This Kentucky Pecan Pie is the kind of dessert that’ll have everyone reaching for seconds! It’s packed with rich pecans and melty chocolate, giving it that warm, cookie-like texture that’s downright irresistible. And the best part? It’s super simple to make. Perfect for when you want an impressive dessert for your Kentucky Derby watch party without all the fuss!
This super easy, super delicious Kentucky Pecan Pie recipe is actually from my wife’s grandmother. It’s probably one of the very first things that Heather ever made for me. It is absolutely delicious and always a favorite on our Thanksgiving table. Think chocolate pecan pie with maybe a little warm chocolate chip cookie mixed in. It’s awesome served slightly warmed with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Now speaking of Thanksgiving, each year I am reminded of one of the most hilarious food stories I have…. (queue flashback sequence and dreamy music).
Let’s go back in time to right after I finished my degree. I had a new house, a new car, and being the budding foodie that I was, I decided that canned cranberry sauce just wasn’t going to be good enough for me anymore. So after weeks (and I do mean weeks) of searching and scouring, I finally found a recipe that I was excited about.
Now I can’t remember the recipe exactly (I’ve made huge attempts to completely block that from my memory), but I seem to remember combining what seemed to be about 14 expensive ingredients and boiling them for a while. Then I was to transfer the mixture to a blender to puree the concoction. Well, here’s where the fun begins.
My kitchen, at that time, had white counters, white cabinets, white walls, and white ceilings ( I know… sounds boring, anyway…), so keep that in mind. Oh yeah, and we have a white dog.
So you ask, why am I telling you about our dog??? Just keep reading.
So I pour the blazing hot conglomeration of cranberries, orange zest, sugar, etc. into my blender, plop the top on, and flip the switch. But guess what I forgot to do… yep! Forgot to put my hand on the top. And wouldn’t you know it, that hot liquid whirled around and blew the top right off the blender sending a geyser of hot cranberry goo all over my kitchen in a fashion much like Old Faithful.
Now remember back there when I told you about my kitchen and how white it was, and my dog… suddenly everything was not so white anymore, including the dog. Bailey loved it though… she scurried around the kitchen licking up all that she could, bless her heart. So I bust out the bleach cleaner and ladder and start to scrubbing. I’m just about finished when Heather comes in and helps me finish (she has great timing doesn’t she?).
Well, there was some still left in the blender, and I had only attempted to puree half of it so I decided to try again with the remaining “sauce”. I carefully poured the remaining liquid from the pot into the blender and reached down to plug the blender back into the outlet to get started (it got unplugged while cleaning). But what I failed to realize is that the switch had gotten bumped back into the on position and there was NO LID on the blender.
So once again, a red, gelatinous goo gets blasted all over my kitchen. Believe it or not, after spending another 45 minutes cleaning, there was enough left that I was actually able to make some real killer cranberry sauce. Everyone really loved it, and I’m glad… cause they’ll never have it again. From then on… we’ve been canned all the way.
How is Kentucky Pecan Pie different from regular pecan pie?
There are several differences between Kentucky Pecan Pie and regular pecan pie. The ingredients, flavors, textures, and appearances of these two pies truly set them apart from each other.
- Ingredients – The main difference is in the ingredients. Kentucky Pecan Pie, sometimes known as chocolate pecan pie, features the addition of chocolate to its ingredients. While regular pecan pie, typically does not include chocolate.
- Flavor – The two pies are also different in flavor. The regular pecan pie is sweet but also has a fairly dominant nutty flavor. On the other hand, the Kentucky Pecan Pie has a much more dominant sweet flavor with the addition of the richness of the chocolate.
- Texture – Another key difference between the two pies is the texture. As I mentioned earlier, this Kentucky Pecan Pie is like the perfect combination of a warm chocolate chip cookie and a pecan pie. It is denser throughout with a cookie-like consistency and pecans mixed in. If you have ever had Kern’s Kitchen Derby Pie, you could say the texture of this Kentucky Pecan Pie is similar to that pie. The regular pecan pie tends to be more gooey towards the bottom with a crispy and crunchy top layer of pecans.
- Appearance – Appearance is a big difference as the Kentucky Pecan Pie appears more like a big cookie with pecans mixed throughout. The pecan pie has most all of its pecans at the top of the pie so that is mostly what you see before you cut into it.
Ingredient FAQs
Semi-sweet chocolate chips – The sweetness of these chocolate chips is what really boosts the decadent flavor of Kentucky Pecan Pie. I do not recommend using any other variety of chocolate chips, such as dark chocolate or white chocolate. The flavor just simply will not be the same.
Chopped pecans – You should measure one cup of these chopped pecans AFTER they are chopped. If you measure 1 cup of whole pecans and then chop them, you will end up with less pecans throughout the cake.
Eggs – Let your eggs get to room temperature before you mix them with the other ingredients. Room-temperature eggs mix more easily than cold eggs.
Sugar – I recommend granulated sugar for this recipe. I suppose you could use brown sugar, but that could affect the overall texture and sweetness so I suggest sticking with regular old granulated for this recipe.
Butter – You will need 1/2 cup of butter for this recipe. I typically recommend unsalted when baking but if you only have salted on hand, that will do.
All-purpose flour – Stick with all-purpose flour for this recipe. I do not recommend substituting self-rising for this recipe else you may end up with a mess in your oven from the pie rising and overflowing.
Vanilla extract – I’m really not favorable towards any brand when it comes to vanilla extract. As a matter of fact, if you want to go with plain ol’ vanilla flavoring instead, knock yourself out.
Pie crust – I highly recommend you go with an unbaked, deep-dish pie shell. You can find those in the refrigerated or frozen sections of your grocery store.
Recipe Card
Kentucky Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9-inch) deep dish unbaked pie shell
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine chocolate chips, nuts, eggs, sugar, butter, flour, and vanilla and mix well.
- Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the pie is set.
- Allow to cool before slicing. Serve slightly warm with a scooof vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Debra Caraballo
I just made this pie last Wednesday! It’s a family favorite. It had been awhile, and we really enjoyed it. Thanks for the video, I loved watching it!
Thank you, Debra! So glad you enjoyed it!
Cindy
My mom has made this pie my whole life, but we call it chocolate chip pie. It’s absolutely delicious and brings back many memories.
It’s so good!
Lieu
Excellent! It is a very easy recipe to follow and make. Keeper for sure.
Thanks, Lieu! So glad you enjoyed it!
Libby Hester
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was great!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Lori D
This pie was easy to make, and was a hit with all the guests. I didn’t have any chocolate chips. I used chocolate bark.
Awesome! So glad to hear it turned out perfect for you!
Peggy
Thank you for the recipe! I used to make this pie for special occasions, but somewhere along the way, I lost the recipe. This is such a delicious pie! I’m so happy that you shared it! You can bet I’ll be making this soon!
Happy to hear it’ll be on your table again soon!
Debbiedoo
Hi Stacey I wanted to make your pie for Thanksgiving (tomorrow) actually
Any hoo could I sub a cup of Splenda?
Thanks for any input that u may have
I think that should work, though I’ll admit, I don’t have much experience in doing Splenda swaps like that. Let me know how it turns out.
Leslie
I posted a comment but couldn’t find it but I wanted to add our bakery in Morehead Kentucky calls theirs the Rootabaker pie…it’s very good.
That’s a fun name!
Jess
Can these be made ahead of time and frozen without compromising the texture?
Yep! This one freezes surprisingly well. Enjoy!
Sherry Ann Fortner
I’m so glad you shared your cranberry story. I laughed out loud. I thought I was the only one who had such hare-brained moments. I am blonde btw!
Ha! It’s such an unbelievable story, I just had to share it. Glad to hear it gave you a chuckle!
Cindy Burrell
I’m putting this recipe on my Pinterest Board. Your story was hilarious, but also sad. Back many years ago, Clemson had a great season and Coke or Pepsi (I don’t remember which one) offered a bottled drink with the Clemson Tiger Paw, their Football Schedule, & Scores. We had a couple we saved, and my mom had a couple she saved. Now, my mom never opened hers. She came home from work one day, walked into her kitchen and it was not pretty. Those two bottles had flipped their bottle caps and soda was everywhere. It was all over the walls, the cabinets, appliances, the floor, and the ceiling. We learn from our mistakes (well, hopefully so we don’t make the same one again.)
Ha! I appreciate you sharing that story! It sounds like quite the mess!
Sandra
This pie was amazing! It was easy to make and turned out beautifully. I absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear you loved the pie and found it easy to make! Thanks for trying it out and sharing your experience.
Lisa
Hello Stacy! I love your recipes! Your show is great and you make me feel like I can make them easily. I just made the Kentucky Pecan Pie. My filling did not look as thin as yours, mine looked almost like cookie dough. I’m wondering if I did something wrong. Any thoughts?
This probably has to do with the temperature of your butter. Was it totally melted? How did it turn out?
Janie
Hi Stacy. I would like to make this poor for the holidays this year but I would like a diabetic version. Would it be okay to substitute sugar? Thank you and Happy Holidays.
HI Janie! I’ve only ever made this pie as written, so I can’t say for sure. I’ve heard good things about the Swerve sweetener, but I’ve not used it.
Becky
YES!! I successfully substituted the sugar for our Thanksgiving gathering, and it worked beautifully! This has always been my favorite pie, and I was so glad to be able to still enjoy it while still watching my sugar intake. I actually used the “Bake Believe” chocolate chips, which are also sugar free, and I replaced the sugar with Monkfruit. No one even knew that it had any substitutions!!
So glad to hear it turned out great for you!
teresa yarborough
You mix hard pecans and chocolate chips together with the other ingredients? You don’t mix the eggs, sugar, butter and flour first before adding those in??
Nope. It all gets mixed together at once.
Janice Newman
I haven’t made this but need to ask do the chocolate chips completely melt. I ask because I don’t like to bite into the morsels. I wish the chocolate would be a more creamy consistency but absolutely love all the pecans.
Not always completely. You can see in the photos where some of them still hold their shape a little.
Karen Lundin
Your story about your white kitchen and dog was funny now, but what a nightmare for you then! Keep up the good work, love your recipes!
Thanks so much, Karen!
Julie Miller
This recipe is just what I have been looking for. It sounds so good, I can’t wait to try it. My family will be very excited 😊. It will be a perfect addition to our Thanksgiving table and probably Christmas too. Thank you so much!
I’m so glad this recipe caught your eye! I hope it’s a big hit with your family and earns a permanent spot on your holiday table. Let me know how it turns out—wishing you a delicious and joyful Thanksgiving!
Caryn
I just made this pie. It’s very good but the butter melted the chocolate chips and it ended up looking nothing like the picture. Was I supposed to let the butter cool? I will definitely make it again, though.
Hey, Caryn! No, I usually do not allow the butter to cool. Glad y’all enjoyed it!
Linda C.
Stacey … I have made this pie several times. So easy and so dang good!!! So glad I discovered your recipe.
Me too! Thanks, Linda!
Jessica Devine
How would you suggest storing this until I present it to my dad for Father’s Day tomorrow? Thanks!
It’s fine on the counter, tightly wrapped.
JoAnn Lamb
Funny story about the cranberries. I think we all have a similar experience. I also looked all over for a cranberry recipe to replace the canned. I finally found one. Looks and tastes like the canned but somehow I feel better about serving it. Silly me.
😄
Toni
This pie presents so well. It looks like it was more difficult to make than it actually is. I made it for a coworker’s birthday and made an extra since I had two pieces shells, so she could take one home for her family. It was a huge hit in the office. Making two more to take to my boyfriend’s mom & dad’s to go with dinner. I’ll be making it again and again. Thank you!
Look at you looking like a total rock star! Glad to hear it turned out great for you!
Laurie
I made this pie to take to a Christmas gathering. It was a huge hit! Absolutely delicious and easy to make! Try it. You won’t be sorry you did 😋
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed it!
Chris
Question, does the flour keep the chocolate chips from floating to the top?
Hmmm… I’m not sure if that’s the case, but they don’t seem to float.
Lori
Stacey,
I’ve made this two other times and we love it! I am going to make it tonight but was thinking of trying dark chocolate chips. Have you ever made it with dark chocolate?
Yes! It’s great with dark chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Barbra I make
I live in Bardstown, Kentucky and I make this recipe all the time but I call it Derby pie. I make it either with pecans or with walnuts whichever my customers or friends want. I have also added two tablespoons of bourbon to this recipe. It always turns out delicious!!
Derby Pie is a registered trademark. So we call ours Kentucky Pecan Pie. 🙂
Krystina
I came to the comments to say the same (as a fellow Kentuckian)!
Tammy
I took this pie to church tonight. My pie pan was empty! Yummy!
Love hearing that!
Wendy
Hi Stacey,
I’m fixing to make your Kentucky Pecan Pie.
Should I thaw out the 9” deep dish ( store bought) pie shell prior to placing the ingredients in it ?
Wendy
Hi Stacey,
I’m fixing to make your Kentucky Pecan Pie and your Southern Pecan Pie.
On your Southern Pecan Pie recipe, it says to have 9” deep dish pie shell( store bought)… thawed out. Should I also thaw out the 9” deep dish ( store bought) pie shell prior to placing the ingredients in it ?
Thank you so much Stacey, for all your great recipes and your fun stories that go along with them. And thank you to Heather for her Kentucky Pecan Pie recipe. You and your family have a great Thanksgiving
Hey, Wendy! Ideally you do want the crust thawed. I don’t include instructions to thaw the crust as the few minutes it sits on the counter while you mix the ingredients is typically more than enough time for it to thaw. I’ll certainly pass that along to Heather. Happy Thanksgiving!
Teresa Deakins
I’m definitely going to make this pie for Thanksgiving. Looks delicious!
Funny how kitchen mishaps happen in mere seconds but clean up so much longer. My teenage daughter was getting a can of Dr Pepper from the fridge & dropped it on its end, blowing the top off, that got the ceiling, then landed on its side spinning around furiously & eventually lodged in a corner to empty its contents! We were laughing so hard we couldn’t catch that can! I told her she just made a memory & we still giggle about it 25 years later.
What a funny, but treasured, recipe! Funny how things like that stick with us. Hope you enjoy the pie!
Louise Pruitt
This is now a favorite at our home. Love this pecan pie!!!!!!!!
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Louise! I’m tickled to hear you enjoyed it!
Dee
The pie looks yummy. I laughed so hard when I read about the “Cranberry Sauce Incident” one of my dogs looked at me like I was bonkers. I love it when funny stories are told about funny “incidents” that happen when cooking. It reminded me of the time that I had a cooking incident. I purchased a Dutch Apple pie that had the crumble in a packet. I put the pie in the oven and placed the packet on the counter to thaw. Tick tock tick tock. Time to put on the crumble. I held the packet by one corner and began wacking it on the counter. For some unknown reason it would not loosen up. Soooooo I began to wack it harder. And harder. And harder. That’s better. Two more wacks should do it. On the second wack the packet split open on the last upward swing and crumble flew everywhere. I was madder than a hornet. Cleaned up the mess and put what precious little of the crumble was still in the packet on the pie. Later on in the day I thought that the look on my face when I saw crumble flying through air must have been priceless.
Oh Dee, this story is priceless!
Carla Mauro
I would love to try this pie because the picture doesn’t look like the traditional pecan pies which is just sugar. The picture looks like there is a crust on the top but mo mention of topping in the recipe.
Definitely not the traditional pecan pie! The added chocolate chips make it a wonderful take on the traditional pie!
Becky
This pie is AMAZING!! I grew up eating “Derby Pie” during the holidays as a kid, and we had a similar recipe in our family cookbook. Once I was married and out of the house, I nominated myself to be the one to bring the Derby Pie every year for Thanksgiving, and again for Christmas, and it was always a hit. One year, due to the overwhelming amount of desserts brought, I noticed that my pie was still in my little pie carrier, and it didn’t end up getting put out on the dessert table. That turned out to be the best Thanksgiving EVER! Because, everyone was satisfied with the 14 other desserts that had been brought, and I got to take my WHOLE Derby pie back home and didn’t have to share it! (Well, I think I gave my hubby a slice at home, but that was it!!)
Yes I agree! The BEST Thanksgiving ever! Although, I can’t imagine anyone was ever too full for Derby Pie!
Cindy
This is my second time making this pie. Not only is it delicious, but it’s so easy to make. I also added a little more chopped pecans and a drop or two more of vanilla. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sandie Cargill
If this is a type of pecan pie, why doesn’t it have light karo syrup? The ingredients sound more like a chocolate chip cookie.
Not all pecan pies are the same.
Shirley Kirk
I have made this pie many many, times it’s wonderful!! But I always called it, DERBY PIE. Thanks for the recipe 👍😊
Hi Shirley! Yes, it is quite often called that. A bakery in Kentucky owns the copyright to that title, so we just have to call ours a little something different. Enjoy!
Brad
Followed recipe to the letter but it
came out bone dry…a dry cookie and not a pie. Tasted okay. Any idea how to improve it?
Hmmm… sounds like maybe it was overcooked. It’s not a gooey pie, per se, unless it’s warm, though.
Leslie
Which bakery? I worked at Rootabakers in morehead…they made a derby pie…
Angie
Excited to try the Pecan recipe-however, I was lead here for the cranberry sauce story! Oh I wish I could say I always remember to put the lid on firmly and have my hand on it – NOPE! It is always bad if it is HOT with steam. Oh the messes! Truly enjoyed your flashbacks and current – Nov 4 2021 cranberry info. Both recipes will be made from NOV to Jan! Thank you!
Ha! It’s so hard to remember that dang top! 😂
Debbie
If I make this pie for Christmas Eve how many days ahead could I make it? Looks delicious ????
I’d say no more than 3. Enjoy!
Lisa
I’m putting this on our menu for Christmas. I’m trying to prep as much as I can now as I’m due with baby #4 Christmas week. Have you ever frozen this pie? Would you freeze it baked or unbaked?
I have! Bake it, then double wrap in foil and plastic, then freeze.
Cherie
This is one of my all time favorite pies!! I always requested it for my birthday growing up. Thank you for sharing the recipe!! I’ll be adding it to our Thanksgiving menu. ♥️
Sure hope you’ll enjoy it!
Donna
This recipe sounds great, am adding it to the menu for this thanksgiving. Just wondering if you’ve ever made a crust for it or used premade refrigerated pie crusts like pillsbury or Trader Joe’s with it before. Also, what would you recommend is a good deep dish one to use. Thanks for sharing and happy thanksgiving
Hey Donna! I usually use the Pillsbury rolled up refrigerated crusts and my own pie plate, but have certainly used the frozen, pre-formed crusts in the aluminum pans, too. I usually just get whatever’s on sale. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Debbie
I knew that this was Derby Pie but I just took it for granted that since you weren’t from KY that you just left that off.
I’m not sure that I would like it but I really want to try it out and see what it is like.
I can’t call it that because that’s a phrase that’s protected by copyright, but I do hope you’ll try it!
Cava CASTAGNARO
Can you use unsweetened chocolate chips
I’ve not done that, but it will work – it just won’t taste quite the same.
Carolyn
I spent half of my childhood, and this is one of my favorite desserts. We called it Derby Pie. Thanks for the reminder. I’m putting your recipe on my Thanksgiving list!
Hope you’ll enjoy!!
Susan
Open a can of whole berry cranberry sauce, add a TBL of that bottle of bourbon everyone wants you to use in your pie, then roast some pecans and in they go. You’ve got some really good cranberry sauce. I promise.
Sounds GREAT! Love that idea!
Constance Whitley
Followed the recipe exactly & it was decadently delicious. Will be making it often from now on.
I like any kind of cranberry sauce, including canned, and laughed out loud at your story. I make the KISS version on the back of the Ocean Spray fresh cranberries bag: sugar, water & berries. After the holidays, when the cranberries are marked down to about .50 a bag, I make pints & pints of it & can in my water bath canner. Then I have homemade cranberry sauce for months. Easy & economical!
So glad you enjoyed this!! And so smart on using those discounted cranberries!
Suellen
More popularly known as Derby Pie by those of us from Kentuckiana but you forgot the bourbon.
Ahh! Yes, but see that is a copyrighted term, so this here is a Kentucky Pecan Pie!
Lisa
Going to make this today, sounds delicious! Do you need to refrigerate any leftover pie? I have your slow cooker chicken & gravy in the crock pot now, can’t wait to try! This is the first recipe I have tried. Thanks for posting!
No, there’s no need to refrigerate if it’s going to be eaten within a few days. Hope you enjoy it all! 🙂
Jennifer Christoper
I’m making this now.I’m a little concerned how it will turn out though… mine was a lot runnier than what yours looked like in the pictures…?! I followed instructions exactly. I did try adding a little more flour though at the end to thicken up more. We’ll see!
Hope it turned out great!
Kristen
Made this tonight! My husband and kids loved it! He said I could sell it lol. I followed the directions as is. Didn’t change anything.
Awesome! Glad it turned out well for you!
Barbara
Pie was easy to make and very yummy!!!!!!!!!! Will definitely make again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Betty
Ok, to be a true KY pie, you left off the most important ingredient, bourbon. It is optional but still the option needs to be included. This is coming from a Kentuckian.
lynne
do u use self rising flour or plain in this? ty
Sorry for the confusion. All-purpose
Tina
oh my! You got me giggling today…I’m picturing your “white with red speckles” dog!!
We are having a crazy early snowstorm today and my tradition is to always bake something when it snows!! I think Derby Pie it is!!
Joan Hayes
This looks yummy, may replace the pecan pie at my house this Thanksgiving!
Deb
Make sure you double the recipe for 1 nine inch pie! If I didn’t double, the batter wouldn’t fill the pie shell! 😉
Alana
Very funny story! I didn’t make the mess you did, but I have tried “fancy” cranberry relish recipes in the past and always go back to the canned!ha I have a “new” recipe sitting right here on my desk I printed this morning to try this year……I just never think they are as good as all the ingredients and trouble, but I still keep trying.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Alana
Barbara C.
try the recipe from paula deen Its soooo good and easy