Chocolate Cherry Cordial Pie

Crust:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Crisco shortening, frozen and cut into pieces
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In food processor add flour, sugar, cocoa & salt. Pulse to blend. Add Crisco pieces & pulse until mixture resembles corn meal. Add water & pulse until dough just comes together. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap & chill about 1 hour. Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Spray bottom and sides of a deep dish 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Ease crust into pie plate. Trim edges & flute. Set aside. Make filling. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool.

Filling
5 cups frozen cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
8 maraschino cherries with stems
1 cup whipped cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Place the cherries in 3 quart pot. In small bowl, mix the sugar, and cornstarch until well blended. Stir this into the cherries and stir until everything is evenly combined. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken and boil. Let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract. Set aside and cool completely.

Microwave chocolate morsels and cream in a bowl until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk in butter until smooth. Let cool, whisking occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture is a spreadable consistency.

Spoon half of chocolate mixture into the baked pie crust. Cover and chill remaining chocolate mixture. Spoon cooled cherry mixture evenly over chocolate mixture in pie crust. Set aside.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg and almond extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour evenly over cherry pie filling. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Remove pie from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 8 hours.

Microwave reserved chocolate mixture for 1 minute. Stir until spreadable. Dip cherries in chocolate mixture and let them firm up on a sheet of wax paper for 15 minutes before decorating pie.

Spread remaining chocolate evenly over top of pie. In large bowl, whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe around edge of pie; place cherries in around pie.