Cool, creamy St. Patrick’s Day Dessert
How About Some Grasshopper Pie?
I’m not a fan of green foods on St. Patrick’s Day…I think green potatoes or green meat just look spoiled and unappetizing. But there’s one green treat I find delicious and perfect for the day and that’s the dessert, Grasshopper Pie! No, no, there are no grasshoppers used in this pie! It’s named that because some wag at some point in time decided it looked like the shade of green that many grasshoppers wear. But you can bet that the flavor in this pie has nothing to do with grasshoppers!
What More Could You Ask on St. Patrick’s Day?
This pie is pale green, has a minty, creamy taste, and the filling floats on a chocolate cookie crust! What more could you ask for on St. Patrick’s Day? Oh, I know! You could ask for it to be light on your tummy after all that corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread. This dessert is just that. So you can go ahead and have dessert after dinner, your tummy will thank you!
There are two recipes below. Make sure you stick with the recipe for the one you want, as they are totally different. One is made with Creme de Menthe liqueur (both green and white types) and the other is made without alcohol another for those who prefer it without. Either recipe will complement your St. Patrick’s Day menu perfectly. Please note that the between the two recipes, some of the other ingredients are different in ways too.
Recipe For Creme de Menthe Grasshopper Pie
THIS IS THE ONE WITH ALCOHOL
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 15 min
Yields: 6 to 8 slices
Creme de Menthe Grasshopper Pie
This recipe CONTAINS ALCOHOL
1 9-inch chocolate cookie crust (or make your own with the recipe following the filling recipes on this page.)
1 1-pound bag marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Green Creme de Menthe Liqueur
3 Tablespoons White Creme de Menthe Liqueur
1 and 1/2 cup whipping cream, OR 1 8-ounce container Cool Whip.
Melt marshmallows in milk (may be done in microwave.) Stir, then cool completely. Fold into whipped cream, blend in liqueurs AFTER this step. Then turn mixture out into chocolate cookie crust. Freeze until firm (about 1 hour.) Garnish with whipped cream, crumbled chocolate cookies, or shaved chocolate. Remove from freezer at least 15 minutes before serving for ease in cutting. The pie will be pale green and delicious, perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day feast.
Green Creme de Menthe has that minty flavor and the gorgeous green color needed for Grasshopper Pie
Non-Alcoholic St. Patrick’s Day Grasshopper Pie
This recipe for Grasshopper Pie does NOT include alcohol. It’s a simple recipe, with great flavor for any time. You can make it quickly for a family dinner or special occasion and it will always be welcomed. You will notice it uses marshmallow fluff in the jar rather than marshmallows. That’s because the recipe above has alcohol which permeates the marshmallows to just the exact degree needed for the filling to remain intact. In other words, it’s a chemical reaction. So that being said, do not use that recipe for this pie, or vice versa, because it will result in a pie that doesn’t get that cool creamy effect you’re looking for.
Non-Alcohol Grasshopper Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 15 min
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 chocolate cookie pie crust (bought or homemade with recipe following)
1 pint jar marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup milk
4 drops Peppermint Extract
6 to 7 drops green food coloring
1 cup whipping cream, whipped,
Or 1 8-ounce container of Cool Whip
In mixing bowl, combine marshmallow fluff, milk, peppermint and food coloring. Whip until fluffy and fold in whipped cream. Fill chocolate cookie pie crust with mixture. Freeze until firm. Garnish with shaved chocolate or more crushed cookies.This pie will also be pale green, gracing your St. Patrick’s Day table in all its green finery, a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth!
If you’d like to make your own chocolate cookie crust, here’s how to do it. You can use plain chocolate cookies or Oreo’s, whichever you prefer.
Oreos make good chocolate cookie crust
Chocolate Cookie Crust
18 chocolate or Oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Crush cookies in food processor or by putting them into a plastic bag and rolling with a rolling pin. Mix melted butter thoroughly into cookie crumbs. Press crumbs firmly into pie plate, firming up the surface with the bottom of a glass. Make sure to bring the crumbs up the sides of the pie plate as much as possible. No baking necessary. Just fill with Grasshopper Pie mixture.
A Good Tool For This Pie
Hand-held mixers are so convenient for light mixing jobs like the filling for this Grasshopper Pie. They don’t take up much space in your kitchen and are light and easy to handle. For this recipe these mixers do a perfect job without having to haul out the big stand mixer. If you don’t yet have one, take a look at these mixers below.
Sounds perfect for St. Patrick’s day!
Susan, thank you! It really is a great dessert, as you said, “perfect for St Patrick’s Day!” But I think anytime through the summer, it would be a wonderful, cool dessert. Thanks again! 🙂 <3
I think this would be like eating a cloud, a very delicious cloud! Interesting about the chemistry behind the marshmallows. Honestly, just reading this triggered my brain and I could smell it. Wow, it smelled good! Thanks for sharing the recipes, Nancy!
Susan, it’s an old recipe I believe from back in the 60s or 70s, everybody made it back then. But lately it seems to win more friends every year during the season of St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks my friend. Appreciate the visit and the comment! 🙂 <3