Grasshopper Pie

My grandma Clarke used to make us this dessert. It was our favorite!! We begged her all year to make it but she would always say “You can’t make grasshopper pie when there aren’t any grasshoppers”. So we only got it in the later summer months. 

It is light and fresh, so full of flavor. It is still one of my most favorite desserts.

What you need,

1 package of chocolate wafer cookies 
3 tbsp melted butter
1-3 oz package lime Jell-O powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
10 drops of food coloring
1/4 cup lemon juice, and the rind of lemon, grated
1 cup undiluted carnation evaporated milk

Crush all but 12 or so of the chocolate wafers. I just put the cookies into a zip lock back and crush them with a wooden rolling pin.  Put the whole wafers around the outside edge of a pie plate. Mix the melted butter and the crushed cookie crumbs and press them into the bottom of the pie plate. Save 1/4 cup of the crumbs to decorate the top of pie.

Dissolve Jell-O powder and sugar in the boiling water. Add food coloring, the lemon rind and 2 tbsp of the lemon juice. Chill until slightly thickened, it should be the consistency of raw egg white. Chill the carnation milk until soft ice crystals form around edges of the bowl for about 15-20minutes. Whip until stiff. Then add the remaining 2 tbsp of lemon juice and whip until very stiff about 2 more minutes. Fold the Jell-O mixture into the whipped milk.  Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate and sprinkle reserved cookie crumbs on top.
Chill until firm, overnight is best!

I can’t eat this pie without thinking about my grandma. I miss her so much. 

I am grateful for every minute I got to spend with her, she taught me a lot, including how to make this pie!

Thanks Grandma, I miss you.

Jen