Cherry Vanilla Dessert

Directions

1. Pie Crust - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grab butter from fridge, when making a pie crust butter should always be cold. Add Butter to bowl, reserve flour in 1 cup increments, with a pastry cutter start working butter and adding flour as you go. It should start forming powdery butter crumbs. Continue until all flour is used. Add salt, and sugar then pour water on top. You can use your hands for this part, as it will be tough to do with a spoon. Mix until you have formed a ball that is solid. Dough should be pliable, but not sticky. If it is too sticky, add more flour. If it is too dry add a little more water. Roll dough out onto floured surface so it is about 1/4 in. thick, or if you like thicker crust go for it. Just know the thicker the dough, the longer the cooking time. Form dough into cupcake pans that have been buttered and dusted with flour or lined with wax paper. The dough circles should be cut 1/2 in bigger than the cupcake pan circles. Throw into oven to bake for about 8-12 minutes, you want the pie crust to be formed enough to hold the filling, but not completely cooked. You can add extra dough to form a crust later or you can leave them open.
2. Cherry Vanilla Rum Pie filling - You will essentially be creating a cooked filling that will only have to be finished off in the oven. Place pitted and halved cherries into saucepan, add rum and sugar, turn on burner to a medium heat. Let the cherries and rum marinate and create a compote. This mixture should not boil as the sugar will start to caramelize. Once all sugar has melted, add your vanilla. Then add the cornstarch or flour to the mixture. IMPORTANT, you must pre-mix your cornstarch with a little bit of water so the cornstarch does not create lumps. Whisk the cornstarch or flour mixture into the cherries as they are cooking, continue to whisk until the filling gets thick. Once the filling has thickened, you can add it to the pre-formed pie crusts.
3. Once filling is added to crust, you can top it with a top crust or add some decoration with extra pie dough. This recipe is for crusts on top and bottom of pies so they are handheld. IF YOU DO NOT WANT PIE CRUST TOPS, then bake the crust until it is golden brown in the cupcake pans, before you add your filling. Butter the top crusts of your pies and put in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.