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 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 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
Mint Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- Natural green food coloring
Chocolate Topping:
- 5 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tbsp 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.
