Love and Olive Oil

Grasshopper Brownie Bars

Grasshopper Brownie Bars

Looking for an easy way to score some major points? Try these. I mean, they are called brownie points for a reason, right?

But these aren’t any ordinary brownies either. Inspired by the traditional grasshopper cocktail (which, although I had never heard of it before now, is something I definitely need to try), with a rich brownie base, creme de menthe infused buttercream, and a layer of dark chocolate glaze to top it all off.

Grasshopper Brownie Bars

Even Taylor, who is usually so mint-averse, admitted that these were pretty darn fantastic. Or at least the few we managed to sample before bringing them to our neighbor’s super bowl party, where each and every one of my brownie points were promptly gobbled up.

Hopefully brownie points are like karma points, the more I give away the more I gain in return.

Grasshopper Brownie Bars

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Ingredients:

For the brownie base:

  • 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
  • 5 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubes
  • 3 tablespoons creme de menthe
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

For the chocolate glaze:

  • 6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

Directions:

  1. To make the brownie base: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.
  3. Configure a large size double boiler. Place the chocolate and the butter in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined. Remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.
  4. Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
  5. Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (do not use a whisk) fold the dry ingredients into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with an offset spatula, and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. The brownies should be just a tad underdone (not too gooey, but ideally, just 1 minute from being cooked through completely). A toothpick inserted into the brownies at an angle should contain a few loose crumbs. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool completely while you make the creme de menthe filling.
  7. To make the buttercream: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the 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 the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until filling is light and fluffy.
  9. Add the creme de menthe and peppermint extract and mix until combined. If the filling is too soft, chill slightly in the refrigerator and then mix again until it is the proper consistency.
  10. If the filling is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and re-mix to proper consistency. Spread the filling evenly across the top of the brownie layer and place the pan in the refrigerator, for a minimum of 45 minutes, while you make the chocolate glaze.
  11. To make the chocolate glaze: In a large non-reactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir vigorously for 1 minute to release excess heat.
  12. Pour the mixture over the chilled creme de menthe layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Place the pan back in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens.
  13. Remove the pan from the refrigerator, wait about 15 minutes for the glaze to soften slightly, and cut the bars with a warm knife. Cut into squares and serve immediately. ?Note: The bars can be stored in the refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

Recipe from Baked Explorations, via Serious Eats.

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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65 Comments

  1. This recipe is seriously flawed. The brownie batter should be doubled to have enough brownie for a 9×13 pan.
    The buttercream recipe lacks instructions for adding the sugar and flour. There is way too much liquid for the amount of butter.

    Did not get to the ganach because by that time I had to throw out what I had and use a different recipe.

  2. This is one of the better recipes for grasshopper bars. However, way, Way, WAY too much butter. When you can taste the butter and you kind of get queasy, it’s too much. The brownie is perfect. Reduce the butter in the buttercream to one stick and the chocolate topping to 1/2 stick and its much better. I love this way of making buttercream, it’s not too sweet. (it’s not bad to add a little extra Creme de mynthe ……)

  3. Under the base and buttercream ingredients it says to use BUTTER, and under the glaze ingredients it says UNSALTED BUTTER. So do we use salted butter for the base and buttercream? Or does it not matter.

    • I always use unsalted butter in my baking. I think, with butter in all 3 components of these, they may be too salty if you used salted. I like to control my salt myself.

  4. Would the brownies still taste the same if I left the creme de menthe out? Or could I substitude the creme de menthe with other ingredients? 

    • The creme de menthe is what makes these grasshopper brownies – without it they’d just be regular brownies with frosting. I guess you could substitute it with another flavoring if you didn’t like mint, but the creme de menthe is such a wonderfuly, creamy mint flavor. I love it!

  5. Loooovvvved these brownies (my first time making brownies from scratch!), but something was amiss when I came to the mint creme. I’m aware of doing two things not precisely as the directions dictated:

    1. I believe my milk/creme mixture was not totally cool when I added the butter

    2. I used Bailey’s Irish Creme instead of creme de menthe

    Some misstep resulted in a buttercream that appeared to ooze pus much like bakerbaker123 up there. While sounding and looking rather disgusting, they still tasted amazing. I actually put them in the freezer and ate them as an ice cream sandwich-type treat on account of the oozing grease.

    I’d love my end result to look like the gorgeous pictures…does anyone have any tips? Even if they are just “Don’t do those two stupid things to did this time”?

  6. followed all the directions and the mint creme still curdled! looked like soupy cottage cheese… what did i do wrong and how do i fix it?

  7. Made these and The filling did not work.. It curdled I’m not sure why but I replaced it with a nanamo bar filling that I mixed mint extract and green food colouring with worked out nice.

  8. I make the quicky version of these. I start with a dark chocolate brownie MIX. oh my!
    When that is cool I do the mint layer with no creme de minthe, just peppermint extract and green food coloring if I want the color, and powdered sugar & butter.

    The top layer is butter and chocolate chips melted in the microwave.

  9. Hi, I was wondering what I could use as a substitue for the corn syrup? I live in the UK and cant find it anywhere. Thanks

  10. I’m planning the St. Patrick’s Day party for my daughter’s class. I can’t wait to make these..they will be a hit with the kids! I found some cello candy bags from Box and Wrap that have shamrocks on the bags….so cute. It’s the extra special touches that make the party great. Thanks so much for the recipe.

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