Cherry Slab Pie

July 8, 2019Teresa Ambra

Okay, here you have it. One of my favorite desserts. Cherry Slab Pie. Yes, I LOVE cobblers and even cakes. But pie, oh my. I have my most-used Cherry Pie recipe already posted. But this past week I made three new Cherry Pie recipes, including Cherry Slab Pie.

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This pie is a whopper. Granted, I know not everyone has the time or inclination to make homemade pie crust like I do. So if you can’t make it from scratch then use the refrigerated crusts that you roll out. You will need several to fit into the size cookie sheet for this recipe. (Probably at least six individual crusts or 3 boxes).

It also uses about 12 cups of fresh cherries, pitted and halved. If you have a cherry pitter, that will make this recipe less labor intensive. But the nice thing about this recipe is it serves a LOT.

It’s absolutely terrific for tailgating parties, Fourth of July, backyard barbecues, Family Reunions and the like. I sent it with John to his office today. I’m sure they will polish it off in no time!

Last summer I made a Peach Slab Pie. This recipe is a take off on that recipe. Instead of cinnamon it uses almond extract for flavoring.

The Northwest Cherry Growers in Washington state sent me another 20-pound box of fresh cherries this year to use in recipes and blog about. I think I made about 20 desserts last year. This year I made ten because most of the recipes took a lot more cherries. Seriously, their cherries are awesome. Plump, beautiful and delicious.

Let me offer a few tips when making up a pie the size of a cookie sheet. You must roll out the bottom layer and half the top crust (lattice or otherwise) ready to go before adding the filling. If you put the filling into the crust and let it sit for more than about 5 minutes (10 minutes tops), it will get soggy. I would not recommend this for those of you perfectionists who like to really weave a lattice crust. Unless you can weave the dough for this size crust in 5 minutes don’t attempt it. By the time you finish 20-30 minutes later, the crust will be soggy.

I also recommend pitting and halving the cherries first thing. Then allow them to sit in the flour and sugar mixture. It will break down into a syrup while you’re preparing the crust.

These pies have to be cooked a LONG time. The pie is started at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Then the temperature is reduced to 350 degrees. My pie took about an hour and fifty minutes at 350. You do the math. That’s about 2 hours. You need to keep cooking them until the syrup bubbles up between the lattice crust very thick. If you don’t, you’ll have a very runny pie which isn’t what you want here.

I placed my pie in the middle of the oven so it wouldn’t get burned on the top or the bottom. If your pie starts getting too browned on top, tent with foil until the pie is done.

If you’re patient and have time on your hands, this is a breathtaking dessert. Certainly, you can serve it with ice cream, but Cherry Slab Pie is outrageously delicious all on its own. Enjoy.

Cherry Slab Pie is awesome.

These scrumptious treats just ooze with flavor and deliciousness.

Every bite will have you drooling. No kidding.

If you enjoy cherries, you’ll love Cherry Slab Pie.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients for the cherry filling, plus Homemade Pie Crust.

Pit and halve cherries. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour. Bleached flour toughens baked goods. Add sugar and almond extract.

Add lemon juice.

Stir ingredients to combine and set aside.

Meanwhile, make pie crust. Fit the crust into a 13″ x 19″ cookie sheet.

Roll out the dough for a top lattice crust. With a pastry wheel, cut thin strips out of the dough.

Once the top crust is ready to go (and NOT before), pour cherries into prepared crust.

Dot with two to three tablespoons butter.

Place strips of pie crust across the cookie sheet.

Now place strips of pie crust in the opposite direction. Here you can see the pie crust hanging over the edges. Most of that will be trimmed off when you flute the edges.

Flute the edges of the pie crust.

Brush each strip of pie crust (horizontally and vertically) with half-and-half or milk.

Sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of the pie.

Place pie in the center of your oven. Bake the pie 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 and continue baking an additional hour and 50 minutes. The juices must bubble up very thick before the pie is done. If your oven tends to brown the top too much, tent with foil to prevent over-browning.

I used these ingredients for the almond glaze.

Whisk ingredients to combine.

Once the pie has cooled, drizzle the almond glaze over top.

Cherry Slab Pie is an outrageously delectable dessert to die for!

This is a terrific dessert for potlucks or company since it makes a lot. I cut the slab pie into 48 servings.

Have a mouthful. 🙂

Here’s the recipe.

CHERRY SLAB PIE

(My own concoction)

Cherry Slab Pie

Teresa Ambra

This fantastic Cherry Slab Pie is outrageously delicious! It's flavored with almond extract in the filling and the glaze on top. It's terrific to make in summer when fresh cherries are in season. We like to serve it for tailgating parties, potlucks, Family Reunions or backyard barbecues. Also great for the Fourth of July.

3.70 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 2

Total Time 3

Course Dessert, Pies

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 179 kcal

Equipment

1 13x19" cookie sheet pan
2 large mixing bowls
2 wooden spoons
1 Rolling Pin
1 pastry wheel to cut lattice crust
measuring cups
measuring spoons
1 cherry pitter or sharp knife to pit cherries
1 spatula

Ingredients

CHERRY FILLING:

6 double crust plain pastry pie crust or homemade pie crust
12 cups fresh cherries pitted, halved and patted dry
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup UNBLEACHED all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
1 tbsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 to 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup half-and-half or milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar

ALMOND GLAZE:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
2 tbsp. half-and-half or about 1 tbsp. water

Instructions

CHERRY FILLING:

Grease a large 13”x19” cookie sheet (with edges).
Roll out half of the pastry to a rectangle that will fit and overlap the cookie sheet.
Gently place pastry into greased cookie sheet.
Roll out remaining pastry and cut in ½” strips with a pastry wheel.
Set aside.
Stir cherries with 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, flour, almond extract and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
Spread onto crust.
Dot with the butter.
Arrange long strips of lattice crust across the top of the cherries horizontally and vertically.
Roll edges inward and then flute.
Brush top crust with half-and-half or milk. (1/3 cup or so).
Then sprinkle with sugar (about ½ cup until well covered).
Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350° and bake for about 1 ½ hours to 1 hour and 50 minutes, or until cherries are fully cooked.
Syrup will thicken and bubble up thickly through the openings in the top crust.
Cool completely before adding glaze.

ALMOND GLAZE:

Combine ingredients to make a thick icing.
Drizzle over top of cooled Cherry Slab Pie.
Allow icing to set and harden about 15 minutes before cutting into pieces.

Notes

NOTE: My slab pie cooked 10 minutes at 400° and 1 hour and 50 minutes at 350°, before it was set enough and syrup was thickened.

NOTE: Do not add the cherries to the bottom crust until you have the top crust ready to go. Otherwise, the cherries and juice will sit too long on the bottom crust and it will become soggy.

NOTE: The pie is done when the syrup is no longer thin and runny. It will thicken like a sauce when cooked long enough.

NOTE: Unless you are really fast at weaving a lattice crust and can do the entire thing in 5 minutes, I do not recommend a true lattice crust for this recipe. If it takes you 15 to 20 minutes or longer to weave it, the filling will be in the unbaked crust too long and it will get soggy.

NOTE: I used a homemade pie crust, but you can use roll-out refrigerated pie crusts from the grocery store if you don't have the time or inclination to make our own pie crust.

Cherries provided courtesy of Northwest Cherry Growers.

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 89mgPotassium: 103mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 46IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cherries, cherry dessert, pie

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Doesn’t Cherry Slab Pie look wonderful?

If you want to make a marvelous dessert that will wow your family and friends, this is it!

This is one whopper of a pie. 🙂

Cherry Slab Pie is so mouthwatering. This is my kind of comfort food.

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Cherry Slab Pie

Teresa Ambra

This fantastic Cherry Slab Pie is outrageously delicious! It’s flavored with almond extract in the filling and the glaze on top. It’s terrific to make in summer when fresh cherries are in season. We like to serve it for tailgating parties, potlucks, Family Reunions or backyard barbecues. Also great for the Fourth of July.

3.70 from 23 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 2

Total Time 3

Course Dessert, Pies

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 179 kcal