Keto Grasshopper Bars get a delicious low carb update. These fudgy low carb chocolate 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!
How to make Keto Grasshopper Bars
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 a number of great natural food coloring options. I really like using these vegetable based powders from Color Kitchen. I will warn you, however, that they are quite powerful and have a tendency toward neon vibrancy if you use too much of it. I usually sprinkle a beat in just a little at a time until I get the color I want.
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.
Dairy Free Grasshopper Bars?
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. It certainly was!
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.
If you want to make the bars completely dairy-free, try coconut oil in place of the butter in the bars, filling, and topping. Make sure it’s slightly softened but not entirely melted before beating it in.
Grasshopper Brownies
Ingredients
Brownie Base:
- 1 ⅓ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 5 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup to ¾ cup water
Mint Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Natural green food coloring
Chocolate Topping:
- 5 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- 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.
Mint Filling:
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add sweetener, and peppermint extract until well combined and smooth. Add green food coloring until a light minty green is achieved. Spread over cooled brownie base and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Chocolate Topping:
- 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.
Tina says
These are really delicious! My brownie layer came out beautifully, it did seem to repel the cream cheese layer, it was hard to spread- maybe I should have microwaved it just a bit, but it tastes great.
Alyson Stewart says
I LOVE your best brownies recipe you’ve posted since this grasshopper recipe came out. Could I swap it in for the brownie base in this recipe?
Carolyn says
Sure but you will need more of it. I would increase the ingredients in the brownie batter all by 30%.
Monica says
I want to thank you for your fabulous cookbooks and recipes!!! These were absolutely delicious!!! I kept them in the refrigerator. I used Swerve granular for the sweetener For the brownies and I noticed a crystallization feeling in the brownie portion after a couple of days. Should I use powdered swerve for brownies? Or any other suggestions? Thank you!!
Joan says
I just got done making them. These were so yummy! The only issue I had was that I couldn’t get the chocolate topping to spread enough all the way across my 9X13 pan. So I ended up melting more chocolate and topping it again. Then when cutting them, my chocolate cracked in many of the bars. I couldn’t figure out how to get 25 bars out of the pan so I cut them into 32 and that amount was fine as they are very rich. I tried to use a heated knife and oil sprayed knife, but they cracked. The taste was worth the effort to make these, but I wish I could nail the presentation. My topping looked nothing like yours. My chocolate wasn’t shiny either, it got dull after I took it out of the fridge. I would love any tips you have to get a better presentation.
Carolyn says
What brand of chocolate did you use?
Sue says
I made these in May and had some left over. Put them in the freezer for the whole summer since I was leaving town. Just got back in town and found them in the freezer, not remembering I left them there. Bonus! Left them in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and they are so good.
Carolyn says
Like money in your pocket!
Sue says
I’d like to make a half batch in an 8×8 pan. Would it be better to use 2 eggs or 3?
Megan Oehley says
Would Lily’s chocolate chips work for the chocolate topping?
Carolyn says
Sure!
Anna says
Loving this low carb version of grasshopper brownies! So delicious!
Becky Hardin says
These look so incredible!! Chocolate and Mint together are one of my favorite combos.
Jessica says
Thank you so much! Love this recipe!
Natasha says
These are fantastic – the colors and flavors are just right – these can easily pass as elf brownies for Christmas. YUM!