I guess I haven’t made a Grasshopper Pie in a long time since my grown son gave it a glance and said, “What is that?” in a not very nice way. This is a kid who has always adored mint chocolate ice cream, so I feel kind of guilty that – until now – he has missed out on this delicious and delightful throw back to the past. Maybe I didn’t make it for him because it has a touch of alcohol, or maybe I just forgot about it. But the fact is, that in researching cocktails for my book I read a history of the famous Grasshopper Cocktail invented in the 1910’s in – no surprise – New Orleans. Well actually, that’s not exactly true, the Grasshopper Cocktail was the second runner up in a cocktail competition in New York, created by the owners of Tujague's Bar in New Orleans, where it proudly came back to live and is still quite popular. Suddenly I was craving a Grasshopper Pie - can you imagine that? The dessert, itself, seems to have been created in the 50’s when cream pies were all the rage. I know it was still popular, at least in the south, in the 70’s because I remember ordering it in a restaurant and feeling extremely sophisticated.
There are about a million recipes for Grasshopper Pie, but the one I make, and I think is the absolute best, starts with Oreo cookies for the crust. The filling has cream and marshmallows and of course the main ingredients for the cocktail, Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cocoa, both relatively low in alcohol, so not a really “dangerous” pie after all. It’s just a lot of fun. And is it ever so easy to make – no baking!! Plus, to top it all, it’s green, just like my yard after our week of rain. Make this soon, it’s a great way to celebrate spring – that’s just an excuse – it’s a great way to celebrate anything you want to celebrate. Hip, hip, hooray!
Ingredients
1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (Minus one, because you may want to taste one and make sure they are ok.)
10 oz. bag of large marshmallows (Minus one – same reason.)
4 Tbsp. melted butter
2/3 cups half & half
¼ cup crème de menthe liqueur
¼ cup crème de cocoa liqueur
1 cup heavy cream
Optional: green food coloring
Directions
Pulse Oreos in the food processor to make fine crumbs (Or get your aggression out by crushing them in a baggie with a rolling pin.)
Save ¼ of a cup of the crumbs for topping.
Mix remaining crumbs with butter and press in a pie pan, on the bottom and up the sides.
Combine marshmallows and half & half in a large pot and melt together over medium heat stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in both liqueurs, making sure to combine completely.
Allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes (placing the pot in a larger bowl of ice and water helps it cool faster)
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat cream until it is stiff.
Pour cooled marshmallow mixture into whipped cream and gently fold to combine.
Pour filling into the prepared crust, top with reserved cookie crumbs and freeze until solid, about two hours.
Serve with chocolate sauce if desired.
Enjoy!
