Tags
dessert, fresh and easy, fruit, fruit dessert, healthy, pie, summer
I obviously love to bake. But that doesn’t mean you’ll find me making Ice Cream Sammies or Frosted Brownies on the weekdays, for no special occasion other than to be enjoyed by my husband and myself.
Although, he wishes.
I reserve my crazy deep urge to bake for special occasions or for impromptu occasions (like taking to neighbors or friends). But sometimes I have to indulge my sweet tooth, so I look for healthy alternatives.
While shopping at Whole Foods last week, I was intrigued by one of their taster stations with “raw cherry pie”. Cherries were on sale and I was contemplating buying them, so I paused. Then I tasted. And next thing you know, I had a pound of cherries in my cart, along with a $13 cherry pitter.
I knew I should buy the OXO cherry pitter some place else, like Bed, Bath, and Beyond (where I had coupons) but I had to make this pie RIGHT.NOW.AND.COULD.NOT.WAIT. And I convinced myself I would be pitting so many cherries in the future, this makes a great investment!
But, all jokes about my full-price pitter aside, it really is a great tool that I hope inspires me to make cherry pies and cobblers ever more.
Back to this pie, though.
With no baking needed, six ingredients (half of which are always in my pantry), and minimal prep time…..this is a gooooood summer treat. It’s cool, it’s fresh, and it’s healthy.
Raw Cherry Pie, slightly adapted from Whole Foods Market
serves 4-6
1 cup natural almond butter
1 cup crushed pecans
1 pound cherries (I used Ranier)
Honey
Cinnamon
Cumin
In a pie plate, evenly cover the surface with almond butter and pecans, pressing the mix evenly across the bottom to serve as a crust. I used three smaller dishes, as you’ll see below.
Pit cherries, then place all pitted cherries in a large glass bowl. Using clean hands, break cherries up by crushing them with your fingers. I used both hands with fingers wiggling, sort of like if I were breaking up clumps of soil in the garden.
Your cherries will have released some juice, so go ahead and carefully drain most of that juice out so it does not water down your pie.
Drizzle honey over the cherries, generously. Add a pinch of cumin, then a heavy layer of cinnamon. Use your hands again to mix ingredients. I was very heavy-handed on the cinnamon, so taste and add more as you go along, if you like.
Our contents of cherry mixture onto your crust.
Refrigerate until serving. I sprinkled a bit of crushed pecans and the slightest pinch of turbinado sugar on top for some texture.
Hospitably Yours,
Stephanie
Hospitably Yours 
I was surprised by the “cumin” in this recipe. Does it really add something wonderful? I am at the beach and so if I don’t happen to have cumin, will I be missing something?
Donna – it is a bit surprising, isn’t it! Cumin with fresh fruit isn’t a new thing, but certainly not a popular or frequent one. The small amount in this recipe means the cumin isn’t specifically tasted (so no, you won’t miss it) but it does add a good amount of flavor complexity when layered with the cinnamon. To keep that flavor profile layered, just use a dash of something else – perhaps nutmeg, if you have it! If cinnamon is all you have, I think it will still be plenty tasty:)
Looks so good! I’ve never heard of a raw pie but I need to try this. You obviously sorted out your cherry pitter dilemma, but something that works for me is poking a straw thru the middle of a cherry over the top of an empty wine bottle. The pitter I’m sure is quicker and easier but in a pinch this could work.