Lemony Desserts
My mother loved almost anything lemony, so I'd like to think she'd love these Lemon Desserts. In fact, on the rare occasion that I splurge buying a dozen donuts (usually at Dunkin' Donuts), I feel that I should include at least one lemon-filled donut. (Yes, she loved them a lot.)
Mom
Here are six yummy lemon desserts that would be sure to please Mom (and hopefully you, too!), including Lemon Meringue Cookies and Lemon Tofu Cheesecake. Enjoy!
OATMEAL LEMON CREME BARS
This is from Betty Crocker. It begins, "Oatmeal cookie mix jump-starts the crust to a classic homemade lemon bar."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Makes 25 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ oatmeal cookie mix
1 egg
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix, using fork or pastry blender. Stir in egg until mixture is crumbly. Press half of cookie mixture into bottom of pan; bake 15 minutes.
In small bowl, stir condensed milk, lemon peel and lemon juice until thick. Spread over baked crust. Crumble remaining cookie mixture over top. Bake about 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 5 rows by 5 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
tip 1
You'll need 2 medium lemons to get 1/4 cup juice.
tip 2
Cut bars into bite-size squares and serve in mini paper cups.
Tip 3
Use fresh lemon juice for the best lemon flavor.
APPLE-LEMON FRITTERS
This is from the October 2003 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 59. It begins, "These puffy, fruit-filled gems turn breakfast or brunch into a festive meal. Serve them with warmed applesauce, maple syrup or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Offer plenty of hot coffee and hot cider."
While the magazine states it makes 4 to 6 servings, the website leaves it at 4 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/apple-lemon-fritters/.
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk or soymilk
3 large eggs
2 Tbs. melted butter or soy margarine
1/4 cup cornmeal
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups (about 1-1/2 apples) diced apples
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. lemon zest
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 cups vegetable oil for frying, or more as needed
Preparation
Place milk, eggs and butter in large mixing bowl, and beat until well combined. Fold in cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until well combined. Fold in apples, cinnamon, lemon zest and sugar.
Heat oil in large skillet or deep saucepan over medium heat. When hot, spoon fritter batter into oil, about 1/4 cup at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oil, and place on several layers of paper towels to blot excess oil. Repeat until batter is used up.
To serve, place fritters on individual plates, and pass with selection of toppings.
LEMON TOFU CHEESECAKE
This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "This vegan dessert brings zippy citrus and creamy texture to the party."
"This lemon tofu cheesecake, originally published by Vegetarian Times in 1997, makes for an elegant vegan dessert. While you can dig in as soon as it sets, after about two hours of chill time, we find it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had time to continue to develop.
"If it’s just too hot to turn on the oven, this recipe can easily be adapted to a no-bake format. Just skip the cornstarch called for in the filling. The result will be something a bit more loose and creamy."
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon tahini or almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
1 tablespoons vegan milk such as soy, rice, or almond
Preparation
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup, and extract until crumbs are moistened. Pour into oiled 9-inch pie plate; press mixture firmly to form crust. Bake 5 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.
Filling: In food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Bake: Pour mixture into crust. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
LEMON MERINGUE COOKIES
This is from Dorie Greenspan at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Dorie wrote, "Like their inspiration, lemon meringue pie, these cookies have three elements. They’re built on simple, slice-and-bake French shortbread cookies, rich, buttery and flavored with vanilla. The shortbread base is almost classic, except that the cookies are baked in muffin tins, so they’re straight-sided and deeply golden brown. The 'filling' is lemon curd, and the topping is crunchy bits of meringue. You get crumbly, velvety and crackly, sweet and tart in every bite. These cookies were created for an imaginary friend, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the hero of 16 Louise Penny novels, and a man who considers lemon meringue divine."
Yield: 24 cookies; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in "A Lemon Meringue Cookie Good Enough to Be Imaginary", and can be found online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021686-lemon-meringue-cookies.
Note: If you didn't click on the link to the featured article that this cookie recipe came from (or if you did, but didn't read the article), you really should read it. Dorie Greenspan's article is well worth the read; heck, it's worth several reads. Maybe make up a batch of these, then sit back to enjoy both cookies and the article. (Thanks for both, Dorie!)
Ingredients
For the Meringue:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon distilled vinegar (or lemon juice)
Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Shortbread:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into chunks and brought to room temperature, plus more for greasing the muffin tin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
About 1/3 cup store-bought or homemade lemon curd
Preparation
Make the meringue: Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together both sugars.
Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg white, vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat 2 minutes more; you’ll have stiff, glossy, white peaks. Put the meringue on the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thick. (It will cover only a small part of the sheet.)
Bake the meringue undisturbed for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door and let it dry for 1 hour. When you’re ready to use it, chop it into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Precision doesn’t matter.
Make the shortbread: Working with a mixer (use the paddle if it’s a stand mixer), beat the butter, both sugars and the salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth but not fluffy. On low speed, beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour in three additions, mixing on low until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn out the dough and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.
Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You could also freeze it for up to 2 months; leave it on the counter for 1 hour before baking.)
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 or 2 muffin tins with butter (or nonstick baking spray).
Slice each log into 12 rounds (each 1/2-inch thick); drop one into each muffin cup. (If you don’t have enough tins, you can work in batches.)
Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the rims. Transfer the tin(s) to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies out and onto racks; cool to room temperature.
Just before serving, top each cookie with lemon curd, then top with ample chunks of meringue, pressing them into the curd. The meringue will keep in a cool, dry place for a few days, and the cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. But once you top the cookies, they’re best eaten soon after.
ITALIAN LEMON COOKIES
Recipe Yield: Yield: 27 ServingsServing Size: 2 cookies
Source: Splenda
Recipe and image appear courtesy of Splenda.
You can view this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/italian-lemon-cookies.
Ingredients
1/2 cup light butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and set aside.
Blend together butter, Splenda Granulated Sweetener, and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl until butter is softened. Add egg substitute, lemon juice and zest. Mix briefly. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix using a hand mixer on low speed (or by hand) until dough is formed. Do not over mix.
Remove dough from bowl and divide in half. Roll each half into a log approx. 1 inch thick in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 1-2 hours, allowing dough to chill and become firm.
Remove dough from freezer, unwrap and cut into slices approximately 1/4 inch thick. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Notes:
These delicate lemon cookies have excellent flavor and an interesting texture. They are perfect for adding variety to a cookie tray.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 160; Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sodium: 55 mg; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Sugars: 7 g
LEMON POUND CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Add a splash of sunshine to any spring brunch or dessert spread with this bright lemon pound cake. Yellow cake mix is combined with cream cheese and grated lemon peel for a pound cake that’s rich in flavor and bursting with refreshing citrus notes. With just six simple ingredients and only 15 minutes of prep time, you can whip up this lemon pound cake recipe when you want to bake something homemade, but don’t have all day to do it."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 12
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup water or milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1/4 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy lemon frosting
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
In medium bowl, beat cake mix, cream cheese, water, grated lemon peel and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack or heatproof serving plate. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until frosting is thin enough to drizzle; stir. Spoon frosting evenly over cake, allowing frosting to drip down sides.
Expert Tips
If you have leftover cake, cut it into slices and place individually in sandwich-size food-storage plastic bags. Seal bags and freeze. You'll have a quick treat when you need it!
For added lemon flavor, sprinkle some extra grated lemon peel over the cake.
For a different look, cut your cake into wedges instead of traditional slices.
This elegant pound cake makes a wonderful hostess gift for any dinner party.
Mom
Here are six yummy lemon desserts that would be sure to please Mom (and hopefully you, too!), including Lemon Meringue Cookies and Lemon Tofu Cheesecake. Enjoy!
OATMEAL LEMON CREME BARS
This is from Betty Crocker. It begins, "Oatmeal cookie mix jump-starts the crust to a classic homemade lemon bar."
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Makes 25 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ oatmeal cookie mix
1 egg
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix, using fork or pastry blender. Stir in egg until mixture is crumbly. Press half of cookie mixture into bottom of pan; bake 15 minutes.
In small bowl, stir condensed milk, lemon peel and lemon juice until thick. Spread over baked crust. Crumble remaining cookie mixture over top. Bake about 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 5 rows by 5 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
tip 1
You'll need 2 medium lemons to get 1/4 cup juice.
tip 2
Cut bars into bite-size squares and serve in mini paper cups.
Tip 3
Use fresh lemon juice for the best lemon flavor.
APPLE-LEMON FRITTERS
This is from the October 2003 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 59. It begins, "These puffy, fruit-filled gems turn breakfast or brunch into a festive meal. Serve them with warmed applesauce, maple syrup or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Offer plenty of hot coffee and hot cider."
While the magazine states it makes 4 to 6 servings, the website leaves it at 4 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/apple-lemon-fritters/.
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk or soymilk
3 large eggs
2 Tbs. melted butter or soy margarine
1/4 cup cornmeal
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups (about 1-1/2 apples) diced apples
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. lemon zest
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 cups vegetable oil for frying, or more as needed
Preparation
Place milk, eggs and butter in large mixing bowl, and beat until well combined. Fold in cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until well combined. Fold in apples, cinnamon, lemon zest and sugar.
Heat oil in large skillet or deep saucepan over medium heat. When hot, spoon fritter batter into oil, about 1/4 cup at a time, and fry until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oil, and place on several layers of paper towels to blot excess oil. Repeat until batter is used up.
To serve, place fritters on individual plates, and pass with selection of toppings.
LEMON TOFU CHEESECAKE
This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "This vegan dessert brings zippy citrus and creamy texture to the party."
"This lemon tofu cheesecake, originally published by Vegetarian Times in 1997, makes for an elegant vegan dessert. While you can dig in as soon as it sets, after about two hours of chill time, we find it actually tastes better the next day, after the flavors have had time to continue to develop.
"If it’s just too hot to turn on the oven, this recipe can easily be adapted to a no-bake format. Just skip the cornstarch called for in the filling. The result will be something a bit more loose and creamy."
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-tofu-cheesecake-recipe/. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham crackers
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Filling
1 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon tahini or almond butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in water
1 tablespoons vegan milk such as soy, rice, or almond
Preparation
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, syrup, and extract until crumbs are moistened. Pour into oiled 9-inch pie plate; press mixture firmly to form crust. Bake 5 minutes; let cool while preparing the filling.
Filling: In food processor or blender, combine ingredients and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Bake: Pour mixture into crust. Bake until top is slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm, about 2 hours.
LEMON MERINGUE COOKIES
This is from Dorie Greenspan at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Dorie wrote, "Like their inspiration, lemon meringue pie, these cookies have three elements. They’re built on simple, slice-and-bake French shortbread cookies, rich, buttery and flavored with vanilla. The shortbread base is almost classic, except that the cookies are baked in muffin tins, so they’re straight-sided and deeply golden brown. The 'filling' is lemon curd, and the topping is crunchy bits of meringue. You get crumbly, velvety and crackly, sweet and tart in every bite. These cookies were created for an imaginary friend, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the hero of 16 Louise Penny novels, and a man who considers lemon meringue divine."
Yield: 24 cookies; Time: 2 hours
This was featured in "A Lemon Meringue Cookie Good Enough to Be Imaginary", and can be found online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021686-lemon-meringue-cookies.
Note: If you didn't click on the link to the featured article that this cookie recipe came from (or if you did, but didn't read the article), you really should read it. Dorie Greenspan's article is well worth the read; heck, it's worth several reads. Maybe make up a batch of these, then sit back to enjoy both cookies and the article. (Thanks for both, Dorie!)
Ingredients
For the Meringue:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon distilled vinegar (or lemon juice)
Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Shortbread:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into chunks and brought to room temperature, plus more for greasing the muffin tin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
About 1/3 cup store-bought or homemade lemon curd
Preparation
Make the meringue: Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together both sugars.
Working with an electric mixer, beat the egg white, vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat 2 minutes more; you’ll have stiff, glossy, white peaks. Put the meringue on the baking sheet and spread it 1/4-inch thick. (It will cover only a small part of the sheet.)
Bake the meringue undisturbed for 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, prop open the oven door and let it dry for 1 hour. When you’re ready to use it, chop it into pieces about the size of chocolate chips. Precision doesn’t matter.
Make the shortbread: Working with a mixer (use the paddle if it’s a stand mixer), beat the butter, both sugars and the salt on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth but not fluffy. On low speed, beat in the yolks, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the flour in three additions, mixing on low until the dough comes together in large clumps. Turn out the dough and knead it into a ball. Cut the ball in half.
Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap it and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You could also freeze it for up to 2 months; leave it on the counter for 1 hour before baking.)
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 or 2 muffin tins with butter (or nonstick baking spray).
Slice each log into 12 rounds (each 1/2-inch thick); drop one into each muffin cup. (If you don’t have enough tins, you can work in batches.)
Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown around the rims. Transfer the tin(s) to a rack, cool for 5 minutes, then lift the cookies out and onto racks; cool to room temperature.
Just before serving, top each cookie with lemon curd, then top with ample chunks of meringue, pressing them into the curd. The meringue will keep in a cool, dry place for a few days, and the cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days. But once you top the cookies, they’re best eaten soon after.
ITALIAN LEMON COOKIES
Recipe Yield: Yield: 27 ServingsServing Size: 2 cookies
Source: Splenda
Recipe and image appear courtesy of Splenda.
You can view this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/italian-lemon-cookies.
Ingredients
1/2 cup light butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and set aside.
Blend together butter, Splenda Granulated Sweetener, and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl until butter is softened. Add egg substitute, lemon juice and zest. Mix briefly. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix using a hand mixer on low speed (or by hand) until dough is formed. Do not over mix.
Remove dough from bowl and divide in half. Roll each half into a log approx. 1 inch thick in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 1-2 hours, allowing dough to chill and become firm.
Remove dough from freezer, unwrap and cut into slices approximately 1/4 inch thick. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Notes:
These delicate lemon cookies have excellent flavor and an interesting texture. They are perfect for adding variety to a cookie tray.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 160; Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sodium: 55 mg; Cholesterol: 30 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Sugars: 7 g
LEMON POUND CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Add a splash of sunshine to any spring brunch or dessert spread with this bright lemon pound cake. Yellow cake mix is combined with cream cheese and grated lemon peel for a pound cake that’s rich in flavor and bursting with refreshing citrus notes. With just six simple ingredients and only 15 minutes of prep time, you can whip up this lemon pound cake recipe when you want to bake something homemade, but don’t have all day to do it."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes; Servings: 12
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup water or milk
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1/4 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy lemon frosting
Directions
Heat oven to 325°F. Generously spray bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
In medium bowl, beat cake mix, cream cheese, water, grated lemon peel and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack or heatproof serving plate. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave frosting uncovered on High 10 to 15 seconds or until frosting is thin enough to drizzle; stir. Spoon frosting evenly over cake, allowing frosting to drip down sides.
Expert Tips
If you have leftover cake, cut it into slices and place individually in sandwich-size food-storage plastic bags. Seal bags and freeze. You'll have a quick treat when you need it!
For added lemon flavor, sprinkle some extra grated lemon peel over the cake.
For a different look, cut your cake into wedges instead of traditional slices.
This elegant pound cake makes a wonderful hostess gift for any dinner party.
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