Cherry Cordial Pie

sweetcakes's Note:

1st place prize winning pie!

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 1.0 pie

Crust

• 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• ½ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup sugar

Cream Cheese Bottom Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
• ¼ cup cherry amaretto liqueur
• 3 -4 cups fresh cherries
• ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup whipping cream
• ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring

Cherry Liqueur Filling

• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
• ¼ cup cherry amaretto liqueur
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 ounces wild cherry Jell-O
• red food coloring

Directions:

1. Crust:.
2. Mix together and press into pie dish. Bake at 325* for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool, and set aside.
3. Cream Cheese Bottom Filling:.
4. Cream together the confectioners sugar, cream cheese, liqueur, and whipping cream. Spread 3/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of the cooled crust. Refrigerate the remaining 1/4 of the mixture. Clean, pit, and drain the fresh cherries. Fill each cherry with remaining refrigerated cream cheese mixture. Stach the filled cherries on top of the mixture on the crust.
5. Cherry Liqueur Filling:.
6. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch; add water and bring to boil. Remove from heat; add Jell-O and several drops of red food coloring. Add desired flavoring and cherry Amaretto liqueur, stirring after each addition. Pour 1/2 of warm mixture over stached cherries. Place pie and saucepan with remaining cherry filling in refrigerator. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until mixture thickens, then remove. Spoon remaining thickened mixture over cherries. Let chill for several hours until firmly set. Garnish, if desired, using pastry bag filled with pink tinted whipped cream. Sliced almonds may also be used.