Cherry Pie Filling

By LORIWHIP

Ingredients

• 4 cups pitted sour cherries fresh and pitted, then frozen and drained
• 2 cup cherry juice (I got more than 2 cups when my frozen cherries thawed)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 t almond extract
• 2 t vanilla

Preparation

Step 1

Thaw cherries, and hang in sieve over a bowl for a couple hours to separate cherries from juice
Blend cornstarch with both sugars; place juice in a medium saucepan, and whisk in dry ingredients as you sprinkle them over the juice via a sieve
At medium-low heat, stir until thickened and clear; mixture will be very thick
Add strained cherries, stirring constantly to bring mixture back to a boil: 1-2 minutes (it won't really boil, but will just plop-plop for a minute or two as you continue to stir constantly)
Remove from heat immediately as cherries are tender should not be overcooked
Stir in almond and vanilla; pour into canning jar
Cool to room temperature
Freeze pie filling, process it to make shelf stable, or store in fridge for 2-3 weeks in tightly sealed container