While this Derby Pie is no longer Top Secret it is the most amazing Derby Pie I’ve ever tasted. You’ll make this your favorite pie recipe and make it every Pi day; or every day!

Welcome to Pi(e) Day hosted by Terri from Love and Confections! Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world – and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the “Pi Moment of the Century”. The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years – a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that? Today, 20 Food Bloggers have gathered and want to celebrate the fun of Pi by creating their own sweet and savory pies to share with you. Hope you have a delicious day!

This is one of those “if I tell you I have to kill you” situations. I know. I’ve just published our top secret Derby Pie recipe on the web. I’m sure I’ll catch some flak from Mom and maybe Dad, but I doubt that.

Here’s the story.

We moved from northern Kentucky to northern Virginia in 1980. At that time, hardly anyone had heard of the Kentucky Derby outside of Kentucky. So, what do the ‘rents do? Start having Kentucky Derby Parties.

Now, these always required weeks of preparation. Ham, rolls, veggies chopped, dip made, chess and Derby slab pies made. Then there’s the simple syrup in prep for many a mint julep. We even had innocent betting. A dollar a ticket and you could pick a name out of the spittoon.

Literally. It was a spittoon.

These parties were infamous eventually. Anyone who was everyone attended these parties. But no one. I repeat NO ONE ever walked away with the recipe for the Derby pie. It was top secret. To tell you we’d have to kill you. Seriously.

Then, at the high point of the parties, Mom decided to offer it up as a grand prize once. But that one person was sworn to everlasting secrecy!! They were not allowed to tell one soul of the secret that was entrusted to them. Yeah. I know what you’re saying, “How could you even tell if they told someone or not?” We couldn’t.

It was the honor system.

Fast forward many years later. Actually, rewind that a minute. You see, my parents had irreconcilable differences. I knew about this at the young age of about 10, I’d say. Now, fast forward many years later. My parents finally got divorced after 27 years of marriage. Please don’t say, “Oh no!” because it was a good thing! They were such different people and wanted such different things in life. They found who they wanted to be with and are thoroughly enjoying their second lives; much like I am.

I have seen the original source of the recipe.

It was a newspaper article that Mom had clipped out of the local paper. No on heard of Derby Pie at that time. The same with country ham and beer cheese! Now, there’s a million plus recipes for all of these items on the internet. It is for this reason that I feel safe in sharing this recipe with the masses. Well, that and the fact that our family has grown up, broken apart, and not what it used to be.

So, this is an authentic recipe for Kentucky Derby Pie from a Lexington, Kentucky newspaper from decades ago. It has all the charm and richness that this famous recipe deserves. I have shared both the authentic recipe and my modifications for limiting the cholesterol on the pie. I’ve also included some alterations from my father for a more rich and delicious pie.

Derby Pie is not just a pecan pie with chocolate and bourbon. It has a rich history embedded in the history of the Kentucky Derby and the history of Kentucky all together.

Also, it’s Pi Day! Thanks to Terry over at Love and Confections, a bunch of us bloggers got together to do a Pi Pie round up. Make sure you see what everyone else has baked up today!

Top Secret Derby Pie

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

While this Derby Pie is no longer Top Secret it is the most amazing Derby Pie I've ever tasted. You'll make this your favorite pie recipe and make it every Pi day; or every day!

Print

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked pie shell
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 4 eggs (or 1 cup egg substitute)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter melted and cooled (or butter spray)
• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1 ounce top shelf bourbon
• 1/3 cup real maple syrup
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup (Karo)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Roll the pie crust out and lay it into a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the edges and sprinkle the chocolate chips into the bottom. Chill until the filling is ready.
3. Lightly scramble the eggs. Add the sugar and beat until the sugar dissolves then, using a whisk, add the butter, maple syrup and corn syrup. Beat until combined.
4. Stir in the pecans and the bourbon.
5. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and fill no more than half full. If you overfill, it will spill over the crust. I speak from experience on this one.
6. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is just set and barely moves when shaken.
7. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Welcome to Pi(e) Day hosted by Terri from Love and Confections! Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world – and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the “Pi Moment of the Century”. The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years – a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that? Today, 20 Food Bloggers have gathered and want to celebrate the fun of Pi by creating their own sweet and savory pies to share with you. Hope you have a delicious day!

Enjoy a slice from the Pi(e) Day Bloggers:

• Apple Pear Pie with Crumble Topping from Baking and Creating with Avril
• Apple Rhubarb Strawberry Pie from Food Lust People Love
• Buffalo Chicken Shepherd’s Pie from Healthy. Delicious.
• Chocolate Mousse Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Silk Pie from Famished Fish, Finicky Shark
• Coconut-Pistachio Pie from The Spiffy Cookie
• Fresh Strawberry Pie from Taste Cook Sip
• Hillbilly Apple Pie from My Catholic Kitchen
• Kentucky Derby Pie from Kelli’s Kitchen
• Mixed Berry Slab Pie from Making Miracles
• Peach-Blueberry Pie from The Redhead Baker
• Salted Honey Pie from girlichef
• Sicilian Ricotta Pie from Cake Duchess
• S’Mores Brownie Pie from Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Strawberry Daiquiri Pie from Love and Confections
• Thin Mint Pie from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Top Secret Derby Pie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Triple Berry Pot Pie from {i love} my disorganized life
• Vegetable Pot Pie from Sew You Think You Can Cook