How To Make Kentucky Bourbon and Walnut Pie

This bourbon-spiked, chocolate and walnut pie (aka we-can’t-call-it-Derby-pie pie) may well be the most controversial pie in the history of Kentucky. And controversy — and a lawsuit or two— has made this pie a part of Kentucky history. So eating a piece of this pie, you might say, is like eating a piece of history.

But we’d argue that this pie isn’t just famous because of some back and forth over a name. This pie is famous because it’s a downright delicious dessert that’s easy to whip up and pretty as you please to look at — especially with a dollop of bourbon whipped cream on top. Try it and let us know if you agree.

Think of this Kentucky bourbon and walnut pie as a chocolatey riff on a pecan pie. Its origins date back to the late 19th century (or likely even earlier); the first printed record of pecan pie is in a church charity cookbook in St. Louis, compliments of a Texan cook. It’s safe to say that Southerners everywhere have been adapting and adding this and that — including chocolate and bourbon — to put their own signature twist on the classic ever since.

Importantly for this story is the particular variation created by the Kern family in 1950. Their pie, not as yet officially named, was the signature item for their Prospect, Kentucky restaurant, the Melrose Inn. The restaurant closed in 1960, but the pie business continued and was so successful that the family decided to trademark the name. Thus, Derby-Pie® was officially born.

Besides the fact that the recipe is top secret, the Kerns have been rather rabid about the use of the name. Use it and you’re likely to get slapped with a lawsuit — which is what happened to Bon Appetit when the food magazine printed their “Derby pie” recipe in 1986. The courts determined Derby pie wasn’t, as claimed, a generic term for this kind of pie and the Kerns maintained their trademark.

Read more on the controversial trademark on Derby-Pie here:
What’s Inside a ‘Derby Pie’? Maybe a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen at NPR

Er, no. We’re going to side-step that whole lawsuit-waiting-to-happen situation and say that this Kentucky bourbon and walnut pie recipe is inspired by the true Derby-Pie®, with some notable tweaks — we think for the better.

Southerners do like their sweets to be, well, sweet and this sticky and ultra-sweet pie is no exception. That’s exactly why we’ve chosen to swap out the standard semisweet chips for a darker chocolate, to help offset the custard’s tooth-achingly sweet flavor. It’s still plenty decadent, and one bite will prove it.

Kern’s Derby-Pie® also skips the bourbon — a mistake, in our opinion! In fact, we’ve included a double dose of the good stuff: a pour for the pie and a pour for the whipped cream on top.

Making Kentucky bourbon pie is much like baking a pecan pie: Start with an unbaked pie shell of your choice (here’s our favorite recipe for flaky pie crust); whisk together some brown sugar, bourbon, butter, and eggs until smooth; and pour over some chopped chocolate and walnuts in the pie shell. Bake, chill, slice, and enjoy with a little bourbon whipped cream.

Here are a few pointer for pie perfection.

• Whisk the filling ingredients until smooth, then add the eggs. You could certainly whisk all of the filling ingredients (except for nuts and chocolate) together at once, but I like to add the eggs after the bulk of the ingredients are already combined to avoid whisking the eggs too vigorously, resulting in a foamy filling.
• Bake on a baking sheet for easier transport. I set the pie plate on a baking sheet so that it is easier to transport in and out of the oven. This reduces the risk of ruining the crimped edges of the pie.
• Avoid an underbaked pie. Kentucky bourbon pie is done when the center of the pie reaches 200°F and a skewer inserted in the center comes out mostly clean — expect some melty chocolate but not syrupy filling. Like a cake, the center of the pie should spring back slightly when tapped.
• Cool completely before slicing. Not only will you avoid a runny pie, but you’ll also get neater, prettier slices.