Lots of Love Cherry Pies

Prep: 30 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling Yield: 12 Servings Ingredients 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold butter, cubed 3/4 cup shortening 9 to 10 tablespoons cold water FILLING: 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 cups fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed, halved 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1 egg, lightly beaten Coarse sugar Directions In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half; form each into a disk. Wrap separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth. Add cherries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in extract. Set aside to cool. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out 12 hearts with a floured 4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Transfer half of the hearts to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a floured 3/4-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out small hearts from the remaining hearts. (Discard small hearts or reserve for another use.) Spoon 2 tablespoons cherry mixture onto the center of each solid heart. Brush edges of pastry with egg. Top with cutout hearts; press edges with a fork to seal. Brush tops with egg; sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. While tarts are baking, repeat with remaining dough and filling. Let pies stand for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen. Nutritional Facts 1 pie (calculated without coarse sugar) equals 445 calories, 28 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 58 mg cholesterol, 262 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.