Make mini cheery, cherry pies in honor of National Cherry Month

These mini cherry pies are perfect to celebrate the season! They’re great for Valentine’s Day or “just because!”

It’s no wonder National Cherry Month is held in February. These round, red treats are so cheery they’ll brighten any winter day! To help celebrate the sweetness that surrounds cherries, try these mini cherry pies. They are an adorable way to celebrate without having to worry about overindulging.

Mini cherry pies

Yields 24

Ingredients:

• 1 package (two 9-inch rounds) prepared pie dough, thawed
• 2-1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted (or frozen, thawed)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on pies
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 egg yolk for brushing the tops of pies
• Nonstick cooking spray
• All-purpose baking flour to dust the work surface

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray the insides of 2 mini-muffin tins (12-count each) with the nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with about 2 tablespoons of water to use to brush over the pie crusts before baking. Set aside.
3. Combine the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, almond extract, lemon juice and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
4. Dust a flat work surface with a bit of the flour. Unroll one pie crust and use a 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter to punch out 12 circles. If you don’t have a cutter, measure your size and use a rounded knife to trace circles in the dough, then carefully cut them out.
5. Gently press the circles into the bottom and up the sides of the first mini-muffin tin. Crimp the edges of the dough.
6. Fill the cups with a bit of the cherry mixture. Don’t overfill.
7. Use the excess dough to form lattice for topping the mini pies. Working to form an X with the dough, place 2 strips diagonally in one direction on top of the pie, and another 2 strips across the others, in the opposite direction. Gently pinch the strips to the top of the mini pie cups.
   Note: If you’d like, you can cut out a whole piecrust topping with the excess dough for a few of the mini pies, crimping and sealing the top dough with the bottom. Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit in the top. Or, you can cut out a small design from the top dough before crimping it in place, and use the punched out dough to simply lay on top of another mini pie.
8. Lightly brush the dough with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with sugar.
9. Repeat the process with the second pie crust and mini-muffin tin.
10. Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until the pies turn golden.
11. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly in the pans, then use a rounded knife to help remove the mini pies from the tins.
12. Cool on a wire rack.

Celebrate with mini cherry pies!

More cherry dessert recipes

Individual chocolate pound cakes with cherry-port topping
Cream cheese pie with cayenne-spiced cherries
Cherry coconut cookies