Double Chocolate Derby Pie Recipe

There's nothing quite like a homemade pie; baked in the oven and served fresh, very little can beat it in terms of comfort food. And with a chocolate pastry crust, a rich filling flavored with maple, bourbon, and chocolate, and a layer of pecans on top, this double chocolate derby pie is a dessert worthy of any dinner table.

Derby pie originates from Kentucky and was created in the 1950s by the Kern family. The original secret recipe is still closely guarded today, but recipe developer Jennine Rye has created a version of the classic with a few of her own flavor twists: maple syrup and lots of chocolate. After all, you can never have enough chocolate. Those flavors, combined with pecans and bourbon, make for a truly heavenly pie that you'll want to make again and again.

This recipe also uses a homemade pastry crust, but don't let that put you off. Making pastry can seem intimidating, but this pastry, which is similar to a shortcrust pastry, comes together easily in a few minutes with the help of a food processor. So, read on to find out more about this double chocolate derby pie, and how you can make it in your kitchen.

To make this double chocolate derby pie, first, you need to gather the ingredients. You need plain flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, butter, and eggs to make the pastry crust. To make the filling you need chocolate, more butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, another egg, vanilla extract, sea salt, bourbon, chocolate chips, flour, and pecans.

While it's possible to use shortening to make the pastry, we highly recommend sticking to butter as it produces a lighter, fluffier, and more flavorful crust than other types of fat. 

To begin this recipe, start by creating the pastry. Place the flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder into a food processor, and blend it until the ingredients are combined. Then, add some cold butter and turn on the processor again until the mixture resembles wet sand. Finally, add one egg to the processor and allow it to run until the ingredients form a soft dough. Remove the dough from the processor and form it into a ball. Cover the dough and place it into the fridge for at least 2 hours. Don't skip this step. Allowing the dough to rest in the fridge will change its consistency, making the dough easier to roll out and better for baking. 

Once the pie dough has rested in the fridge, it's time to roll it out. Dust a flat surface with a little flour and place the dough ball onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is roughly ¼-inch thick. Gently lift it and place it into a 9-inch pie dish, making sure the dough sits nicely in all the cracks and crevices.

Any dough that rips during this step can be easily repaired or patched with leftover scraps, so don't worry about cracks or tears. Trim the edges with a sharp knife, smooth out any cracks, and place a layer of baking paper over the dough before adding baking beans to the dish. Blind bake the pastry crust for 25 minutes and set it aside to cool.

To make the filling for this double chocolate derby pie, start by melting together the butter and chocolate. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the melted chocolate to the bowl and whisk again to create a smooth batter. The final step is to stir in the chocolate chips.

It's time to preheat the oven to get this pie baking. While the oven heats up, pour the chocolate batter into the prepared, cooled chocolate pie crust. Then, add the pecan nuts to the pie, spreading them out to form an even layer. Finally, bake the pie for 20 minutes until the edges have set and the inside retains a little wobble. Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing and serving.

We recommend serving this pie with a hearty scoop of ice cream or a dash of cream. Delicious!