Cherryrific Cherry Pie Filling

With fresh cherries in abundance right now, it’s the perfect time to whip up this quick & delicious cherry pie filling for dessert tonight!

Okay so here’s the skinny on this recipe. Did I taste it? Yes. Did I like it?  Nope…BUT hear me out. Anyone that knows me knows I HATE cherries. Like we’re talking I’d rather lick a dirty rock than eat one, hate. However, everyone that has tried this filling (who are weirdos and like cherries in my eyes), LOVE it. Actually many rave over it and beg for the recipe.

It’s funny as this recipe takes only about 15 minutes, minus the pitting but I’ll get into pitting them a bit later in this post, and it’s only a few ingredients. But the outcome is incredible…or so I’m told. See I’ve never like cherries, ever. My sister, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough of them. But my hatred for those demon seeds as I affectionately call them doesn’t stop at just the fruit. Oh no; I go full-on anything cherry must burn in hell, hatred. LOL

I would say about the only thing that I actually like that has those little spawns of Satan in it, is my Cherry Chipotle Cola BBQ Sauce. But let’s be real here, chipotle, bbq sauce and cola combined will push the cherry taste to a mild undertone.

Now I went YEARS without ever buying a single cherry but then he, walked into my life. All sexy and buff…and loving cherries. <sigh> I suppose he’s allowed to have one fault. Love stepped in and I swear it became part of our vows. “Do you Lori, take this cherry lovin’ sexy man to be your husband?”  Yeah, I was pretty much screwed. lol

So, being the good wife, I would buy cherries and of course, he loved them in his fruit salad only the man didn’t make a fruit salad. Aaaaaaaaand apparently you just can’t toss them in whole as they come with pits in them. I mean HELLO!!!  They are trying to kill you or at least have you crack a tooth by hiding a pit. Shush, I know peaches and stuff have pits but they are delicious and not spawns from Satan like these buggers. Yeah, quickly I learned you had to pit them before eating them. Geesh..

Ever try to pit them by hand or with a parry knife?  My God, it looks like you’re bleeding to death as you get cherry juice all over your hands, under your nails, the table and part of your clothes… and that was after just pitting a single cherry. Well, this chickadee got smart and did her research. This little dandy cherry pitter below is AMAZING!!!

Folks this thing is awesome AND it does 6 cherries at once in seconds! Plus it’s inexpensive and it has a pit tray! If you love cherries or know someone that does, this is a MUST-HAVE!

Anyway, once I got that little pitter, I was a happy camper. Well, I guess as happy as once can be knowing I had to give up prime real estate in my fridge to those demon seeds. But it makes him happy and that’s all that matters.

So back to this pie filling, it’s super simple and honestly comes together in about 15 minutes or so. Now, this isn’t for canning as there is no pectin in it. I would make this and either use it that day or put it in a container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s great in pies, cake fillings, ice cream topping and on most desserts… or so I’m told. LOL

So a few tips…

1. When I make this I just dump everything in the pot at once which means it can look clumpy or lumpy when it first starts to heat up. Just keep stirring. As the cherries cook they will release more juice.
2. If you want to really cherry-fy your flavor, use maraschino cherry juice (or any natural cherry juice)  in lieu of the water. Yes for real!
3. As for the amount of water or cherry juice you use, you may need to add more as it cooks down. This all depends on how juicy your cherries are.

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