixture is very thick. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until it is cool. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll both sheets of puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface just to reduce creases in the dough, but don’t roll too much, you want the pastry to be thick so it can be scored for the design.  Use a 10-inch cake pan as your guide and cut each sheet of pastry into a 10-inch circle. Place the top crust circle in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and place the bottom crust circle in the refrigerator.

Remove the top crust from the freezer and using a 1-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter cut a vent hole in the center of the pastry.  Using a butter knife, make a slight indention around the edge of the pastry 1-inch from the edge, this will be a guide.  Using a very sharp paring knife, score 8 petals around the vent hole being careful not to cut through but just to score and stay inside the 1-inch outer guide you created.  Give each petal added interest by scoring veins in each leaf. Make additional cuts to the pastry if desired. 

Retrieve the bottom crust from the refrigerator along with the cooled filling.  Place the bottom pastry on a sheet of parchment paper.  Pour the filling into the center of the pastry and spread slightly leaving a 1-inch border.  The filling should be so thick that it does not run.  Beat the egg and using a pastry brush, brush the pastry border with egg wash.  Carefully lay the top pastry over the cherries and press the border with your fingers.  Score the border with the butter knife.  Brush the surface with egg wash, sprinkle with additional sugar if desired. Pull the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and bake the pie for 40-45 minutes until the pie is puffed and golden brown.  Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing to serve.

I hope you enjoy creating your own cutwork pies and would LOVE to see pictures of your creations, comment below!

Xo Lorie