Grasshopper Pie: The Best Dessert that Ma Never Made

It was a pilgrimage to Connecticut like New Yorkers are bound to make a few times a year. The home of pricey real estate also happens to be a wonderful destination for rest and relaxation. However, one characteristic for which the beautiful state of Connecticut is not well-known is the cuisine. Imagine my surprise when it was none other than here that I came across a dessert I had never previously encountered.

The combination of a sweet tooth and unbounded curiosity is dangerous indeed. So when I saw “grasshopper pie” on the menu of what, at first glance, looked like a typical Connecticut seafood restaurant, I could not resist. What followed was one of the most wonderful dessert experiences of my life. The pie was so fantastic, that I drove out of my way on the next day to return to the restaurant and have another slice.

Many years and countless restaurants later, I still had not encountered grasshopper pie on any other menu. For something to not exist in New York City? Unheard of! At long last, I could no longer bear it and decided: I would find a recipe and make the dish myself.

After scouring the recipe books and comparing notes, I at last came up with an integrated recipe for which I had high hopes. With the ingredients purchased, I embarked upon the cooking odyssey. Fortuitously, I was rewarded with success! Several hours later, the pie was gone and I could barely move. However, a thorough happiness was warming my entire body. Now I know what a python must feel right after it feasts!

Luckily, I survived my gluttony and am now able to share with you this wonderful recipe for grasshopper pie. You will need to make two stops: the grocery store and the liquor store. At the first location, purchase a nine inch pie dish, a bag of jumbo marshmallows, a package of butter, a carton of milk, a pint of heavy whipping cream, and a package of Oreo cookies. Then, at the liquor store, buy a small bottle of crème de menthe and a small bottle of crème de cacao (a.k.a. crème de coco). That’s it! Now you are ready to make one of the world’s loveliest desserts.

Take the Oreo cookies and break them apart. Keep the hard cookie shells and toss the white filling. Once this is done, crush or grind the cookie shells until you are left with cookie crumbs. Combine the crumbs with 6 tablespoons of melted butter. Mix well and then use the mixture to coat the bottom of the pie dish. Finally, place the pie dish in the refrigerator to chill.

Grab a medium sized sauce pan, pour about three cups of milk into it and drop in about 25 to 30 marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows and milk over low heat until the marshmallows have melted completely and the mixture becomes uniform. Now take the sauce pan and place it in the refrigerator. Chill the marshmallow mixture until it holds its shape when dropped from a spoon.

Meanwhile, pour the whipping cream into a large bowl and whisk or whip it until it stiffens. Once the marshmallow mixture has chilled, extract it from the refrigerator and pour in about a quarter of a cup of crème de menthe and another quarter of a cup of crème de cacao. You may also add a couple drops of green food coloring, but this is purely optional. Stir the mixture until all the ingredients are well combined. Lastly, gently fold it the whipping cream into the marshmallow mixture.

Now, take out the pie crust from the refrigerator and spread the mixture into the crust. Once this is complete, place in the freezer for at least 4 hours. That’s it. You are done!

After 4 hours or more, extract the finished grasshopper pie from the freezer and enjoy a taste unlike any other. Unlike me, you probably will not finish the entire pie in a single sitting, so you can store the leftovers in the freezer.

Bon appetit!