Well, hey there! Long time no… talk? see? read?
Yeah. I know. Totes on me.
Life has just been… life.
But I wanna tell y’all a secret.
Have you heard of CrossFit? Well, I dig it. It’s kind of my jam.
I have a pretty big competition coming up at the end of July. Also, it’s my first competition. Also, it’s being held in the Rose Bowl. Also. Also. Also… I’m really scurrrred.
And I’m super excited! It’s a team competition and I know we’re going to have an awesome time!
So, basically, I’ve been training overtime to prepare for this little shindig. Hence, my disappearance. I blame this on my less than stellar time management skills.
I also blame this on the fact that I am doing the Paleo Challenge to aid in my competition prep. I’m on Day 15 and it’s just as hard as it sounds. Especially the no sugar. And the no grains. Aaaand the no dairy too. Minus all that, I feel fantastic! Yay cavemen!
Sadly, Paleo has led me to not bake as much for I am not a strong willed person!
BUT DON’T WORRY! This isn’t forever. Geez!
If you’re curious to know what I’m eating, you can follow me on Instagram, or let me know if you’d like me to share some Paleo recipes! I’d love to mix it up for a couple months!
Just know that I’m still baking up treats for my coworkers and friends that are sane & eat a normal diet which allows dessert. Enter: the Grasshopper Pie, the latest from our Milk Bar Mondays group.
Minty, chocolatey, marshmallowy, brownie pie-y, goodness.
Believe it or not, I know this pie is fantastic. One- just look at the ingredients. Two- I stared creepily at friends while they ate it and their faces said it all. GLORIOUS.
Super gooey from the brownie pie filling & the marshmallows. Creamy & minty from the mint cheesecake filling. Crunchy graham crust. Melty chocolate chips & a cool mint glaze to top it all off.
This was such a winner! Everyone seriously loved it! Even with a few components to make, this came together surprisingly quick. I hiiiiighly recommend you make this! And then eat a slice for me!
Don’t forget to say hey to the rest of the Milk Bar Monday girls and check out their takes on the Grasshopper Pie!
Audra at The Baker Chick
Grasshopper Pie
makes 1 10-inch pie
1 recipe Mint Cheesecake Filling (recipe follows)
1 recipe Brownie Pie (recipe follows)
20 g (2 tablespoons) mini chocolate chips
25 g (1/2 cup) mini marshmallows
1 recipe Mint Glaze (recipe follows)
To assemble the pie:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grab a sheet pan and put your pie tin of graham crust on it. Pour the mint cheesecake filling into the shell. Pour the brownie batter on top of it. Use the tip of a knife to swirl the batter and mint filling, teasing up streaks of the mint filling so they show through the brownie batter.
Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips into a small ring in the center of the pie, leaving the bulls eye center empty. Sprinkle the mini marshmallows into a ring around the ring of chocolate chips.
Bake the pie for 25 minutes. It should puff slightly on the edges but still be jiggly in the center. The mini chocolate chips will look as if they are beginning to melt, and the mini marshmallows should be evenly tanned. Leave the pie in the oven for an additional 3 to 4 minutes if this is not the case.
Cool the pie completely before finishing it. (You can speed up the cooling process by carefully transferring the pie to the fridge or freezer directly out of the oven if you’re in a hurry.
Now the pie needs to be Jackson-Pollocked with mint glaze. Make sure your glaze is still warm to the touch. Dunk the tines of a fork into the warm glaze, then dangle the fork about 1 inch above the bull’s eye center of the pie.
Transfer the pie to the fridge so the mint glaze firms up before serving – which will happen as soon as it’s cold, about 15 minutes. Wrapped in plastic, the pie will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Graham Crust
190 g (1 1/2 cups) graham cracker crumbs
20 g (1/4 cup) milk powder
25 g (2 tablespoons) sugar
3 g (3/4 teaspoon) kosher salt
55 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, or as needed
55 g (1/4 cup) heavy cream
Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.
Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute. The butter will act as a glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters. The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand. If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 14 to 25 g (1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons) butter and mix it in.
Eat immediately, or deploy as directed in a recipe. The crust is easiest to mold just after mixing. Stored in an airtight container, graham crust will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature for 1 month in the fridge or freezer.
Mint Cheesecake Filling
60 g (2 ounces) white chocolate
20 g (2 tablespoons) grapeseed oil
75 g (2 1/2 ounces) cream cheese
20 g (2 tablespoons) powdered sugar
2 g (1/2 teaspoon) peppermint extract
1 g (1/4 teaspoon) kosher salt
2 drops green food coloring
Combine the white chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe dish and gently melt the mixture on low for 30 to 60 seconds. Use a heatproof spatula to stir the chocolate and oil together, working until the mixtures is glossy and smooth.
Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and stir together on medium-low speed for 2 to 3 minutes to blend. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
On low speed, slowly stream in the white chocolate mixture. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is fully incorporated into the cream cheese. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the peppermint extract, salt, and food coloring and paddle the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until it is smooth and leprechaun green. (You may need to scrape the bowl down once mid-mixing.) No point in making ahead – you don’t have any use for it otherwise and it will make it trickier to swirl in later.
Brownie Pie
3/4 recipe (255 g, 1 1/2 cups) Graham Crust
125 g (4 1/2 ounces) 72% chocolate
85 g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 eggs
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
40 g (1/4 cup) flour
25 g (3 tablespoons) cocoa powder
2 g (1/2 teaspoon) kosher salt
110 g (1/2 cup) heavy cream
Dump 210 g (1 1/4 cups) graham crust into a 10-inch pie tin and set the remaining 45 g (1/4 cup) to the side. With your fingers and the palms of your hands, press the crust firmly into the pie tin, covering the bottom and sides of the pan completely. Wrapped in plastic, the crust can be refrigerated or frozen for up to 2 weeks.
Combine the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and gently melt them together on low for 30 to 50 seconds. Use a heatproof spatula to stir them together, working until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip together on high for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow and has reached the ribbon state. (Detach your whisk, unk it into the whipped eggs, and wave it back and forth like a pendulum: the mixture should form a thickened, silky ribbon that falls and then disappears into the batter.) If the mixture does not form ribbons, continue whipping on high as needed.
Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment. Dump the chocolate mixture into the eggs and briefly mix together on low, then increase the speed to medium and paddle the mixture for 1 minute, or until it is brown and completely homogeneous. If there are any dark streaks of chocolate, paddle for a few seconds longer, or as needed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and paddle on low speed for 45 to 60 seconds. There should be no clumps of dry ingredients. If there are any lumps, mix for an additional 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Stream in the heavy cream on low speed, mixing for 30 to 45 seconds, just until the batter has loosened up a little and the white streaks of cream are fully mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Detach the paddle and remove the bowl from the mixer. Gently fold in the 45 g (1/4 cup) graham crust with a spatula. (These crumbs will add little bursts of flavor and texture into the pie filling.)
Mint Glaze
30 g (1 ounce) white chocolate
6 g (2 teaspoons) grapeseed oil
0.5 g (scant 1/8 teaspoon) peppermint extract
1 drop green food coloring
Combine the white chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe dish and melt the chocolate on low for 20 to 30 seconds. Use a heatproof spatula to stir the oil and chocolate together, working until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
Stir in the peppermint extract and food coloring.
Source: Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook
the sequined cupcake 