This Maple Bourbon Derby Pie honors my North Eastern home as well as my Kentucky childhood. I’ve introduced the traditional recipe to maple syrup, a hint of warming bourbon, and a spin on the Milk Bar Crack Pie Oat Cookie Crust. The result is an insanely rich, ridiculously delicious end to an amazing meal. Let it cover your palate after an incredible dinner of Bourbon Glazed Lamb Chops.
What is a Derby Pie?
A Derby Pie is a rich open-faced pie, usually made alongside the Kentucky Derby. It typically uses a flaky pie crust then fills the center with a gooey, custard-like combination of chocolate chips and walnuts. The exact original actually comes from the Melrose Inn in Kentucky, though its recipe is a hidden secret from the public. Often served warm, sometimes with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, this dish is a beloved Southern dessert that embodies the spirit and tradition of the iconic horse race. Our variation adds in a bit of bourbon, another ode to the Kentucky Derby, as well as maple for a sweet and spicy element.
Maple Bourbon Derby Pie
Description
Make this Kentucky Derby staple for the day of the big race.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 recipe Oat Cookie (GF riff on Milk Bar’s Crack Pie crust)
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar, packed
For the oat cookie:
- 6 tbsp butter or margarine
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup millet flour
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the chocolate pecan filling:
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans or pecan halves
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
- 2 tsp cornmeal
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
For the oat cookie:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Beat together butter and sugars together until pale (about 2 minutes). Add egg and continue beating until pale white and fluffy.
- In separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Add to butter mixture and blend.
- Spread on lined or greased cookie sheet and bake until for 15 – 18 minutes, or until light golden brown.
- Cool cookie completely and then crumble well into a bowl or pulse in a food processor.
For the crust:
- Mix crumbled cookie with butter and brown sugar. Press into a 9 inch pie tin and fill.
For the filling:
- Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips over the crust.
- Bring maple syrup, sugars and bourbon to a boil. Simmer together for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- Whisk together eggs, butter, cornmeal, vanilla and salt. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot syrup mixture to them to warm them. Then add egg mixture to syrup mixture whisking constantly.
- Pour liquid into crust and bake at 325˚F for 55 minutes or until set. If crust gets too brown, cover with foil or pie ‘saver’.
- Remove pie and allow to cool to room temperature before serving with ice cream if desired.
Recipe by Michaela Hayes
Photography by Michael Marquand
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