Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Make this tasty, homemade cherry pie filling to use now or store in the freezer for convenient use later.

Recipe Ingredients:

4 cups cherries, rinsed, stemmed and pitted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Cooking Directions:

1. Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, stir and let sit for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Drain off and reserve cherry syrup.
2. Combine a small amount of syrup to cornstarch to make a paste, then whisk cornstarch paste back into syrup. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the drained cherries and almond extract.
3. Cool and freeze in heavy freezer bags.

Makes about 5 cups.