Grasshopper bars get a delicious low carb update. These grain-free brownies with a minty buttercream filling and a sugar-free chocolate topping are sure to please.
I’ve been having some fun lately going back through old recipes and seeing which of them might be worthy of a little update. Some I update because I’ve discovered a new way of doing things that applies to the recipe in question. Some I update because while it was pretty good back then, I know I can do better now. And in almost all cases, they can use new and improved photography. In this particular case, all three of these things seem to be true. My low carb Grasshopper Bars are quite a popular recipe but they are more than five years old now. Time for an update to make them tastier, healthier, and even easier to make!
Back in those old days, I was still searching for a brownie recipe that met my high expectations for rich, fudge-like chocolatey goodness. Nothing I was creating really came close for that fudgy texture I was so desperately seeking, although the flavour was pretty good. But I’ve since perfected my low carb brownie recipe and have used it numerous times, in my Double Espresso Brownies, my German Chocolate Brownies, and my Almond Joy Brownies. It is, in my humble opinion, the perfect brownie base because it can be taken out early for extra fudgy-ness, or baked a little longer for more cakey brownies. It’s up to you.
Also in my nascent blogging days, I didn’t realize that there were healthier, more natural ways to get a lovely minty green colour for the filling. Of course back then I just plopped some green food colouring in and called it a day. Since that time, I’ve discovered that matcha green tea powder gives a nice natural green hue easily, without adding any real flavour to the filling. I also used plain erythritol back then, which has that strong minty cooling sensation. That was actually a good fit for Grasshopper Bars, but I didn’t love it in other things. And since I’ve discovered Swerve, which give me no cooling sensation, I haven’t looked back. Also using Lily’s Baking Bar for the topping means I don’t have to worry about trying to get sweetener properly whisked in to unsweetened chocolate, which is almost impossible to get perfectly smooth.
One extra little twist that I threw at this new version was using dairy-free cream cheese for the filling. I find that cream cheese gives a low carb “buttercream” more structure so I don’t have to use quite as much powdered sweetener. And I have wanted to try using the Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese in a regular dessert, hoping it would hold up and taste as good as regular cream cheese. My next-door neighbour, who was going to be partaking of these little bars, eats no dairy besides butter (the whey and casein in most dairy bothers him). He absolutely raved about these so I sent him home with the leftovers and a big thumbs up for Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese.
- 1 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3/4 to 1 cup Swerve Sweetener (more if you like it sweeter - you can also substitute 1/4 cup of the Swerve with 1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup water
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (I used Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese, but regular cream cheese will work too)
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp matcha green tea powder
- 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 5 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- Preheat oven to 300F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together over low heat, stirring until smooth. Add to almond flour mixture.
- Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk in just enough water to make batter pourable, but not too thin. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until just set in the center. 20 minutes for more fudgy brownies, 30 minutes for more cakey brownies. Remove and let cool completely.
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add sweetener, green tea powder and peppermint extract until well combined and smooth. Spread over cooled brownie base and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together, stirring until smooth. Spread over chilled filling and let set, about 20 minutes.
Serves 25. Each serving has 2.35g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 206kcal
Total fat: 18.33g
Calories from fat: 164
Cholesterol: 68mg
Carbohydrate: 6.01g
Total dietary fiber: 3.66g
Protein: 4.31g
Erythritol: 14.76g
JENNIFER ASHER says
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I get a very strong cooling sensation from swerve 🙁 I wonder why some do and some don’t?
Carolyn says
Every palate is different. It’s the only one I DON’T get the cooling sensation from.
Julie says
“you can also substitute 1/4 cup of the Swerve with 1/4 liquid stevia extract)”
1/4 what of liquid stevia?
Carolyn says
Just any liquid stevia extract…comes in a bottle with a dropper.
Jen R says
I think she meant what measurement (teaspoon, tablespoon, etc) 🙂
Carolyn says
Ah. The question “what kind” was confusing. Recipe is fixed!
Carolyn says
1/4 teaspoon
AZ@...And A Dash of Cinnamon says
These look so good! They look a bit like Andes mints lol
Cathi says
Also wondering what kind of stevia!
Carolyn says
Just any liquid stevia extract…comes in a bottle with a dropper.
Carolyn says
1/4 teaspoon, btw.
janet says
Is the Matcha tea just for color or does it have some other use in the recipe?
Can I just leave it out, cause I don’t have any and I REALLY want to make these today!
Carolyn says
Just for colour.
Autumn says
I would love to make these, but the Lily’s chocolate upsets my stomach, do you have a general amount of sweetener I could add to unsweetened chocolate instead for the topping? I know it won’t be as smooth, but it’s worth it for my stomach!
Carolyn says
Make the topping from this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2015/09/low-carb-death-by-chocolate-cheesecake.html
Deb says
I needed this recipe yesterday! Today was our church picnic and I’m known for my creme de menthe brownies. I made a THM cake instead; it just wasn’t the same. Can’t wait to try this some day!
Carolyn says
I hope you love it when you do try it!
Ashley says
These grasshopper brownies are so good, I could literally cry. I had to package half of them up and bring them to work because otherwise I would have managed to eat them all myself! My co-workers loved them, by the way, and couldn’t even tell they were low carb!
One question – is the total NET carb count 6.01 or 2.35 (after subtracting the fiber)? I’m never sure when it’s OK to subtract in a baked good and when it’s not.
Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Carolyn says
The net carb count is right at the top, 2.35g. The total carb count is 6.01 but that is before subtracting the fiber.
Ashley says
D’oh. Great reading comprehension, me. I must have been drunk on chocolate;)
Carolyn says
No worries!
Stephanie says
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
Paige says
Ok, I made these a few days ago and they. are. amazing. So rich, but not too sweet. Great top off dessert to end the day with.
Spaceranger says
OK, I have been tearing through your dessert recipes and they are amazing. As a kid my favorite Christmas treat was grasshopper brownies. I made your version today. I looooove them. Also, I pretty much always have matcha green tea powder on hand, but not green food coloring. Also I hate feeding my kids food coloring. I was sooooooo happy to color these with matcha. Such a great idea. For the very top layer I used the ganache recipe from your nanaimao bar tarts because I really like it. I don’t regret doing that. I went for more “cakey” brownies so baked the brownie layer for 30 minutes. , That layer is a little dry and crumbly. Is that common for the 30 minute version, or did I maybe do something wrong? If (when) I make these again, I’ll try baking the brownie part for only 20 minutes, but I do prefer cakey for this particular dessert. Thanks a million! I”m a huge fan!
Laureen says
WOULD these freeze ok?
Carolyn says
They would be fine, I think.
Samantha Hill says
wow these were fantastic for Christmas – the kids didn’t realise that they were healthy – but nor did I tell them. I almost missed out – I got only 1 and a bit slices. I didn’t use matcha powder just green food colouring and I also added a couple of sheets of gelatine to make sure it held up ok. Perfect. I will do it again.
Thanks for the recipe, nice out of the fridge on a hot summers day here.
Kathy says
Any replacement ideas for Swerve? Need to look up what’s in there. Don’t usually like sweeteners.
Kathy Poche says
What purpose does the matcha green tea powder serve? Is it a flavoring or more for color?
Carolyn says
Colour!
Elizabeth says
Delish! Brownie base is a winner; thought I over-cooked them (25-26 min at 300 in a coated metal pan), but center ones remained fudgy, edges more cakey. Like others, I get the cooling sensation with stevia sweeteners (even with Swerve), but the mint really is perfect for this. The most challenging part for me of following a ketogenic diet has been the lack of baking my old standards, so thank you so much for your passion for baking!
Stacey says
Do these have to be refrigerated?
Carolyn says
Yep, that’s the best for them. They are okay for a few hours on the counter.
Guinan says
I always get confused about the “unsweetened” chocolate. I can buy chocolate with sweeteners – no sugar. And I can also buy completeley unsweetened, no sweetener, no sugar, no nothing.
How do you diferenciate between the two?
Carolyn says
Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate with NO sweeteners and will often say 100% cacao or cocoa. Sweetened chocolate, even it it’s sugar-free, usually says “dark chocolate” “milk chocolate” etc. When in doubt, look at the ingredients.
Carolinagirl says
You are a genius, these were amazing! This was my first keto Christmas, and i was making our usual paleo goodies for my husband and kids. One of my favorites was a paleo Thin Mint cookie, and i was delighted to find this recipe to have while they were having their Thin Mints. My son even liked this recipe better than the Thin Mints! I have made several of your recipes for the holidays and birthdays, and i truly appreciate the options you have given me to still be have a special treat on a special occasion!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!