Valentine’s Cherry Pie Recipes for a Romantic Dessert

My Valentine’s Day Cherry Pies. Simple sugar‑sprinkled cherry hand pies – a thoughtful, homemade gift your Valentine will love (and maybe share).

I like cooking with fresh, wholesome ingredients, but sometimes the convenience of a tin wins. I keep a modest selection of tinned staples—chopped tomatoes, beans, sweetcorn and tuna—and that usually does the job.

There are, however, canned items I tend to avoid: stewing steak in a tin that looks unappetizing, slimy tinned ham and those odd baked beans with miniature sausages. But canned cherry pie filling is a guilty exception. It’s thick and sugary, often more sauce than fruit, yet it has a nostalgic appeal that makes me reach for a spoon.

I use canned cherry pie filling in several desserts (it works brilliantly in fudgy brownies or layered cheesecakes). There’s something irresistible about scooping cherries from the tin and licking the syrup off your fingers—decadent, a little childish and utterly satisfying. I’ll confess: if I leave a bowl of filling on the counter, someone in my house will find it and help themselves. No judgment—just proof it’s delicious.

These Valentine’s Day Cherry Pies are intentionally simple. They use ready-rolled shortcrust pastry and tinned cherry pie filling, so they’re quick to assemble but still feel special. A brush of egg wash and a sprinkling of demerara sugar add color and crunch. Make heart-shaped hand pies to give as a small, homemade gift, or bake them with kids—the cookie cutters always work like magic to get little helpers excited.

Serve the pies warm from the oven with a drizzle of double cream, or pack them cold for a lunchbox treat. They’re easy, cheerful and perfect for sharing.

The Valentine’s Day Cherry Pies Recipe

Valentine’s Day Cherry Pies

By: Nicky Corbishley

Simple sugar‑sprinkled cherry hand pies — an easy, thoughtful gift for Valentine’s Day.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 7 pies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

• 13 oz (375 g) ready‑rolled shortcrust pastry (pie crust)
• 1 egg, slightly whisked (for egg wash)
• ½ tin cherry pie filling
• 3 tbsp demerara sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Unroll the pastry and use a 10 cm heart cutter to cut out heart shapes. Re‑roll scraps and cut until all pastry is used. You should have at least 14 hearts to make seven pies.
3. Place half of the hearts on a baking tray lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
4. Brush a little egg wash around the edge of each bottom heart. Put about one tablespoon of cherry pie filling in the centre of each.
5. Top with the remaining hearts. If you like, cut a small heart from the centre of some of the top pieces so the filling can vent and show through.
6. Seal the edges with a fork or your fingers. Brush the tops with egg wash and prick two or three small holes in pies that do not have a central cut‑out.
7. Sprinkle demerara sugar over the tops and bake for 10–15 minutes until the pies are golden brown.
8. Serve warm with cream or allow to cool and enjoy at room temperature. They also travel well for a packed treat.

Notes

Nutritional information is per serving and provided as an approximation.

Nutrition

Calories: 219 kcal | Carbohydrates: 40 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 3 g | Cholesterol: 23 mg | Sodium: 268 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 5 g

These hand pies are perfect for a quick, charming bake. The recipe is forgiving: use the pastry and filling you prefer, and adjust quantities for larger batches. Baking with simple tools—heart cutters and a fork—makes this a fun and accessible project for bakers of any age.