502Food Kentucky Derby Mini Pies

Derby time would not be complete without some version of this pie. I first made this recipe years ago in college in Florida (many, many years ago!!) and sold them to a woman hosting a Derby party. I used to make a whole pie, but I always ended up with leftover pie. I switched to mini pies and all the pies got eaten up. People clearly like bite sized mini pies much better than a slice, and an added benefit is that you don’t need a fork or plate!  These are especially good warm with a dollop of whipped cream. 

You will need a mini muffin pan and a 2 ½ inch round biscuit cutter to make the small pies.  A tablespoon sized scoop is useful as well. You can make a single 9 inch pie if desired. In that case, you will need only one pie crust. This will make about 48 mini pies. The recipe doubles easily and the pies freeze beautifully so they are great to do ahead.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (1 stick) melted unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 12 ounces mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped (toast at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes)
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 3 Pillsbury Ready Made Pie Crusts
  

Directions:

1.      Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2.      Mix the sugar, flour, melted butter and eggs together in a large bowl.

3.      Add the chocolate chips, nuts, bourbon, vanilla, and salt.

4.      Spread out pie crusts and cut out 2 ½ inch rounds.

5.      Press the rounds into the individual mini muffin cups.

6.      Scoop one tablespoon of the pie mixture into each cup.

7.      Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown (bake a whole pie for 45-60 minutes).