Make the perfect Christmas dessert by baking Grasshopper pie

Grasshopper pie is one of our family’s most treasured recipes. I have indulged in Grasshopper pie each Christmas for as long as I can remember. I learned to help prepare this cool and minty pie starting at an early age.

About twenty-five years ago, my mom started to make the pie for me to finish later. She added the Crème de menthe to the pie filling and left it on the stove to cool. At the time, I had a gray striped tabby cat named Bailee. Bailee decided to jump up on the stove to take a few licks of the irresistible green fluff. We didn’t know she had sampled the dessert until a little later when we noticed she fell off the counter, couldn’t walk straight and was visibly under the weather.

This holiday season, let this boozy dessert become one of your family’s favorite Christmas traditions.

 Grasshopper Pie

This pie originated in the 1950s and was named after the classic after-dinner cocktail, The Grasshopper. My family has always enjoyed a slice of Grasshopper pie after our Christmas dinner. The delightful light green pie topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, and a ruby red cherry is the ideal way to celebrate Christmas cheer.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafers, finely crushed (or crushed Oreo cookies, without filling, crushed)

1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:

24 large marshmallows

1/3 cup milk

1 (8 oz) container whipped topping, thawed

1/4 cup Crème de menthe liqueur (alcoholic) or Crème de menthe syrup for coffee (non-alcoholic)

4-5 drops green food coloring or dye (if liqueur is clear and not green)

Topping:

homemade whipped cream, additional whipped topping or aerosol whipped cream

1/2 additional Oreo cookie without filling, finely crushed

jar of maraschino cherries, plus cherry juice

Add crushed cookies and melted butter to a bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to a pie plate. Use a small spatula to flatten crumbs to create a crust.

Add milk to a double boiler or saucepan. Pour in milk. Heat milk over medium heat until warm. Watch carefully so as not to scald milk. Add marshmallows to hot milk. Stir until marshmallows are melted and mixture is completely smooth. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Add whipped topping, Crème de menthe and food coloring or dye. Whisk until smooth. Add more food coloring or dye until desired shade of light green is achieved.

Use a rubber spatula to scoop filling into crust. Use spatula to smooth top of pie. Sprinkle crushed cookie crumbs onto top of pie. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze. Allow pie to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing. Top each slice of pie with additional whipped cream and a stemmed cherry. Drizzle cherry juice over whipped cream.

Store leftover pie in the freezer.

Notes:

Store bought Oreo pie crust can also be used.

To make pie with less alcohol, add Crème de menthe while melting marshmallows to allow some of the alcohol to cook off.

In place of Crème de menthe, 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract can be substituted.