Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat and cover

After the cherries lose a considerable amount of juice, which may take a few minutes, and remove from heat

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together and pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well

Next, add the almond extract, if desired, and mix and return the mixture to the stove

Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently

Remove from the heat and let cool. If it’s too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch

Use your favorite pie dough recipe and prepare your crust for your pan, or use premade unbaked crusts (that's what we did for simplicity)

Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust and dot with butter

Moisten edge of the bottom crust and place the top crust on and crimp the edge

Make a few slits in the middle of the crust for steam to escape and sprinkle with sugar

Bake for about 50 minutes until just golden brown

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Let cool completely before trying to serve