Grandpa’s favorite Cherry Pie

Years ago, when I was looking for some good “sugar-free” deserts, a friend said her grandmother made the the best pies ever and they were all “sugar-free” because her grandfather was a diabetic. Her grandmother later sent me several of her recipes. I will forever be grateful for her expression of kindness as our family — whether they need to eat no-sugar-added desserts or not — love the cherry pie! In fact, it is so popular in our family that it’s the only one I make. It’s great served with vanilla ice cream. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. — Katie

3 cans tart cherries (water-packed)
6 oz. frozen apple juice concentrate
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 small packages of no-sugar-added cherry Jell-O
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 pie crusts*

Drain the juice of 1 can of cherries—part into a cup and part into a sauce pan.  Add the apple juice concentrate to the juice in the pan.  To the juice in the cup add the corn starch, stir until dissolved and then add it to the mixture in the sauce pan.  Bring it to a boil and cook until thickened.  Remove from heat, and add the Jell-O.  Stir until dissolved (as much as possible).  Then add the cinnamon and almond extract.  Drain the other two cans of cherries.  Discard the juice.  Add all of the cherries (from all 3 cans) to the mixture in the sauce pan.  Stir and mix together then pour the filling into the bottom crust.  Put on the top crust, seal and make slits for steam to escape.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Put foil around the edges of the pie.

 Bake at 475º for 10 minutes.  Then bake at 425º for 15 more minutes, remove the foil and finish baking for about another 10 minutes until the pie is starting to brown or the juices start to bubble through.  Cool and serve with sugar-free vanilla ice cream.

 *For the pie crusts I now use the Pillsbury Pie Crusts. I lay the first crust (bottom) on wax paper and put just a very little bit of flour on it and spread it around with my hand (to keep it from sticking). I place this flour side down in the pie plate. I do the same for the second crust and place it flour side down on the top of the pie. (I don’t know that the top crust really needs the little bit of flour, but I’ve always done it that way because it works. LOL!)