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Lots of Love Cherry Pies

Source of Recipe

.
Lots of Love Cherry Pies

Adapted from Taste of Home February/March 2012,
Reviews rate this recipe 4 of 5 stars.
Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling
Yield: 1 dozen.

Become the Queen of Hearts when you make these tart-style cherry pies (but without the pepper and treacle, as in "Alice and Wonderland"). Made as single servings, they disappear at the hands of friends and knaves alike. �Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
� 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
� 3/4 teaspoon salt
� 1 cup cold stick margarine or butter, cubed
� 3/4 cup shortening
� 9 to 10 tablespoons cold water

� FILLING:
� 1/3 cup sugar
� 1/4 cup water
� 2 tablespoons cornstarch
� 1 tablespoon lemon juice
� 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed, halved
� 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
� 1 egg, lightly beaten
� Coarse sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in margarine or butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half; form each into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth. Add cherries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in extract. Set aside to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 400�. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out 12 hearts with a floured 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer half of the hearts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a floured 3/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out small hearts from the remaining hearts. (Discard small hearts or reserve for another use.)

4. Spoon 2 tablespoons cherry mixture onto the center of each solid heart. Brush edges of pastry with egg. Top with cutout hearts; press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5. Bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. While tarts are baking, repeat with remaining dough and filling.

6. Let pies stand 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve warm.

1 pie (calculated without coarse sugar) equals 445 calories, 25 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 262 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.