This Is The Most Searched Kentucky Derby Recipe In The South

It, of course, includes a little bourbon.

Planning a Derby party? Aside from a wide array of fascinators for guests to wear, you’ll need a solid menu to keep everyone well fed. From Mini Hot Browns to a classic Mint Julep, we have plenty of recipes precisely for this once a year occasion, but there's one Derby recipe that is sought after more than the others. It’s sweet, chocolatey, and of course, it has a little bourbon in it...

Our most searched for Kentucky Derby recipe is our Kentucky Bourbon Pie, and once you try a slice, you’ll know exactly why.

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A Pie by Many Names

You might be thinking, "What’s a Kentucky Bourbon Pie? Isn’t the famous pie from the Derby, well, Derby-Pie®?"

You aren’t wrong. The original recipe for the famous Derby-Pie® was created in 1954 at the Melrose Inn near Louisville by the owners, the Kern family.

The name for the popular recipe was later trademarked. In fact, Bon Appetit magazine was actually sued for using the name! So while we're certainly inspired by the classic recipe, our recipe has a different name and formula, to make it our own. Traditionalists might be upset by our use of pecans instead of walnuts, but this is our super Southern interpretation of the classic.

What Makes This Pie Special

This pie might remind you of a pecan pie, but with bourbon and chocolate added in, it has a richer, deeper flavor. It does come together somewhat similarly though, and also contains a lot of pecans, as well as a sticky sweet filling, but it’s not quite the same treat.

While you’ll find many versions of the classic pie out in the world (including many made with walnuts) we love the balance of sweet, nutty, and caramel notes in our recipe. And we aren’t the only ones.

One reader commented, "I made this for a Derby day gathering. It was the dessert for a brunch we had paired with the main course of Hot Browns. It was delicious and so easy to make. I whipped some heavy cream mixed with bourbon cream and used it as the topping.”

Another commenter provided their own helpful hints, “Love love love this pie! Buffalo Trace is always my bourbon of choice for this. It helps if you bring the eggs a little higher than room temperature.”

Yet another person said the pie went over so well that it’s "a new Thanksgiving pie for this family." Proving that it doesn’t have to be Derby day to break out a pie plate and give this sweet and gooey recipe a try.

Related: Famous Kentucky Recipes To Inspire Your Best Derby Day Spread

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