Black Pepper Free Cherry Pie with All-Butter Crust
Few desserts hit quite like a bubbling cherry pie pulled fresh from the oven, and this one delivers on every level — a shatteringly flaky all-butter crust wrapped around a glossy, jammy tart cherry filling that's bright with lemon juice and just a whisper of almond extract. For anyone navigating a black pepper sensitivity or intolerance, pie might seem like a safe bet, but pre-made crusts and spice blends can hide surprising culprits — this recipe keeps every ingredient clean and straightforward so there's nothing to second-guess. The filling is cooked down on the stovetop until thick and glossy before it ever hits the crust, which means no soupy slices and no guesswork about whether it's done. Chilling the all-butter dough twice — once before rolling and once after lining the dish — is the secret to those distinct, layered flakes that hold up beautifully against the juicy filling. The two-temperature bake (starting hot, then dropping to moderate) gives you that deep golden crust without burning the edges. Letting the finished pie rest a full two hours before slicing is genuinely worth the patience — the cornstarch-thickened filling sets into clean, gorgeous slices rather than running across the plate.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
- 6–8 tbsp ice water
For the filling
- 5 cups pitted tart cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained if frozen)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For assembly
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and work them into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining.
- 2
Drizzle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition, until the dough just holds together when pressed — it should not be sticky or wet. You will likely need 6–8 tablespoons total.
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