For many Kentuckians the Derby is a spring tradition filled with fun hats, good food, and of course, horses! The race takes place on the first Saturday of May each year as the thoroughbreds take to the track. Alongside the exclusive race there are parties at homes across the state. It is traditional to start the festivities with a mint julep at brunch, followed by a slice of Derby pie.

This dessert was created for the Melrose Inn just outside Louisville in 1954 and has been a firm part of the celebrations ever since. This rich pie is sort of like a cross between a Montgomery pie and a chocolate chip cookie, but flavored with bourbon and nuts.

For the crust you only need single 9″ crust and we’re blind baking it before the filling goes in to ensure there’s no soggy crust at the end. I used parchment paper and some dry beans to weigh it down, but you can use pie weights if you’ve got ’em.

The filling contains chocolate, pecans (or walnuts), and enough flour for the top to come out of the oven looking almost like a cake inside a pie shell. But, don’t be deceived- inside is sticky, yummy, buttery pie filling just waiting to be gobbled up.

For this recipe I used both mini and regular chocolate chips so that the texture would be varied and that most of the chocolate would melt into the other filling ingredients.

I love pecans so that’s what I used for the pie. But, you can use walnuts instead if you prefer. Both have been used for many years in this iconic dessert.

There’s a bit of bourbon in the filling as well to give it that extra special Kentucky flavor. If you don’t have that you can use whisky or rum instead, but Kentucky bourbon is ideal.

For those who wish to leave out any trace of alcohol you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon or rum flavoring instead.

This is a fun part of the Race for the Roses, but even if you don’t follow horse racing this pie is a must try. It’s chocolate-y, sweet, crispy, and nutty all at the same time, yet somehow it’s never too sweet.