Dad Whats 4 Dinner

One dads attempt to make ordinary everyday food extraordinary

Derby Day Truffles with Candied Bourbon Pecans

by 62 Comments

These Derby Day Truffles with Candied Bourbon Pecans are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

A sure sign of spring is the running of The Kentucky Derby in early May. The 1.25-mile horse race is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY., on the first Saturday in May. It is the first race of the Triple Crown and is considered the crown jewel of the horse racing world. In Louisville, it is a two-week long festival including parties and parades.

The festivities kick off with Thunder over Louisville, fireworks, and airshow, two Saturday’s before the Derby. The show is considered one of the largest in the country.www.dadwhats4dinner.com

Derby Day is a glamorous affair, where the rich and famous wear their spring finest, with most women wearing very elaborate hats. It is the place to be and be seen.

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Kentucky Derby History Alternatively referred to as “The Run for the Roses” or “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” the Kentucky Derby is a 1.25 mile race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. The Kentucky Derby draws an average of 150,000 visitors each year, including residents, out-of-towners, celebrities, presidents, and even members of royal families.Kentucky Derby History:The first Kentucky Derby race occurred in 1875. Close to 10,000 people watched as 15 thoroughbred horses ran what was then a 1.5 mile course. In 1876, the length of the race was changed to 1.25 miles. By the early 1900s, owners of winning Kentucky Derby horses started sending their winners to run in the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and the Belmont Stakes in New York. In 1930, sportswriter Charles Hatton coined the term “Triple Crown” in reference to the same horses running the three races consecutively. Courtesy of Kentucky Derby Facts and History from about.com

Many foods are synonymous with The Kentucky Derby. The most famous is probably the Mint Julep (click here for the recipe from KentuckyDerby.com).  I guess this is technically not a food, but a drink, but after you have 2 or 3, you won’t care anyway.

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

They also serve Burgoo which is a thick meaty stew and Derby-Pie® which is basically a walnut chocolate pie. As their website says “The original and only Derby-Pie® is from Kern’s Kitchen in Louisville, Ky.

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

For my Derby Day Truffles, I used my Chocolate Pecan Pie recipe, adding semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little bourbon for good measure. If you are not inclined to bake your own pie, just buy a regular pecan pie from your baker.

This recipe is fairly easy, especially if you use a store-bought pie, but a little time-consuming because the truffles need to chill. Be sure to keep your hands clean as you roll the pie mixture into truffles. I cleaned my hands after every 3 balls. Also when coating the truffles in chocolate, you might want to work in batches, keeping half of the balls chilled, until ready to coat.

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

These Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it! The Derby is known as “The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports” but it will take you less time to eat these truffles. Put on your big hat, bet on your favorite horse and enjoy these Derby Day Truffles with a Mint Julep.

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

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Pin ItDerby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!

Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!
Print
Derby Day Truffles
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
These Derby Day Truffles are very decadent, elegant and exquisite to look at. You will be the hit of your Kentucky Derby Party, I guarantee it!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 36
Author: Quinn Caudill
Ingredients
  • 1 (9 inch) homemade pecan or derby pie. (see recipe below) Substitute a store-bought pecan pie.
  • 1 cup graham crackers, broken fine but not crushed
  • 16 oz. good quality dark chocolate. semi sweet will work fine
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup Jim Beam Bourbon or bourbon of your choice
  • 2 oz. butter
  • 1/4 brown sugar, packed
Instructions
  1. Cook Chocolate Pecan Pie as directed and allow to cool completely or if using store bought pie bring to room temperature.
  2. Place whole pie in mixing bowl with graham crackers.
  3. Blend on low until crust is broken up and pie is mixed.
  4. Chill mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

  5. Remove mixture from the fridge, roll into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet, lined with wax paper. To keep pie mix from sticking keep your hands clean.

  6. Chill balls in the fridge for at least two hours.

  7. Could also be placed in the freezer to chill faster.

  8. While balls chill, place butter, sugar, and bourbon in microwave safe baking dish.
  9. Microwave for 1 minute until butter is melted.
  10. Stir and add chopped pecans.
  11. Microwave on high for 3 minutes stirring every 30 seconds.

  12. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Pecans will harden. When ready to use break pecans apart and reserve.

  13. When truffles are chilled, melt chocolate in microwave on 50% power until melted stirring every 30 seconds. Do not over-cook.

  14. Remove balls from the fridge.

  15. Using a toothpick or fork, dip balls in melted chocolate.

  16. Remove excess and place on baking sheet lined with wax paper.
  17. Place a few bourbon pecans on top.
  18. Work quickly as chocolate will harden fast.
Recipe Notes

First published by Quinn Caudill for dadwhats4dinner.com © April 2016 Updated © April 2018

You might also like my:

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie | dadwhats4dinner.com

Slow Cooker Overnight Derby Pie Oatmeal Recipe

Derby Pie for Breakfast! Yes, sir with my Slow Cooker Overnight Derby Pie Oatmeal Recipe!

My blogger colleagues and I share some derby inspired foods with this #DerbyDayRecipes Round-Up. Is your hat ready? Check out all great recipes!

#DERBYDAYRECIPES ROUND UP www.dadwhats4dinner.com

Angel Biscuits from Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Bourbon Peach Tea from Family Around The Table

Grapefruit and Thyme Bourbon Smash from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Hot Brown Sandwich from Palatable Pastime

Pickled Shrimp from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Tortilla Chip Derby Hats from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

About Quinn Caudill

"Quinn is the author, photographer and recipe designer over at DadWhats4Dinner. He enjoys cooking for family and friends and being creative in the kitchen. He makes ordinary everyday food extraordinary. He lives just north of Cincinnati with his wife of 24 years, three kids and three cats. His kids have well-developed palates and his youngest daughter is now working with him on the blog creating recipes for her own page "Cooking with Ella". Follow him on: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram."

Comments

  1. Lori says

    Wow. I think I just gained 3 pounds. I can taste it without even tasting it from these pics. Nice. I like to cook and consider myself decent at it, but I do not have your talent. I see you tried out for MasterChef! Have you tried out for any other cooking shows? The Taste is one of my favorite shows which might be a good one for you. How ’bout The Next Food Network Star? That would be so cool. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog.

    Reply

    • Quinn Caudill says

      Your too kind. No I have not tried out for any other shows. My kids keep bugging me too. I don’t consider myself that talented just trying to feed the kids and make the wife and friends happy. Hopefully my blog will take off, working hard to gain followers. Thanks for your comments and kind words. Good luck to you and hope you are back soon.

      Reply

        • Quinn Caudill says

          Ok be careful. Reddit is an interesting site. Create an account. Do not use your blog name as your user name. Follow rules closely. IE: post other peoples URL at a 10 to 1 ratio otherwise you will get banned. Trust me everything I just said I went through and did wrong. You can drive lots of traffic but you must share the love with other sites and follow their rules. You must choose a subreddit. Like a page,, r/food, r/baking, r/cheap_meals
          Let me know if you have any questions. Q

          Reply

  3. GFLife247 says

    We used to have a Kentucky Derby party growing up as kids! These truffles look delicious too. Thanks for bringing them to Fiesta Friday! 🙂

    Reply

    • Quinn Caudill says

      My parents never did. Not much into hoarse racing. When my son was younger we would incorporate his birthday (May 5th) with a Derby Day Party. The truffles are yummy and easy to make if you use a store bought pecan pie. These would also be good for Thanksgiving. Could it be made Gluten Free?? :))

      Reply

      • GFLife247 says

        Yeah, you can definitely make gluten free pies and such. It may not be as flaky, but I think with how you use it in this recipe it would come out well. And, with bourbon, it depends on the person. Many consider distilled alcohols to be gluten free due to the distillation, while others still stick to those that use non-gluten grains. But there are bourbons that don’t use wheat or barley at all, so definitely doable. 🙂

        Reply

  4. Jhuls says

    This is my firsy time hearing about Derby Day – thanks for the introduction. The truffles sounds awesome. Happy FF! 🙂

    Reply

    • Quinn Caudill says

      Thanks for stopping by my little blog and leaving a comment. I guess Derby Day is a Midwestern thing. It is huge in Louisville and somewhat a big deal here in Cincinnati. Just another reason to create dishes and have a party. :))

      Reply

  6. Arl's World says

    Wow! This looks amazing! This would be deadly in my house ….gobble, gobble, nom, nom, nom … 🙂 Love your write up on the Derby …I have been watching all three races for years.

    Reply

  11. chefjulianna says

    OK, I am literally falling off my chair right now! What an amazing blog post!!Not only did I learn about the Kentucky Derby, but wow, I got to gawk at your over-the-top gorgeous truffles! Drool, drool, drool…..:D

    Reply

    • Quinn Caudill says

      I hope you didnt hurt yourself when you feel. LOL ☺ thanks for the feed back. glad to hear some time likes my food and event tie in. Happy Derby Day. Enjoy!!!!

      Reply

    • Quinn Caudill says

      Thanks Natalie. I’m glad you liked the post. I wasn’t sure if readers would like my mix of history of events and the foods that are associated with them. Thanks for the positive feedback. The truffles were awesome. Quinn

      Reply

  17. Christine says

    my sister was REALLY trying to get me to make truffles over Easter. She’ll be so happy when I turn up with these!

    Reply

  24. Jolina says

    Those look so decadent! And how can you say no to an ingredient list like that? I know all about truffle rolling (I made a huge a mess of our kitchen when I made some), great tip about keeping half of them chilled until you’re ready for them!

    Reply

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