How to Make Tart Cherry Crumb Pie | Cook's Country (2024)

Ruby-red cherry pie looks festive, so it is naturally a perfect addition to any summer celebration. I had stars (and stripes!) in my eyes when I was first introduced to the streusel-topped version that’s popular in Traverse City, Michigan.

The crunchy, toasty brown sugar crumbs scattered across the top of the pie made for a beautiful presentation as well as a pleasing textural contrast—a perfect complement to the soft, intensely flavored tart cherries beneath.

Traverse City, Michigan, lies at the heart of the country’s most prolific cherry-growing region, and the annual National Cherry Festival, held in late June through early July, is its biggest event of the year. Fueling the celebration is the “signature” cherry crumb pie, perfected by the team at the Grand Traverse Pie Company. Founders Mike and Denise Busley told us that their team of bakers makes and sells about 2,500 cherry crumb pies for the weeklong festival, which also features a Cherry Royale Parade and an art competition.

Tart cherries, also sold as sour cherries, are a favorite for baking thanks to their lively flavor. In fact, most canned cherry pie filling is made with tart cherries, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it because those fillings are too often cloyingly sweet (from too much added sugar) and unpleasantly gelatinous, leaving no evidence of the complex and nimble flavors of cherry. I was eager to kick the can and chart a new route for a lighter, fresher pie.

My first big decision was to use frozen tart cherries. This choice ensured consistency all year round (fresh sour cherries are elusive, difficult to transport, and available for only a short window) and also helped me control the level of juiciness. By simply allowing them to thaw and then straining them in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl, followed by a light press, I had cherries with just the right texture as well as the exact amount of juice I needed to create a balanced filling.

Stirring in a simple cornstarch slurry and cooking the juice briefly on the stovetop produced a stable medium that held the drained cherries in perfect suspension and didn’t sog out the bottom crust. A tiny splash of potent almond extract—cherries’ best friend—plus a spritz of lemon juice for a little verve livened up the flavor just enough.

About that bottom crust: I didn’t overthink it. A basic butter crust, bolstered with a bit of sour cream for workability and a faint tang to complement the cherries, did the trick. Rolled and crimped into a pie plate, it was ready to receive the cherry filling.

Streusel topping, here we come. The process couldn’t be easier. I just stirred together flour, brown sugar, butter, salt, and some leavening to ensure a light and tender crunch. It came together quickly into clumps, just right for sprinkling over the top of the pie.

Baked until bubbling and then cooled until firm, this golden‑brown and ruby-red showstopper yielded slices that held their shape, with a flaky bottom crust and a perfectly crunchy topping.

My pie was ready for any judging table in the county, including the toughest of all: the one in my own home kitchen.