Mini Cherry Magic

The Sweetest Slice of Memory: Pie in Mom’s Kitchen

There’s something about the scent of cherry pie bubbling in the oven that feels like home—warm, familiar, and laced with memories. Every year, just before Thanksgiving, my mom and I would spend an afternoon in the kitchen, elbows deep in flour and laughter, baking pies that would sit proudly on the holiday table, all while my Granny sat on a stool watching us make a mess.

It wasn’t just about the pie. It was about the ritual. The company.

Her kitchen would hum with the rhythm of the season—music playing softly, the clatter of mixing bowls, the sharp snap of crust edges being trimmed just so.

Mom never followed a strict recipe. She’d go by feel and taste, adding a pinch of sugar here, a splash of vanilla extract there, trusting her instincts and passing that quiet confidence on to me. By the time the pie slid into the oven, we’d be dusted in flour and giddy with anticipation.

That pie wasn’t just dessert. It was a tradition, a love letter baked into a golden crust, shared across generations. And every time I catch that familiar smell now, it takes me right back to those moments—just me, Mom, and the sweet, sticky joy of baking together.

PIE CRUST

• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 cup frozen butter

• 10 tablespoons ice water

1. Whisk together flour and sugar

2. Cut the butter into small cubes

3. Massage the butter into the flour until it is shaggy

4. Add water 2 tablespoons at a time while mixing in between

5. Dump onto a lightly floured source and knead until it becomes a dough

6. Shape into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes

Makes two 9" crusts

CHERRY FILLING

• 1 can cherry pie filling

• 1 can tart cheries or fresh cherries - don't drain

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 3 tablespoons vanilla

1. In a small bowl whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch

2. Add everything else into a large bowl and mix

3. Put sugar and starch in the cherries and mix throughly

   
   

MAKING THE PIES

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Roll out the dough and shape into pan

3. Make fork holes on the bottom of the dough and bake for 10 minutes

4. Once pie crusts are done add the filing and bake for 20 mins/ 30 if not using muffin tin

5. When done and cooled for a couple minutes sprinkle with powered sugar or top with whip cream

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7.5/10