The Pie Hole

foodisloving:

For the 1960s party that Jasmine and I held, I wanted to ensure an authentic food experience. In my research, I found that grasshopper pies, traditionally made with Oreo cookies and Cool Whip were a popular dessert during that time. Oreos and Cool Whip had recently been invented, and as with most new foods, everyone has to use them, at least for a little while!

After putting in the effort to make it and letting it settle in the freezer, I completely forgot to bring it out for the party! Despite the crazy temptation of having a whole pie to myself, I so far have managed to only eat 3 (small) slices. It’s good for a while in the freezer, and I’ve been serving slices to friends who come over for dinner or a snack :-)

Ingredients

• 16 whole hydroxy sandwich cookies (eg Oreos)
• 2 tbsp butter, Melted
• 24 whole large marshmallows
• 2/3 cup Half-and-half
• 2 tbsp Creme De Menthe liqueur
• 2 tbsp Creme De Cacao liqueur (I substituted hot chocolate powder)
• green food coloring, as needed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• extra cookie crumbs

Recipe

• Put the cookies and melted butter into a food processor or blender and pulverize
• Pour mixture into a pie pan and press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer (this will be the crust). Set aside.
• Heat marshmallows and half-and-half in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. 

• As soon as it’s all melted and combined, place saucepan in a bowl of ice and stir. This will cool down the mixture quickly. 

• Once cool, add creme de menthe and creme de cacao. In my case, I didn’t want to buy creme de cacao, so I used 2 tbsp high-quality powdered hot chocolate in order to impart a bit of chocolate flavor

• Taste and add more creme de menthe if needed. 
• For a richer green, add one to two drops green food coloring. Hey, it’s not like they cared about authentic color in the ’60s!
• In a mixing bowl, beat heavy cream until it peaks. 

• Pour cold marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream and fold together gently. I folded a little too much, which doesn’t hurt the flavor but makes it look less pretty.
• Pour filling into chocolate crust. It’s ok if you have extra filling, depending on the size of your pie pan.

• Sprinkle extra chocolate crumbs over the top (or i my case, I sprinkled more of the powdered hot chocolate instead of crumbs). Place pie in the freezer and freeze until very firm, at least two hours.
• Remove from freezer ten minutes or so before you want to slice and serve.

Verdict: I was very happy how this came out. Since the main ingredients are whipped cream and marshmallows, it’s a very light dessert. That makes it perfect for serving at a party (small or large) in which other food and drink is being consumed!