Nothing says summer like a homemade cherry pie. It's gooey, tart, sweet, and will stay on your mind as long as there's still some in the fridge. The best part is, it doesn't have to be this long, hard process to make homemade pie -- this is the easy version for people who want their pie and they want it now!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Pit the cherries and then cut half of them in half and cut the other half into quarters. Add the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and amaretto or vanilla to a pot and mix well. Let the cherries sit for 10 minutes so their juices release and then bring the pot to a boil just until the cherries thicken. Set aside while you roll the dough.
2 lb cherries, 1 cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup cornstarch, 1 tablespoon amaretto
Roll the pie dough until it is ⅛ inch thick and about 2 inches larger than your pie pan. Transfer the dough to your pie pan and gently press it into the pan. Trim and crimp the edges of the pie and poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork. Put the pie into the fridge.
1 double pie crust
Roll the remaining pie dough until it is ⅛ inch thick. Use alphabet cookie cutters to cut the letters to spell the word cherry several times. (You can also roll the dough into a circle to cover the top of the pie completely if you prefer.)
Whisk the egg with a small splash of water and brush some of it over the letters. (Save the rest to make scrambled eggs tomorrow morning.) Sprinkle some sugar over the letters.
1 large egg + a splash of water
Pour the cherry pie filling into the pie crust and then arrange the letters over the top.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to bake the pie for another 35-45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cherries are bubbling. RECOMMENDED: put a pie shield on the crust after the first 15 minutes of baking so that the edges don't get too brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for at least 3 hours before you cut into it. (It's hard to wait but the pie will be runny if you don't let it cool properly.)