Up early this morning to beat the heat, I put a cherry pie in the oven for our 4th of July dinner this evening – BBQ ribs, creamy basil coleslaw, corn on the cob fresh from the Madison Farmers Market, and pie a la mode! This is a short-cut pie to be sure, but it tastes great. I pull a jar of home-canned cherry pie filling from the pantry, use a store-bought pie crust, and Voila! – we’ve got pie!

Two colanders filled with frozen red berries, one sitting on top of the other in a kitchen setting.
Jars of canned cherries filled with red syrup on a red textured cloth.

I used to buy fresh cheries and pit them, but he last couple of years, I’ve canned pie filling using frozen pitted Michigan cherries from a bulk store nearby. Taste and quality were identical, and I didn’t spend hours on the pitting process. Huge win! If you haven’t tried making cherry pie filling, I highly recommend the highlighted recipe link above and using the frozen fruit. If you’re not interested in canning, by all means use the commercially prepared pie filling for a time-saving alternative!

I typically use the refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust as my go-to quick crust ingredient, but I’ve been using Aldi’s version lately (ham & leek quiche earlier this week) and really like it. The crust sheets are thinner and a bit more fragile, but they’re rolled in a parchment sheet for easy handling, and I really like that. They soften quickly, but a couple minutes in the freezer before baking firms them up nicely.

A box of Bake House pie crusts, featuring a partially visible cherry pie slice with a lattice crust on a blue plate. The box indicates it contains two ready-to-bake crusts for a 9-inch pie.
A round piece of rolled pastry dough on parchment paper, partially unrolled on a wooden surface.
A person holding a raw pie crust in a blue pie dish, with a textured edge, set against a background of wooden cabinets.

I used a quart jar of home-canned pie filling, but two 21-ounce cans of commercially prepared filling can be substituted.

A hand holding a jar of homemade fruit preserve, with a background of a brick wall and a potted violet plant.
Close-up of a mason jar lid with a label that reads 'Sally's Poplar Street Kitchen Cherry Pie Filling 1 of 5'.
A freshly prepared cherry pie in a pie crust, sitting on a baking tray, with a jar of cherry filling and a spoon beside it.

For today’s holiday pie, I used pie crust stars as the top crust rather than my usual solid crust with a pie bird. I used the star cutter my Mom gave me when I got married to cut the shapes. Nowadays I use this cutter on my kitchen vintage Christmas tree, but thought I could double up on its holiday exposure! While the bottom crust was chilling, I took the second sheet of refrigerated pie crust sheets and cut as many stars as would fit. I brushed each star wih a little milk and sprinkled with turbinado sugar, but they are also just fine left plain. Remove the extra dough around the stars, and chill them a minute or two for easier handling.

A hand holding a metal star-shaped cookie cutter against a blurred background.
A partially sliced cherry pie with a ceramic pie bird in the center, showing red cherry filling oozing from the cut.
A round sheet of dough cut into star shapes using a cookie cutter, resting on parchment paper.
An unbaked dough circle with star shapes and sprinkled turbinado cane sugar, with a small bowl of frosting and a brush beside it, on a wooden countertop.
A flat sheet of dough with star-shaped cookies cut out and sprinkled with brown sugar.
Raw star-shaped cookie dough pieces arranged on parchment paper on a baking tray.

Place the sugared stars on top of the pie filling and pop into a preheated 425-degree oven for about 40 minutes. Half way through the cooking time, I recomment placing a crust shield (or foil edge) on the pie to prevent the edge from over browning. After cooking, place on a wire rack to cool.

A cherry pie with a decorative crust made of star-shaped pastry cutouts, placed over a rich cherry filling, resting on a silver foil-lined baking tray.
A freshly baked cherry pie with a golden crust and star-shaped cutouts on top, placed on a baking tray.

Serve with ice cream and enjoy your 4th of July Cherry Pie!

A freshly baked cherry pie topped with star-shaped crust, displayed on a metal tray, alongside a whimsical ceramic frog holding an American flag.
Print Pin

4th of July Cherry Pie

Add some 4th of July holiday flair to a quick & easy cherry pie.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cherry, pie, pie crust stars, pie filling
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 quart home-canned cherry pie filling OR 2 21-0z cans commercially prepared filling
  • 2 sheets refrigerated pie crust [one package]
  • 1 tbsp milk (optional) for brushing pie crust stars
  • 1 tbsp turbinado sugar (optional) for dusting pie crust stars

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  • Line pie pan with one sheet of refrigerated pie crust, crimp edge and chill
  • Using start-shaped cookie cutter, cut small stars out of second pie crust sheet. Remove excess dough around stars. Brush stars with milk and dust with turbinado sugar (optional). Chill.
  • Fill prepared pie pan with canned cherry pie filling. Top with pie crust stars.
  • Bake pie for approximately 40 minutes, covering edges with pie shield (or foil) after 20 minutes. Cool and serve.
A woman wearing a straw hat and patriotic sunglasses with American flag designs, smiling at a festive outdoor event with red, white, and blue decorations.

Wishing everyone a wonderful July 4th celebration of America 250!

Written by

sallymcw

One thing that makes my journey unique is that all of my interests are driven by a joyful and genuine curiosity. I delight in finding less expensive ways to make something or creative ways to enjoy something longer. Finding and creating joy - and sharing it - is core to who I am.