Low-Sugar 4th of July Cherry Pie

My parents came to visit over my birthday weekend. Because I wouldn't be home in August to celebrate my dad's birthday and my brother's birthday, I decided to make their birthday treats for them in July and send them back to Wisconsin with my parents. My brother is easy. He loves cheesecake. I made him a cherry cheesecake with pistachio nut crust. My dad is a little more difficult because he's on a low-sugar/no refined sugar diet. He gets frustrated because I do a lot of baking and he doesn't get to eat anything. So, I decided to make him something he couldn't feel as guilty eating.

Objective
Make a 4th of July Cherry Pie without adding refined sugar.

Materials

9-inch or 9.5-inch pie crust

Filling:
1 12-oz bag of frozen sweet cherries
1 14-oz can of tart cherries in water
1/2 cup agave
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt
strips of lemon peel, from one lemon

Crumble topping:
1/4 cup flaked coconut (can use more if you can find unsweetened)
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons agave nectar
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small 1/4-inch cubes

Methods
1. Prepare and bake the crust until lightly golden. If you're using a store bought crust: lay in the pie pan and press into place. Form the edges however it pleases you. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Bake at 450° for 7-10 minutes or until it's lightly golden. If it puffs up while baking, prick the puff with a fork to settle it. Set the crust aside. Then, preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen sweet cherries in a bowl, reserving the liquid that drains off. Drain the canned tart cherries into a 1 cup (or greater) liquid measuring cup and add the tart cherries to the bowl of sweet cherries. Once the sweet cherries have thawed (can microwave in short intervals to speed up the process), add the juice to the measuring cup with the juice from the can.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add 2/3 cup of the cherry juice and lemon peel. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the liquid bubbles and thickens (this should be quick). Stir in the cherries and continue to stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and set aside.
4. Make the crumble topping by mixing the dry ingredients together, then slowly stirring in the butter cubes (add them slowly so that they don't clump together). Sprinkle on top of the cherry filling.
5. Bake the pie at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Results
The pie wasn't as sweet as the original version, but rightly so. They cherry flavor was still good and the crumble topping was delicious.

Discussion
I prefer the original version of the recipe, but if I hadn't had the original, I would have liked this version. The pie was for my dad, and my mom assured me that it got eaten. I'm not sure that agave nectar is my favorite refined sugar substitute. The flavor doesn't quite do it for me. Honey has too strong of a flavor, so I try to avoid honey as well. One of my friends from school came over and we baked a chocolate cake using whole wheat pastry flour, coconut milk, maple syrup and dark chocolate. It was too bitter for me, but I think that could have been remedied with semisweet chocolate instead of dark chocolate. You couldn't tell the cake had maple syrup in it. Next time, I think I'd try maple syrup as my non-refined sugar substitute.