Grasshopper Bars Recipe | Bake the Book

grasshopper bars
Photograph: Tina Rupp

一个蚱蜢走进酒吧,跳上the counter. The bartender says, "We have a drink named after you." The grasshopper replies, "You have a drink named Carl?"

而笑话当然是一点dated, the image of a grasshopper walking into a bar is a guaranteed smile-maker.

The grasshopper is a vintage cocktail made with crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and fresh cream—it definitely falls into the dessert-in-a-glass category of cocktails. It was this sort of dessert-readiness along with a certain gelatin-based pie that inspired these Grasshopper Bars fromMatt Lewis and Renato Poliafito'sBaked Explorations.

These bars get rid of the gelatin, opting instead for the creamy mint element from a peppermint and crème de menthe enriched buttercream. The chocolate comes in the form of a gooey brownie base and a dark chocolate glaze that finishes the bars. While the flavors are updated, that great mint green color stays if you use green crème de menthe. If that's not your thing, there's always the colorless version.

My batch had a bit of a consistency issue with the buttercream—when the recipe specifies that the base should be cool before you add the butter, it really does have to be. Adding butter to an even slightly warm base results in a broken buttercream. But fear not, if your buttercream does break, a brief chill in the fridge and another spin in the KitchenAid should bring it back to creamy deliciousness.

How were the finished Grasshopper Bars? They made me smile even more than that ol' grasshopper joke.

Adapted fromBaked Explorations. Copyright © 2010. Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.

Recipe Facts

Active:60 mins
Total:3 hrs
Serves:12 to 24 brownies

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For the Brownie Base:

  • 3/4cupflour

  • 1/2teaspoonsalt

  • 1tablespoondark unsweetened cocoa powder(likeValrhona)

  • 5ouncesgood qualitydark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped

  • 1/2 cup (1stick)butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 3/4cupsugar

  • 1/4cupfirmly packedlight brown sugar

  • 3largeeggs, at room temperature

  • 1teaspoonvanilla extract

For the Buttercream:

  • 3/4cupsugar

  • 2tablespoonsflour

  • 3/4cupmilk

  • 2tablespoonsheavy cream

  • 1 1/2sticks(3/4 cup)butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubes

  • 3tablespoonscreme de menthe

  • 1teaspoonpeppermint extract

For the Chocolate Glaze:

  • 6ouncesgood-qualitydark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped

  • 1teaspoonlight corn syrup

  • 1/2 cup (1stick)unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

Directions

  1. For the Brownie Base:Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

  2. Butter sides and bottom of glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch pan. Line bottom with sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

  3. Configure a large size double boiler. Place chocolate and butter in bowl of double boiler and stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off heat, but keep bowl over the water of double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk sugars until completely combined. Remove bowl from pan. Mixture should be at room temperature.

  4. Add 3 eggs to chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

  5. Sprinkle flour/cocoa/salt mix over chocolate. Using a spatula (do not use a whisk) fold dry ingredients into wet until there is just a trace amount of flour/cocoa mix visible.

  6. Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth top with an offset spatula, and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Brownies should be just a tad underdone (not too gooey, but ideally, just 1 minute from being cooked through completely). A toothpick inserted into brownies at an angle should contain a few loose crumbs. Remove brownies from oven and let cool completely while you make crème de menthe filling.

  7. For the Buttercream:In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk sugar and flour together. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

  8. Transfer mixture to bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce speed to low and add butter and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until filling is light and fluffy.

  9. Add crème de menthe and peppermint extract and mix until combined. If filling is too soft, chill slightly in refrigerator and then mix again until it is the proper consistency.

  10. If filling is too firm, place bowl over pot of simmering water and re-mix to proper consistency. Spread filling evenly across the top of brownie layer and place pan in refrigerator, for a minimum of 45 minutes, while you make chocolate glaze.

  11. For the Chocolate Glaze:In a large non-reactive metal bowl, combine chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with rubber spatula, until mixture is completely smooth. Remove bowl from pan and stir vigorously for 1 minute to release excess heat.

  12. Pour mixture over chilled crème de menthe layer and use offset spatula to spread it into even layer. Place pan back in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until glaze hardens.

  13. Remove pan from refrigerator, wait about 15 minutes for glaze to soften slightly, and cut bars with warm knife. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

    Notes

    The bars can be stored in the refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
286 Calories
18g Fat
27g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 24
Amount per serving
Calories 286
% Daily Value*
Total Fat18g 24%
Saturated Fat 11g 56%
Cholesterol62mg 21%
Sodium145mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 94mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)