Saving Room for Dessert

Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for food lovers!

Pie No. 19 – Derby Day Pie

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

On Saturday May 7th, the 137th Kentucky Derby race was run and won by Animal Kingdom.  I’ve never been to the Derby but I have ridden a horse or two in my day (not in a race or anything!)  I love horses and especially love horse movies such as The Black Stallion, International Velvet, Secretariat, and my absolute all-time favorite, Sea Biscuit.  Secretariat still holds the track speed record at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.  Instead of watching a horse movie on DVD, we opted to watch the real deal but skipped wearing the fancy hats. 
So in honor of the Kentucky Derby I made two Derby Day pies.  We needed extra for three different sets of visitors that came by this weekend.  Everybody got pie! 
The history of Derby-Pie is pretty interesting.  The name and recipe for Derby-Pie is actually trademarked so I changed the name of this pie post to the Derby Day Pie. 

According to the official website  “Derby-Pie®, as it has come to be known, was born over a half century ago as the specialty pastry of the Melrose Inn, at Prospect, Kentucky. George Kern, manager of the restaurant, developed the Derby-Pie® recipe with the help of his parents, Walter and Leaudra.  Many hours were spent trying to find the unique blend of flavors that make up this classic dessert. And that blend remains a secret to this very day. Oh, most folks recognize the real chocolate chips and walnut pieces-but no one has ever been able to duplicate our special filling and delicate crust.  There’s only one Derby-Pie® chocolate nut pie.”

Oh well, if they don’t want to share we’ll just make our own!   You’re going to love this pie.  Everybody that had a piece raved about how delicious it was and wouldn’t you know, it’s incredibly easy to make.

You’ll need a 9 inch partially baked pastry shell, sugar, flour, salt, butter, eggs, Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate chips and walnuts.
First whisk all the dry ingredients together: sugar, flour and salt.
Lightly beat two eggs.
Melt and slightly cool a stick of butter.  Add the butter to the dry ingredients.
Add the vanilla and Bourbon to the butter and flour mixture.  Blend lightly.
Stir in the beaten eggs.
Coarsely chop 1 cup of walnuts.  You can substitute pecans if you prefer.
Mix the chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter. 
Blend well.
Pour into a 9 inch pastry shell that has been pre-baked in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until it starts to puff and brown.
Bake the pie for 45-50 minutes or until puffed and firm.
This pie smells like heaven!
The top is crispy, sweet and crunchy.
The middle is fudgy, nutty and delicious.
One of our guests said the pie was much lighter than you would think.
It’s not overly rich and is great with whipped topping.  The traditional Derby Pie is served with sweetened cream so of course we wanted to hold to tradition!
While enjoying our warm Derby Day Pie, we enjoyed watching the pre-race extravaganza. 
This little girl was so cute in her hat!
Getting ready to run – this beautiful horse was the anxious to get started so he could win.
(Source)
Animal Kingdom ran his heart out for the roses!  Congratulations!

Tricia’s Derby Day Pie
1 9-inch pastry shell, partially baked
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons Bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Whisk sugar, flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Add the butter, Bourbon, vanilla, eggs, chocolate chips and walnuts.  Blend well and pour into the partially baked pie shell.  Bake at 350 degrees until puffed and firm, about 45-50 minutes.  Enjoy topped with sweetened cream. 

~~~

Thanks so much for stopping by! 
19 pies made, 23 more to go.

I’m always looking for suggestions.  Let me know if you have a family favorite to post on SRFD.

Have a great week.

Tricia

Free Email Bonus

Weeknight Dinners Made Easy

Tips & recipes for delicious meals...no matter your skill level

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 Comments

  1. Lizbeth ANDERSON

    Thank you for a Derby Pie recipe without corn syrup! Can’t wait to try it!
    And John Velazquez wins the Derby again today on Medina Spirit.

    Reply

  2. Linda Smith

    This sounds wonderful! I'm going to make this recipe in tart shells yummm… Derby Style Butter Tarts 🙂 My question is, will it make any difference in the texture if I leave out the Bourbon? Should I substitute with something else non-alcoholic? Even though the alcohol might bake out of the recipe, I have some family members that either do not like the taste of alcohol or can't tolerate

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hey Linda – thanks for the comment. I think you could easily double the vanilla and leave out the bourbon without a problem. Hope you love it as much as we do 🙂

      Reply

  3. McMGrad89

    I am so making this soon. Sorry I missed the derby. Was busy at a ladies brunch. I guess I will just have to have my son run around the house on a hobby horse chasing my daughter on a broom while I enjoy this delicious looking pie.

    Reply