Thin Mint Grasshopper Cheesecake in a Jar

A few weeks ago, Molly and I were at the library when I spotted a flyer mentioning a Girl Scout Cookie Cooking Contest. Scott and I anxiously await Girl Scout cookie season. I always buy a ton of Thin Mints and announce that I'm freezing them so we can enjoy one small cookie a few times a week, long after the season is over. This usually lasts about a week. This year I'm off the cookie wagon but Scott is not so I knew the season would still be celebrated in our house. Honestly I was also looking forward to seeing Molly's face when she had her first taste of a Thin Mint. She doesn't get much sugar but trying a Thin Mint cookie is the exception. She really, really liked them and may have eaten two more when I wasn't paying attention. Oops!

Molly and I had a blast picking up the cookies for recipe testing. She played in the rain puddles in the parking lot, fell in and got delightfully wet. I received 5 boxes of cookies for testing. Yum! When I got home, I started dreaming. I remembered a delicious pie that a friend had recently made us. It was a Grasshopper Pie full of minty goodness. Grasshopper pie is one of my childhood favorites from when I lived in Texas so it was a delight when my Texas transplant friend made it for us. I had also recently pinned a cheesecake in a jar recipe which got me plotting and planning.

I decided to make a Thin Mint Grasshopper Cheesecake in a Jar and after many iterations of testing, I think I've made something divine (or at least Scott thinks so). This is a great make-ahead dessert since it requires cooling in the fridge overnight. Serving it in jars adds a layer of fun!

Make sure to check out the other recipes in the Girl Scout Cookie Contest and vote for your favorite (that would be mine, of course).

Thin Mint Grasshopper Cheesecake in a Jar
makes 6 - 12.5 oz jars

Ingredients

Cheesecake
16 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup kahula or creme de cacao
2 Tablespoon creme de menthe
green food coloring

Marshmallow
3 cups marshmallows
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon creme de menthe

Thin Mint Crust
1 sleeve of Thin Mints (approximately 16 cookies)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tablespoon sugar

6 - 12.5 oz jars (I used my favorite Weck Jars)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Beat the cream cheese in a standing mixer on medium speed until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides often.
3. Slowly add the sugar and beat for 4 more minutes.
4. On low speed, slowly add one egg at a time, beat well after each addition.
5. Add sour cream, salt, kahula, creme de menthe and beat until combined.
6. Add 4-6 drops of green food coloring and mix until the batter is green. You might want to add more or less depending on how green you'd like your cheesecake to be. 
7. Divide batter among 6 jars, filling each about 2/3 full. Place jars in a deep baking dish (I used my roasting pan). Add boiling water to the pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the jars. Cover dish with foil, cutting slits for vents.
8. Bake until set in the center, approximately 35-45 minutes. Let cool and then refrigerate 6-8 hours (or overnight) to set.
9. In the morning, make the marshmallow layer by melting the marshmallows with the milk and creme de menthe in a saucepan over medium heat. Then place on top of the chilled cheesecake layer. Place in the fridge to cool for approximately 2 hours.
10. While the marshmallow layer is cooling, make the Thin Mint crust. Using a food processor, crush the Thin Mints before adding the melted butter and sugar. Once the marshmallow layer is cool, top the jars with 2 Tablespoons of the crust. Enjoy!