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Grasshopper Pie

Posted by Elise on Mar 16, 2007

Filed under Dessert

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My grandmother, on my dad's side, had an amazing sweet tooth. How that woman could eat as many jelly-filled donuts as she did and still live to 97, I'll never know. One of her favorite pies to make for us was grasshopper pie, a chilled minty green pie with an oreo cookie crust. I haven't found her recipe, but my father patched one together from many he found online that turns out a pie just like the one she used to make. Many grasshopper pie recipes are quite elaborate and call for gelatin, egg yolks, egg whites, etc. In this recipe we use marshmallows, instead of the eggs and gelatin.

Grasshopper Pie Recipe

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Ingredients

20 oreo cookies (40 halves), fillings discarded, cookies crushed
5 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup hot milk
24 large marshmallows
1/4 cup creme de menthe liqueur
2 tablespoons white creme de cacao
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Optional A drop or two of green food dye.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, mix crushed oreo cookie halves and butter. Pat into bottom and sides of 10 inch pie dish. Bake in oven for 5 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, place in freezer to chill.

2 In saucepan, melt marshmallows in milk over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Add creme de menthe and creme de cacao, and mix well. Add a drop or two of green food dye if desired. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into chilled pie shell. Freeze for 3 or 4 hours.

Serves 8. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Indexed: Mint, Pie

38 Comments

Yummy! Do you think it would be okay to use the prepared Oreo cookie crusts?

Posted by: Preya on May 15, 2006 12:36 AM

Oh so retro!

Posted by: Alanna on May 15, 2006 5:06 AM

I have a super easy recipe for Grasshopper Pie. It is great if you dont have the time to actaully make the whole thing.

1 store bought Oreo crust
1 package chocolate oudding
1 tub whipped cream

Make pudding as directed on box, pour in Oreo crust. Let that cool so it does not melt the whipped cream. Mix green food coloring and mint extract OR creme de menthe into the whipped cream. Spread on top of pudding. It is recommended to let the pie set for a couple of hours, but you can serve whenever.

It is a great summer dessert. and super simple to put together.

Thanks for all the great recipes!
andrea

Posted by: Andrea on May 15, 2006 6:55 AM

I've been making this pie for 20 years or so, and it is always a hit. (And yes, I often use the prepared Oreo crust.)

Posted by: bob on May 15, 2006 9:06 AM

Is this anything like alligator pie? i will never forget my first day of kindergarten, when my teacher sang a song about (and brought in) an alligator pie. It looks like the one above, and it took me a few minutes to realize there were no alligators in it! :-)

Posted by: Rachel on May 15, 2006 9:32 AM

This sounds absolutely delicious. Being a sweet tooth myself, it's good to hear that your grandmother lived to such a ripe ole age.

Posted by: Cheryl on May 15, 2006 2:12 PM

Damn, that looks good. Now if only I can have someone to bake this for me.... I would be really happy.

Posted by: ailehlia on May 15, 2006 3:11 PM

i love grasshopper pie and made a really delicious and slightly different version for a friend's wedding shower. your version looks delicious! if you add a touch of blue food colouring to the green, you get an even prettier minty colour.

Posted by: kickpleat on May 15, 2006 4:40 PM

Oh, this was always one of my favorites growing up. My mother didn't like to make cakes, so we always got pie for our birthday... grasshopper for me, cherry for her and pecan for my brother.

Posted by: L on May 15, 2006 7:37 PM

This looks like a great recipe, Elise, but I don't see at which step you add the grasshoppers?

Isn't this a Oaxacan recipe?

Posted by: David L. on May 16, 2006 1:08 PM

Hmmm never seen that before here, I'm from malaysia.. so basically I'm here to see how thing fill empty stomachs in the west, thought it was mint flavored for a moment there with that minty green color :P

Posted by: Sasi on May 16, 2006 2:00 PM

Hi David -

Years ago when I came home from a trip to Oaxaca I brought back some of those deep fried chili grasshoppers and terrorized my family for a week. "Look look, now I'm eating a head. And now some legs..." You get the picture. It wasn't appreciated and when I wasn't looking my bag of critters got thrown away.

Sasi - Fortunately for the family, the only resemblance this grasshopper pie has with an actual grasshopper is its color. I like to think of it as a Girl Scout chocolate mint thin, as a pie.

Posted by: Elise on May 16, 2006 2:37 PM

Sounds good to me. I'll try anything with oreo cookies in it.

Posted by: mixed salad annie on May 16, 2006 7:53 PM

RE: Alligator pie...I've seen gummy alligators at local supermarkets...add one or two of these as pie sets...I'm not sure if I've seen gummy grasshoppers though...leave out booze for kids and add mint flavoring...

Posted by: MWM on May 17, 2006 8:19 AM

thank you so much for this elise, i plan to make this for mum before she leaves for home. she loves mint and will enjoy this :)

Posted by: stef on May 17, 2006 3:11 PM

Thanks for the recipe! I am especially excited to make this since I am allergic to eggs, which excludes me from a lot of yummy cream pies. Do you think I can substitute the Creme de mente for something else, like a coconut liqueur?

Posted by: Sisero on May 18, 2006 3:04 PM

Hi there!

I was wondering if it would be good to also add dark chocolate chips to the pie.

I might try that! Mint, oreos and dark chocolate chips are among my favorite food items.

Posted by: Lou on May 18, 2006 11:29 PM

I am so pleasantly surprised to see this recipe on your website, definitely heart-warming! Unfortunately, due to the distance between California and Maryland and my family never traveling, I have only a few fond memories of Grandma Mae and her visits to Maryland but I distinctly remember her grasshopper pie and how much I loved it (I was teased about it from Pop Pop and Vera for years). I can not wait to try this recipe and I only hope I make it half as good as I remember it tasting! Do you have any more of Grandma Mae’s recipes you would be willing to share with me?

Posted by: Laurie Plum on May 23, 2006 10:19 AM

I just made this pie today. The only variations were using plain Creme De Cacao since I did not have the white variant. The pie is in the freezer, and almost ready.
I have a tip for anyone who makes this: Be careful when melting the marshmallows, as they will foam up very quickly. When this happens, just keep stirring to keep the level down.
And also: if you use green Creme De Menthe, green food coloring probably won't be necessary. The liquor I used was so green it stained the countertop when a drop fell on it.

I think I'll use Golden Oreos and add cocoa powder to the melted marshmallows next time.

Posted by: Amiel N on August 12, 2006 1:23 PM

My mother, who passed away 7 years ago faithfully made "Grasshopper Pie" every year for St.Patricks Day. Thanks to your easy recipe I can now continue on this tastey tradition for my own kids. It must be the "Luck of the Irish" that lead me to this site.

Posted by: Diana on March 16, 2007 12:31 PM

Well, that is one green pie! I've heard of Grasshopper Pie, but never knew what was in it. And you're right -- I immediately thought of Girl Scout Cookies....

Posted by: lydia on March 17, 2007 3:20 AM

While it sounds delicious, I'll buy one from the deli down the street : )

Posted by: Coco on March 17, 2007 8:04 AM

That's what I get for not reading your blog every day. This would've been perfect for St. Urho's Day (March 16). "The legend says St. Urho chased the grasshoppers out of ancient Finland, thus saving the grape crop and the jobs of Finnish vineyard workers."

Posted by: bentley on March 17, 2007 9:41 AM

The pie is named after the Grasshopper cocktail.

Posted by: Furrie Princess on March 17, 2007 11:38 AM

The first alcoholic drink I ever had was a grasshopper. This looks lovely. Absolutely delish... craving this moment.

Posted by: Linda, The Village Vegetable on March 17, 2007 4:32 PM

Hi Elise

Thanks for posting yet another yummy looking recipe. I have a question. Have you ever made crumb crust in lined muffin pans? Making indivdual servings of the large pie instead.
I have a cheesecake recipe that calls for using 1 whole vanilla wafer put in the bottom of each of the holes in the lined muffin pan.

Linda

Posted by: Linda on March 19, 2007 4:58 PM

Elise, you rock! This is such a super simple pie to make...I made it for Saturday night dinner and wow, it was great. I did end up sprinkling about a half-cup of mini choc chips over the top as it set, and that just intensifed the choc/mint contrast.

I can totally see how you might use this marshmallow base as a jumping off point for other pies...I'll have to experiment! one that is coming to mind would maybe be a cherry/ameretto pie, flavored with ameretto and sweet bing cherries. might have to play with it tho...

Posted by: Larry on March 20, 2007 2:55 AM

Hey everyone, i've got a joke for you, no doubt many of you will have heard it before, but i can't resist, it's my favorite joke :)

A grasshopper walks into a bar. The bartender looks up and says "Hey! You're a grasshopper! We have a drink named after you!".

And the grasshopper says "What, Kevin?".

Posted by: Bron on March 20, 2007 6:50 PM

Awww. My mom used to make this for guests in the 70s. We were little then and waited expectantly for the grown up desert with the *gasp* LIQUOR in it. Lol. Thanks for the recipe.

Posted by: Solaera on March 22, 2007 3:12 PM

I have a similar recipe that I used often with great success more than 30 years ago. Recently, the pie has been a failure repeatedly, because an intensely liquor-flavored layer forms from a separation of the marshmallow/whipped cream/liquor mixture. I'd thought that perhaps the formulation of marshmallows had changed since 30 years ago, but your recipe reassures me that it's not the marshmallows that are the problem. Therefore, it must be something that I'm doing wrong. What can it be?

Posted by: Sharon on August 14, 2007 1:48 AM

I too like Sharon, Aug. 14, 2007 have made this recipe for many years with no problem. The last four times it has been separating when I add the liquor to the marshmallow mixture. Folding in the whipped cream still does not help. This last time I had to add some gelatin to firm up the liquor layer. What am I doing wrong?

Posted by: Dee Dee on November 24, 2007 2:19 PM

My father made this pie in the 1960's. He would only let me eat one slice. I begged for 2 slices - and the richness of the pie 'removed' it for me. Grasshopper pie brings up great memories, in spite of the 2 slice problem.

Posted by: Curtis on November 27, 2007 9:11 AM

I make this all the time and have no problem with separation. Not sure why it would do that, but I use cold utensils (place bowl, mixers in freezer while cooking marshmellows), then add liquor to marshmellows, use cold stuff for the whipping cream (make sutre its whipped enough), and then mix it all together and dump into pie crust. Never fails me!

Posted by: Erica on December 23, 2007 9:45 PM

A friend of mine thought the separation could happen because of using fat free milk instead of whole milk. Will try that next time & cold utensils.

Posted by: Dee Dee on January 14, 2008 12:16 PM

I had to comment on this recipe because my mother and I were just discussing how we should make Grasshopper pie. This recipe is almost identical to my grandmother's recipe, and it makes a wonderful dessert. Your father has done a great job of piecing together your grandmother's old recipe!

Posted by: Alix on March 19, 2008 6:24 PM

My friend made us grasshopper pie last year and I've been craving it ever since. This recipe looks great and really simple to make aka perfect for someone of my lowly cooking aptitude.

By the way, I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what to do with the discarded Oreo fillings. It would be a shame to waste them!

Posted by: Victoria on June 8, 2008 6:37 AM

I have been making this recipe for years...I use the premade cookie crust when I'm lazy - it works fine!

I also now throw in a handful of Andes Mint Pieces on the bottom of the pie crust before I pour in the pie filling. Makes it a little more tricky to cut but its a nice surprise in every bite!

Taste great and always has everyone begging for me to make it!

Posted by: Jessica on November 3, 2008 12:56 PM

For the people who had separation occuring, I thhink it might be because you're using whipped cream instead of WHIPPING cream...maybe?

Posted by: denice on January 22, 2010 1:05 AM

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Grasshopper Pie

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Grasshopper Pie Recipe