This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
Inspired by a dessert made for a certain horse race in early May, Chocolate Walnut Pie has a flaky crust and a chocolate-bourbon filling, and it’s the surest bet around.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Bourbon: To bake the pie without bourbon, substitute ¾ cup brown sugar and ½ cup granulated white sugar.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the pie crust, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour and salt together into the bowl of a food processor; add shortening and pulse until pieces are the size of small peas.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cold water over part of the mixture. Pulse again. Add more water as needed and repeat until all the mixture is moistened and just holds together when pressed with fingertips.
- Flatten dough onto a lightly floured surface by pressing with palm of hand three times across in both directions. Roll from center to edge until 1/8-inch thick.
- Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie plate and trim ½ to 1-inch beyond edge.
- Flute the edge of the pie crust if desired or decorate with fork tines. Prick bottom and sides well with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate over the bottom of the hot crust. Let chocolate sit for 5 minutes to soften. Using off-set spatula, spread chocolate into an even layer.
- Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, slowly stir in bourbon; let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in large bowl until combined. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Slowly whisk in warm butter mixture until incorporated, then stir in the walnuts.
- Pour filling into chocolate-lined crust.
- Bake until filling is puffed and center jiggles slightly when pie is gently shaken, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let pie cool on wire rack for 4 hours. Slice and serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This pie makes 8 servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat pie in a 350-degree for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Freezer: Wrap the baked, cooled pie in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then store in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat pie in a 350-degree for 15 to 20 minutes.
- History: There is a rich tradition of serving this pie at a horserace at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May. With Mint Juleps.
More Derby favorites
Appetizer Recipes
Deviled Eggs
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Bread Pudding
Side Dish Recipes
Scalloped Potatoes
Salad Recipes
Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Cheese
Join Us
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
Chocolate Walnut Pie
Inspired by a dessert made for a certain horse race in early May, Chocolate Walnut Pie has a flaky crust and a chocolate-bourbon filling, and it's the surest bet around.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 2-4 tablespoons cold water
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
For the filling:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
- 3 tablespoons bourbon (see note 1)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 eggs plus one yolk (large, lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts toasted and chopped
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift the flour and salt together into the bowl of a food processor; add shortening and pulse until pieces are the size of small peas.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the cold water over part of the mixture. Pulse again. Add more water as needed and repeat until all the mixture is moistened and just holds together when pressed with fingertips.
- Flatten dough onto a lightly floured surface by pressing with palm of hand three times across in both directions. Roll from center to edge until 1/8-inch thick.
- Fit pastry into a 9-inch pie plate and trim ½ to 1-inch beyond edge. Fold under and flute edge by pressing dough with forefinger against wedge made of finger and thumb of other hand. Prick bottom and sides well with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Carefully remove crust from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate over the bottom of the hot crust. Let chocolate sit for 5 minutes to soften. Using off-set spatula, spread chocolate into even layer; set aside crust.
To make the filling:
- Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, slowly stir in bourbon; let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in large bowl until combined. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in warm butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in walnuts, then pour filling into chocolate-lined crust.
- Bake until filling is puffed and center jiggles slightly when pie is gently shaken, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating plate halfway through baking. Let pie cool on wire rack for 4 hours. Slice and serve. (Once sliced, pie can be covered with plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Notes
- Bourbon: To bake the pie without bourbon, substitute ¾ cup brown sugar and ½ cup granulated white sugar.
- Yield: This pie makes 8 servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat pie in a 350-degree for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Freezer: Wrap the baked, cooled pie in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then store in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw the pie overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat pie in a 350-degree for 15 to 20 minutes.
- History: There is a rich tradition of serving this pie at a horserace at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May. With Mint Juleps.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 7gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 315mgPotassium: 219mgFiber: 3gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 419IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This is absolutely heavenly. I’m making this for Thanksgiving!
I made one this morning. It turned out fairly because the filling was still liquid(y). And the top of the pie was a little darker than what was shown on this article. I followed the directions on baking process. 325 degrees for 40 minutes, the center was still a little jiggly. Rotated the pie half turn in halfway of baking time. Cooled for about 5 hours. Can you tell me why the filling was still too liquid(y)? Thanks.