This bourbon chocolate walnut pecan pie is my take on what you may know as a Derby pie. It is simple to make, and the perfect finish to your holiday meal! Or really any meal, for that matter! It has warm bourbon, rich chocolate, and wonderful complexity brought by two different nuts in the pie.
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The inventors of Derby pie make their pie with walnuts. But most others make it with pecans. Chocolate pecan pie has been one of my favorites for years! I thought it would be interesting to combine both walnuts and pecans. It turned out delicious, and gives great depth to an already delicious pie!
If you just have one kind of nut on hand, feel free to substitute. It is delicious as a Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie or as a Bourbon Chocolate Walnut Pie.
Secrets to An Amazing Pie Crust
I am here today to tell you I was wrong. In the first few pie recipes that I posted on this site, I shared with you that I thought using Pillsbury Pie crust was just fine.
Then I encountered the best pie crust I have ever had, and it changed my life. I don't think I will be able to use the red box again. Now if you must use a premade crust, this pie will still be delicious. But if you have a few extra minutes, take a look at this foolproof pie crust. And prepare to be forever changed.
For this recipe, our pie crust needs to be blind-baked, which is basically just pre-cooking it a little bit. You will make the pie crust as normal, then line it with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights.
This helps to keep the crust from shrinking down or bubbling up. After you bake it for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights and continue cooking until the bottom is fully cooked. Don't try this recipe without blind-baking. You'll end up with a soggy bottom crust.
Because we have already cooked this pie crust, we need to cover the edges when we bake it again with the filling. This will keep the crust from burning. I love to use a pie shield for this, but you can also cover it with aluminum foil. Use care if you are covering with foil, so that you don't break off the crust.
What Kind of Chocolate Chips Should I Use?
This pie calls for one cup of chocolate chips. Usually, I prefer dark chocolate, but they were surprisingly too dark for this recipe. Semi-sweet chocolate chips work perfectly!
Get a high-quality chocolate chip for the best results. I love Guittard chocolate chips and think they make a big difference in my baked goods.
Easy Steps to Make the Pie
This pie comes together so quickly and easily!
Once the crust is blind-baked and the chocolate chips are poured in, you mix the remaining ingredients (sans nuts) together for a couple of minutes.
Then mix the nuts in, pour the batter into the pie crust, and bake!
This makes a great dessert for Thanksgiving! If you are looking for an easy Thanksgiving dinner, check out this one pan Thanksgiving dinner!
Frequently Asked Questions
The official food safety answer is that this pie contains eggs, so it does need to be refrigerated unless you plan to use it within a couple of hours. That said, it has a lot of sugar in it, like cookies. Cookies don't need to be refrigerated. And quite a few cooks say that you can leave your chocolate nut pies at room temperature for up to 5 days. I don't refrigerate my nut pies.
This pie freezes beautifully! Wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, to prevent freezer burn. It will keep in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw on the counter (or in the refrigerator, if you are going to follow the advice above, that nut pies need to be refrigerated).
If it is not cooked thoroughly then your pie will be runny. To check for doneness, give the pie a little jiggle. It should be firm.
The alcohol cooks out of this pie, so it is still a family-friendly dessert. But if you prefer to cook without alcohol, just leave the bourbon out. It will still be delicious!
Other Delicious Pies
Let me know how you like this recipe by leaving a review! And follow along on Instagram @stateofdinner for behind the scenes and to be among the first to know when new recipes post!
Recipe
Chocolate Walnut Pecan Pie
Recipe by:
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup walnuts
- ¾ cup pecans
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Prepare pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie pan, pressing against sides of the pan. Flute edges, as desired.
- Line the pie with parchment paper, then fill with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake pie crust for 15 minutes. Lift out the parchment paper with pie weights. Return back to the oven for an additional 5 minutes so that the bottom of the crust can cook. Remove from oven and cool.
- Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- Spread chocolate chips evenly over the bottom of blind-baked pie crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, eggs, bourbon, and vanilla. Beat together for 2 minutes.
- Stir in nuts.
- Pour mixture over the chocolate chips and spread evenly.
- Cover the edges of the pie crust with a pie crust shield or with aluminum foil, to prevent them from burning. Place back into the oven and cook 40-50 minutes, until filling has set.
- Remove from oven and cool compeletely, prior to serving.
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