Homemade Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 4 cups pitted cherries
• 1½ cups cherry juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp almond extract (optional)

Directions

1. If frozen cherries are used, heat in saucepan just until juice flows as cherries thaw.
2. Drain before cherries are warm.
3. If cherries are sugared, reduce sugar in recipe to taste.
4. Stir sugar and cornstarch together, add small amount of juice to make a paste.
5. Stir into juice; cook, stirring until sauce thickens.
6. Stir in drained cherries and extract.
7. Cool.