Kentucky Derby Chocolate Round-Up: Derby Pie & More

Over the past few years, I've posted several chocolate recipes that are served at Kentucky Derby Parties. I've had more than one recipe for Derby Pie, the traditional chocolate, nut, bourbon pie, but I thought I'd repost three of them all in one place.

Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Walnut Pie has been served at the annual Derby Horse Race for over 50 years. It was a special recipe that was first made at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky. * Note: You can't legally call it a "Derby Pie" recipe. The name "Derby Pie" is trademarked, and the owners of the name are very aggressive protecting the name "Derby Pie."  This is not a commercial site, so I'm calling it Derby Pie, but with variations in the complete name. Similar recipes to the one above are sometimes called Brownie Pie or Tollhouse Pie, but it's really Derby Pie.There have been many modifications over the years, but the most important ingredient is Kentucky Bourbon.

Love to hear about your favorite Kentucky Derby Pie. Do you use Pecans or Walnuts? How much chocolate? What kind? How much bourbon? What kind?

I. Kentucky Derby Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup light corn syrup
4 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, shelled and chopped in half

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Roll crust out.
3. In a large mixing bowl, on medium speed with whisk attachment, whip butter, sugars, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla and bourbon together until frothy.
4. Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in chocolate chips and pecans or walnuts. Blend well.
5. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until set.
6. Serve warm or cool completely before serving with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

II. Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Walnut Pie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar (1/2 brown/1/2 white)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
 2-4 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon (it's a matter of taste)
1 cup chopped English walnuts (you can vary this by using pecans)
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
dash of salt
1 - 9 " deep-dish pie shell (pre-made crust or make your own)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix flour and sugar. Add the eggs and melted butter; mix to combine. Stir in the bourbon, walnuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt. Pour mixture an unbaked piecrust. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Pie should be chewy but not runny. 
Another variation: don't add the chocolate chips to the mix: Arrange them on the bottom of the unbaked pie shell. Pour over the chocolate chips and bake.

And, my friend Janet Appel sent her personal recipe. Leave it to someone from Kentucky to have the 'real' thing.

III. BOURBON CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE
(Originally called Derby Pie)
FROM ENTERTAINING THE LOUISVILLE WAY-QUEEN’S DAUGHTERS 1969

Ingredients:
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup white corn syrup
4 eggs beaten
1 tablespoon Wild Turkey Bourbon
1 cup whole pecans
½ cup chocolate chips
1-9 or 10 inch unbaked pie shell

Mix the above ingredients and pour into the pie shell. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until fairly firm at 350 degrees. Let cool and set up before serving. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.

Notes: We soak the pecans in bourbon over night and use a jigger of bourbon. We still add the tablespoon of bourbon to the mixture. White corn syrup is Karo.

IV. KENTUCKY CHOCOLATE NUT PIE IN A JAR

This is great to make ahead and take to the party as a gift. Host can make it while you watch!

***
So what kind of Chocolate Candy should you make if you're not at the Derby, but you're watching at home? Well, you're drinking bourbon, so why not try these bourbon balls? This is Janet Appel's mother
-in-law's recipe.

DOLLY APPEL’S BOURBON BALLS

1 ½ pounds pecans
8 oz of Maker’s Mark Bourbon
2 oz water
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
3 pounds semisweet chocolate
3 oz paraffin

Break and combine pecans with bourbon, cover and set aside for 4 hours or more. Sift confectioners’ sugar and add pecans, adding sugar gradually to a working consistency until a small ball can be made ½ to ¾ inch in diameter. Water is to be used only to bring mixture to desired consistency. Add water only to prevent ball from falling apart. Mixture should be semi-dry. Prepare balls and place on a waxed papered cookie sheet. Place in freezer to cool. (Approx. 2 hours)

Melt chocolate and paraffin and mix well. Chocolate should not be too hot, just warm enough to work up. The warmer the mix, the thinner coating the bourbon balls will have.

Remove formed balls from the freezer when ready to coat with chocolate. With fingers dip each ball to cover half of ball and return to cookie sheet. After this step return to refrigerator to harden chocolate. (Approx. 1 hour)

To coat top half of ball when ready insert toothpick in the bottom that has already been coated and dip top in chocolate. Remove toothpick and return ball to cookie sheet. Refrigerate again to harden chocolate.
Store bourbon balls in refrigerator.

Note from Janet Appel: This recipe is at least 70 years old. It was Marty’s mother’s recipe. She loved to make chocolate candies. Fingers were used for a lot of mixing, holding, stirring. Today there are fine chocolate tools to dip with, and electric pots to melt the chocolate. Paraffin is needed no matter how good your chocolate.

If you're a mystery fan, you'll want to read my list of Kentucky Derby Mysteries because we all know there's a always murder and mayhem related to horse races.

Cinco de Mayo Chocolate Recipes

Chocolate Covered Habanero Peppers

Today is Cinco de Mayo, and I thought I'd do a Round-up of Recipes! Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday celebrating the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862. Puebla's signature dish is Mole Poblano--a Chocolate spicy stew, and I've posted several recipes for moles over the years.

Chocolate and chiles are a part of many Mexican dishes, so I’ve put together my own Chocolate ‘menu’ for Cinco de Mayo. Some things you can buy, some you can make. Whatever you decide, you will be able to get your fill of chocolate on Cinco de Mayo. Be sure and scroll down for a different Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffle Recipe.

Today is also Chocolate Custard Day, so here's a nod to Chocolate Custard in the form of Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding.

Cinco de Mayo Snacks, Entrees & Drinks: Includes Chicken Mole, Chocolate Tamales recipes and more

Cinco de Mayo Desserts: Includes Mexican Spicy Brownies, Mexican Chocolate Truffles and Mexican Chocolate Ice Box Cookie Recipes

Cinco de Mayo Desserts: Includes Chipotle Brownies, Easy Cinco de Mayo Brownies, & Spicy Hot Chocolate

More Moles: White Chocolate Mole with Animal Crackers, Chicken Mole Poblano with Animal Crackers

And, a new recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles because you can never have enough Truffle Recipes.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles

Filling:
16 oz dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp sweet butter
1 oz  honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your tastebuds)
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

Coating Chocolate:
6 oz Dark Chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
2 tsp vegetable shortening
ground cayenne pepper
ground cinnamon 

For the Filling, place chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine heavy cream, butter, honey, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a saucepan and cook over low heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the bowl of chocolate. Wait for a few minutes for the chocolate to soften. Add almond extract and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, slowly stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and shiny. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the mixture is slightly firm.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Measure out tablespoonfuls of the truffle filling and drop them onto the cookie sheet. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes and then roll into balls. Freeze again for 10 to 15 minutes more or until firm.

For the Coating Chocolate, combine chocolate and vegetable shortening in a bowl and melt over hot water. Stir until smooth. Drop the truffles into the chocolate coating one at a time, quickly coat and remove with fork. Gently shake off any extra chocolate and place truffle on cookie sheet. Sprinkle cayenne pepper and cinnamon on top. 

These are really yummy!  Have a great Cinco de Mayo!

White Chocolate Mole with Animal Crackers

I meant to post this recipe on National Animal Crackers Day in April but totally forgot. I guess it works well for Cinco de Mayo. Animal Crackers are often used in mole recipes for thickening.

I posted a more traditional Mole Poblano Recipe with Animal Crackers before.. but this one is for White Chocolate Mole with Animal Crackers. Definitely worth making. Recipe from Judy Walker in the Arizona Republic several years ago.

I'll be posting a round-up of "Chocolate" Cinco de Mayo recipes, so be sure to stop back.

White Chocolate Molé with Animal Crackers

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
2 whole cloves
1 fresh poblano chile, seeded and chopped
2 fresh serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
1 small clove garlic
1/2 white Spanish onion, cut into chunks
5 animal crackers, toasted
1/4 cup sweet butter
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread peanuts, almonds and walnuts on a jelly-roll pan. Toast in the oven, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are slightly colored and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.

In a blender, combine the nuts, water, cinnamon stick and cloves; blend until nuts are very finely ground. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve over a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a ladle or rubber spatula to release the liquid. Reserve the liquid and discard the solids.

In the blender, combine the chiles, garlic, onion and nut liquid. Add the animal crackers; puree until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve over a bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a ladle or rubber spatula to release the liquid. Discard the solids.

In a large saucepan, heat the butter. Stir in the nut-chile liquid. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan occasionally with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is the consistency of thick pea soup, about 15 minutes.

Stir in chocolate, salt and pepper until the chocolate is melted. Use immediately.

Note: The mole without the chocolate can be made ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to a week. To serve, heat in a saucepan and stir in the chocolate.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups, or 12 servings.

Decadent Quadruple Chocolate Brownie Pie: TJ's Easy as Pie

5/17: Update: & The Winner is: Sloane & Doreen Garelick for Decadent Quadruple Chocolate Brownie Pie! (new photo)

I shop at Trader Joe's.. always fun. The latest email newsletter featured Trader Joe's 2011 Easy as Pie Finalists. 2011 HiiP (Highly Innovative Ingredient Pairing) aka 'Easy As Pie' Recipe Showdown The Original Task: Create a recipe for pie that is easy as pie. It's down to the final five pies. Of course, there was a chocolate pie! You'll love this. The chopped Dark Chocolate covered mini pretzels add a crunch and the salt brings out the chocolate! One thing about the Trader Joe's  email with the finalist recipes: no names attached. I'm guessing that's to be fair in the voting.

These were the EASY AS PIE HiiP Recipe guidelines:
• An Easy As Pie HiiP Recipe uses up to 5 Trader Joe’s products. Nothing else. Binders (i.e., salt, pepper, butter, cooking oil, etc.) do not count as ingredients.
• And just to be fair to all of our chefs under the age of 21, the use of alcohol is not allowed in Easy As Pie HiiP Recipes.
• Easy As Pie HiiP Recipes must take 20 minutes or less for preparation; the actual cooking can take longer.

Decadent Quadruple Chocolate Brownie Pie

1 1⁄2 cups (20 cookies) TJ’s Joe-Joe’s Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
1 1⁄2 sticks TJ’s Unsalted Butter, melted
1 box TJ’s Truffle Brownie Baking Mix
2 TJ’s Large Eggs
6 ounces TJ’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate, chopped
1⁄2 cup TJ’s Heavy Whipping Cream
20 TJ’s Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels, roughly chopped

To make the crust, crush Joe-Joe’s in a food processor or blender and measure out 1-1⁄2 cup of cookie crumbs. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Melt about 3 tablespoons of butter (about 30 seconds in the microwave), and in a large bowl, stir it together with the cookie crumbs. Using your fingertips, press the cookie and butter mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Set aside.

To make the brownie filling, preheat oven to 350°F. Melt remaining stick of butter (1 minute in microwave or use a small saucepan). Melted butter should be creamy looking. Whisk eggs into butter until blended. Add brownie mix and stir until moistened with a rubber spatula. Place brownie mix into center of cookie crust and gently spread evenly from center to edges of pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. While the brownie pie is cooling, prepare the ganache and pretzel toppings.

To make the chocolate ganache topping, heat cream in a pot just until it steams. Put chopped chocolate in a large bowl, pour hot cream on top, and stir until chocolate is melted and incorporated into cream. Roughly chop the 20 pretzels and set aside.

After the pie has cooled for at least 30 minutes, pour the chocolate ganache over the pie and spread evenly from center to edges of pie crust. Sprinkle the chopped pretzels over the ganache. Refrigerate the pie for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 16 serious chocolate lovers!

And, this recipe truly is EASY AS PIE!