Kentucky Chocolate Walnut Pie al Prosecco

Kentucky chocolate walnut pie — the dessert most associated with the Kentucky Derby — is a gooey, bourbon-laced open-faced custard pie loaded with chocolate chips and toasted walnuts in a brown sugar and butter filling. It is one of the most popular pies of the American South, and its creation is the story of a single Kentucky inn and a fiercely guarded family recipe.

The pie was created in 1954 at the Melrose Inn in Prospect, Kentucky, by the Kern family — Walter and Leaudra Kern, with the help of their son George Kern. According to Wikipedia, the family constantly researched the optimal recipe for their creation. The name "derby pie" was chosen because the various family members each had a different name for the creation, so to resolve the naming quandary they put the various names in a hat and pulled out the paper which said "derby pie." The name "derby pie" is a registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen, registered in 1968, and the recipe is kept secret — known only to a small group of Kern family members. Kern's Kitchen has filed more than 25 lawsuits to protect the trademark over the years, making it one of the most aggressively defended food names in America. (This is why most modern recipes, including ours, use a descriptive name like "Kentucky chocolate walnut pie" rather than the trademarked name.)

The pie itself is a close cousin of pecan pie, but with two crucial differences: it uses walnuts (the original Kern version used walnuts, though pecans are also common), and it adds chocolate chips and a splash of bourbon. As Food52 explains, the filling is a gooey brown sugar custard studded with chocolate and nuts, baked in a pre-baked pie shell until just set but still fudgy in the center. Brown Eyed Baker calls it a twist on traditional pecan pie — walnuts instead of pecans, with chocolate and bourbon for good measure. It is a tradition at the Kentucky Derby, served at Derby parties across the South on the first Saturday in May.

Our Mimosavated version replaces some of the bourbon with Prosecco di Valdobbiadene in the filling — the bright, slightly acidic wine adds a subtle floral note that complements the bourbon and the brown sugar.

Ingredients (serves 8):

The Pie Crust: - 1 single-crust pie crust (9 in / 9-inch), homemade or store-bought

The Chocolate Walnut Filling: - 5 ¼ oz unsalted butter, melted - 7 oz granulated sugar - 3 ½ oz brown sugar - 3 large eggs, room temperature - ¼ cup bourbon - 2 ⅔ tbsp Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - ¼ teaspoon salt - 5 ¼ oz walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped - 5 ¼ oz dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate) - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (to coat the chocolate and nuts and prevent sinking)

Making the Pie: Preheat the oven to 347°F (350°F). Line a 9 in (9-inch) pie dish with the pie crust and crimp the edges. Chill the crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Whisk in the bourbon, Prosecco, vanilla, and salt.

In a separate bowl, toss the toasted walnuts and chocolate chips with the flour (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom during baking). Fold the coated nuts and chocolate into the filling mixture.

Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the edges are set and golden but the center still has a slight wobble — the pie will continue to set as it cools. If the crust edges brown too quickly, cover them with a ring of foil.

Serving: Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before slicing — the filling needs time to set. Slice with a hot, clean knife and serve at room temperature or slightly warm, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

The Mimosa Pairing Logic: Since the filling contains Prosecco and bourbon, pair with a classic Prosecco mimosa — orange juice and Prosecco. The bright citrus complements the bourbon, the chocolate, and the toasted walnuts. A peach bellini mimosa is also excellent — the peach echoes the Prosecco and complements the Southern character of the pie. Avoid heavy or dry mimosas — this pie is rich, boozy, and chocolate-nutty, and you need something light and bright to balance it.

Reference Links: - Derby pie on Wikipedia (Melrose Inn, 1954, Kern family, trademark): Wikipedia - Best Derby (Chocolate Pecan Bourbon) Pie recipe: Food52 - Kentucky Derby Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie: Brown Eyed Baker - Prosecco di Valdobbiadene: Wikipedia

Make-Ahead: The pie can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature, covered loosely with foil — it actually improves after a day as the bourbon and chocolate flavors meld. The pie can be gently reheated in a 302°F (300°F) oven for 10 minutes before serving to restore the gooey, fudgy texture. The pie can be frozen for up to 1 month — thaw at room temperature overnight. The pie crust can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept chilled.

Pro Tips: Toast the walnuts before chopping — toasting intensifies their flavor and removes the slight bitterness of raw walnuts. Coat the chocolate chips and walnuts in a tablespoon of flour before folding them into the filling — this prevents them from sinking to the bottom and ensures even distribution. Don't overbake — the center should still have a slight wobble when you remove the pie from the oven; the filling continues to set as it cools, and overbaking makes it dry. The bourbon is essential — it's what gives the pie its Kentucky character, and the alcohol mostly cooks off during baking, leaving only flavor. Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before slicing — warm pie will be a runny mess. Use a hot knife for clean slices. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream — the contrast between the warm, gooey pie and the cold ice cream is the entire point.