Up until a year ago, I had no idea this decadent dessert existed. We just happened to visit friends in Kentucky over Derby weekend, so they had a fab party with mint juleps and Derby Pie. Derby pie, where have you been all my life? With the chocolate and nut combo (not to forget the butter and sugar), I'm completely a fan. Even though we didn't make it to KY this year (or even watch the Derby), I decided to use Derby day as an excuse to make this dreamy pie. With pretty basic ingredients, this dish isn't too rough on the pocketbook either! We're going to start enjoying this on more than just Derby day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon almond extract or 2 Tbs Bourbon (Bourbon is traditional and extract is cheap... we opted for cheap)
1 cup crumbled pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 cup chocolate chips

Pie crust, I used my staple recipe - Light Pie Crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F (and par-bake crust if need be)

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together

Add the flour, salt, and extract/Bourbon and continue mixing

Add the toasted nuts and chocolate chips, mix well and then dump into crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. This is great "à la mode" (with ice cream)!

This is my staple pie crust. I have to admit, I'm definitely not the biggest crust fan out there. I kind of hate that the pie crust can be higher cal than what's actually in the crust (and believe me, I'm not a calorie counter). So for that reason, I like this crust. It's light, flaky, has good flavor, and doesn't contain half a days amount of calories in the crust alone. I do like a rich crust on occasion, but not for regular, weekly stuff. I have to admit, I've been debating on posting this because thick crust lovers out there will hate me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbs oil
2-3 Tbs water
pinch of salt

Directions:
Mix all together and you should be able to form a pie crust ball

put in the middle of a greased 9inch pie pan and "mush and spread" (that's what I tell Sweet Pea). Heads up, it will be a thinner pie crust

...you could roll it out, but I'm not that sophisticated

I like to pre-bake mine at 350F for 5-8 minutes

...and the rest is up to you.

I've never actually thought of this as a real soufflé but randomly, the other day when I made the batter the night before, it poofed! It's always stayed relatively flat. So I'm not too sure what chemical reaction went on there but apparently letting the batter sit does help. My mom makes this quite often and she got it from a friend. I like to top it with sugared fruit to enjoy a nice fruity treat in the morning. Best of all, this recipe is really easy so mix everything the night before and whack it in the oven the next morning (thus, great for company).

Ingredients:
3 eggs
5 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons butter for pan

Directions:
Beat eggs, sugar, and milk together

Add the remaining flour, salt, and vanilla. Cover and let rest in the fridge

Heat oven to 425F and put butter in an 8 inch dish. Put dish in the oven to melt the butter then pour mixed batter into warmed dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Enjoy!