Pomegranate Cherry Cocoa Pie Recipe

It's well documented that cherries go well with chocolate. Just look at black forest cake or chocolate-covered cherries. In this recipe by Jessica Morone, cherries get simmered in pomegranate juice until thick and then cradled in a rich crust made with cocoa powder. "This pie is a great dessert for any meal, whether it's for a casual dinner or being served at the holidays," says Morone. "I would like to point out that this is one of the most delicious pies I have ever made and everyone should make it — it's so, so good!" Enjoy a slice with coffee or tea and perhaps some ice cream or whipped cream, and you're all set, Morone adds. 

In addition to flavor powerhouses like cherries, pomegranate juice, and cocoa, Morone notes that "the sweetened condensed milk in the pie filling really makes it special. It adds a richness and creaminess to the filling and just makes it taste amazing." Who could argue with that? This is a bit of a project, but it'll be well worth it in the end.

To make the chocolaty crust, you'll need cocoa powder, flour, a stick of butter, salt, sugar, and cold water. For the filling, you'll need cherries — with their pits removed, of course. "I used pitted frozen sweet cherries that were thawed completely and drained. Fresh cherries also work great in this," Morone explains. "You can also use a combination of sweet and tart cherries if you prefer a more tart cherry pie." Though Morone doesn't recommend canned cherries, she says you can use them if they're canned in water rather than syrup. Lastly, the filling also calls for pomegranate juice, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar.

To make the pie crust, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds until well combined.

Add the cubed butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Add the cold water and pulse until the dough comes together.

Place the dough on a clean surface and knead gently until smooth, then form into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk together the pomegranate juice and flour until no clumps remain.

Add the pomegranate juice mixture, cherries, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the cherries begin to break down and the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Once the pie dough has chilled, divide it into 2 halves. Roll the first half out on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to fit a 9-inch standard pie pan (not deep dish).

Place the dough into the bottom of the pie pan. Spoon the cherry filling over the dough.

Roll out the second dough half on a lightly floured surface and cut into 1 inch-wide strips.

Place the strips on top of the pie filling, creating a lattice pattern.

Press or crimp the edges of the pie crust together.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust has browned.

Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

"You can definitely make components of this in advance and then assemble them later to make the pie," Morone says. "The pie dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to use it, then let it come to room temperature before rolling it out. You can also make the cherry filling up to 4 days in advance, let it cool completely, and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge." Plus, she adds, "you can store leftover pie covered in the fridge for up to 4 days."

If you're looking to save even more time, you might be tempted by store-bought pie crust. However, Morone advises against this. "Premade pie crust is as never good as homemade pie crust, and this cocoa pie crust is really delicious, so I don't recommend skipping it. I don't think they sell premade chocolate pie crust that rolls out like this, but I have seen recipes where you add cocoa powder and sugar to refrigerated pie dough, so you could try that. Once again, it won't nearly be as good as the homemade crust, but it could be a way to save some time."

Yes, this pie is a dessert, but fruit does play a starring role, and that counts for something. Cherries are full of good stuff like fiber, Vitamin C, and potassium, and they've even been associated with improved heart health, lessened arthritis symptoms, and improved sleep — though admittedly you may need to consume far more cherries than you'd find in a slice of this pie to reap the full benefits of this red fruit (via Healthline). 

Technically, the only pomegranate in this pie comes in juice form, and while eating fruit is generally always better than drinking juice, the liquid stuff still comes with some perks. According to Harvard Health, pomegranate juice has three times the antioxidants as green tea, and as an added bonus, you don't need to deal with getting all those pesky seeds out. You can just enjoy some pie!