Grasshopper Pie

Brian Derby (originally from Horace Hartwell Jones)

My grandfather, Horace Hartwell Jones, would make this for us on special occasions. Since he passed, I’ve continued the tradition by making it for my brothers when they visit. If you don’t pig out on the first sitting, this pie can last for days, even a week, and it tastes better every successive day. I served it one year at a Thanksgiving in Jasper, but it just couldn’t compete with all of the Clotiaux pies and desserts! (Dec 1996)

1 box Famous Chocolate Wafers* [approx. 24] 

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup green creme de menthe liquor**

1 pint jar marshmallow cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream 

Melt butter. Place cookies in large ziploc bag and seal. Place bag inside another large ziploc bag and seal. Crush cookies to small crumb size with rolling pin. Pour 2/3 - 3/4 of crumbs in sturdy pie pan. Set the rest aside for pie topping. Add melted butter and mix well with a spoon. Initially, you may think there is not enough butter, but eventually it evens out. You don’t want the cookies soaking in butter — too rich! Spread cookie crumb mixture around the pan and build a firm, but not too compressed pie shell. When finished, place in freezer. 

Scoop marshmallow cream into small bowl and add creme de menthe. Mix well with spoon until most chunks have dissolved. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whip heavy cream with electric beater until quite firm, almost chunky. Add creme de menthe/marshmallow cream mix and blend (not whip) thoroughly. Remove cold cookie pie crust from freezer. Scoop marshmallow-cream mixture into pie pan. Sprinkle as much of remaining cookie crumbs as desired over pie and place in freezer. 

After an hour, remove pie and cover carefully with foil (optional) — this prevents the pie from drying out. Place back in freezer and wait at least 7 hours until firm.

*It’s gotta be the green creme de methe liquor, otherwise the pie is not grasshopper green!

**These can often be found in the “ice cream toppings” section, if not in cookie section of a grocery store. They are thin/round and come in a long rectangular box with a cellophane window on top. If you can’t find these you could probably use Oreos, minus the sugar filling, but that would be a lot of work scraping it off!