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
It's been more than ten years today since Mom passed away, so in her memory, I've posted six lemony desserts that I'm sure she would have liked, including Lemon Pound Cake and Lemon Meringue Cookies. (Love and miss you, Mom.) Enjoy!
CREAMY LEMONADE PIE
This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.
Ingredients
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. instant lemon pudding mix
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese softened
3/4 C. lemonade concentrate
1 graham cracker crust
Directions
In mixing bowl combine milk & pudding mix; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light & fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in lemonade concentrate. Gradually beat in pudding mixture. Pour into crust. Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
FROZEN LEMONADE PIE
This is from Alana Al-Halani, an Associate Food Editor at Southern Living. The recipe starts off, "Our frozen lemonade pie is a frosty, refreshing treat that requires only 30 minutes of hands-on time."
The preliminary chit-chat goes on, "Next time you're perusing the frozen aisles, make sure to pick up a can of frozen lemonade so you can make this refreshing frozen lemonade pie. While frozen lemonade concentrate might not make the best tasting lemonade, it is a great shortcut for making a tasty frozen treat.
"There's no need to squeeze a bunch of lemons. Simply combine the concentrate with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and soft whipped cream for a luscious and bright pie filling, poured into a no-bake crust that comes together in minutes. It's the perfect effortless pie for hot summers in the South."
Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Serves: 8
To view this online, as well as all the tips afterward, go to https://www.southernliving.com/frozen-lemonade-pie-8640850.
Ingredients
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 15 graham cracker sheets)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate (such as Minute Maid), thawed
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons), plus more for garnish
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Directions
Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Add condensed milk, and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and salt; beat on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Beat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
Spoon mixture into prepared crust, spreading evenly. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 4 hours or up to 12 hours. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving.
Beat powdered sugar and remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream; garnish with additional lemon zest. Serve immediately. Store leftovers, covered, in freezer up to 1 week.
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.
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.
FROZEN LEMON CHEESECAKE YOGURT BARS
This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. It did state that it was from the September 1997 issue of Vegetarian Times, though I couldn't find a link for it. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup lemonade, frozen concentrate, partially thawed
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Directions
In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients; process until smooth.
Fill popsicle molds or small paper cups with yogurt mixture. If using paper cups, cover each cup with aluminum foil. Insert popsicle stick into each mold or cup. freeze until mixture hardens. Carefully remove from molds or cups before serving.
NO-BAKE LEMON ICEBOX PIE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Lemon lovers and lazy bakers alike will adore this easy, no-bake pie!" The recipe ends with, "This is one of Betty’s easiest lemon pies to make, but it’s not the only one. We’ve got tons more lemon pie recipes for you to choose from, plus details on how to make a traditional pie crust. With Betty’s help, making the lemon pie of your dreams is simpler than you think!"
Prep Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 8 hours; Servings: 8
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Crust
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 whole crackers)
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Directions
In medium bowl, mix Crust ingredients. Press evenly into ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 1 hour.
In large bowl, beat Filling ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly in crust. Refrigerate 6 hours or until set.
Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
tip 1
Crush graham crackers in food processor or in sealed food-storage plastic bag with rolling pin.
Mom
It's been more than ten years today since Mom passed away, so in her memory, I've posted six lemony desserts that I'm sure she would have liked, including Lemon Pound Cake and Lemon Meringue Cookies. (Love and miss you, Mom.) Enjoy!
CREAMY LEMONADE PIE
This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.
Ingredients
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk
1 (3.4 oz) pkg. instant lemon pudding mix
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese softened
3/4 C. lemonade concentrate
1 graham cracker crust
Directions
In mixing bowl combine milk & pudding mix; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light & fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in lemonade concentrate. Gradually beat in pudding mixture. Pour into crust. Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
FROZEN LEMONADE PIE
This is from Alana Al-Halani, an Associate Food Editor at Southern Living. The recipe starts off, "Our frozen lemonade pie is a frosty, refreshing treat that requires only 30 minutes of hands-on time."
The preliminary chit-chat goes on, "Next time you're perusing the frozen aisles, make sure to pick up a can of frozen lemonade so you can make this refreshing frozen lemonade pie. While frozen lemonade concentrate might not make the best tasting lemonade, it is a great shortcut for making a tasty frozen treat.
"There's no need to squeeze a bunch of lemons. Simply combine the concentrate with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and soft whipped cream for a luscious and bright pie filling, poured into a no-bake crust that comes together in minutes. It's the perfect effortless pie for hot summers in the South."
Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes; Serves: 8
To view this online, as well as all the tips afterward, go to https://www.southernliving.com/frozen-lemonade-pie-8640850.
Ingredients
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 15 graham cracker sheets)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate (such as Minute Maid), thawed
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons), plus more for garnish
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Directions
Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Add condensed milk, and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and salt; beat on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Beat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
Spoon mixture into prepared crust, spreading evenly. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 4 hours or up to 12 hours. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving.
Beat powdered sugar and remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream; garnish with additional lemon zest. Serve immediately. Store leftovers, covered, in freezer up to 1 week.
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.
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.
FROZEN LEMON CHEESECAKE YOGURT BARS
This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. It did state that it was from the September 1997 issue of Vegetarian Times, though I couldn't find a link for it. Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup lemonade, frozen concentrate, partially thawed
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup skim milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Directions
In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients; process until smooth.
Fill popsicle molds or small paper cups with yogurt mixture. If using paper cups, cover each cup with aluminum foil. Insert popsicle stick into each mold or cup. freeze until mixture hardens. Carefully remove from molds or cups before serving.
NO-BAKE LEMON ICEBOX PIE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Lemon lovers and lazy bakers alike will adore this easy, no-bake pie!" The recipe ends with, "This is one of Betty’s easiest lemon pies to make, but it’s not the only one. We’ve got tons more lemon pie recipes for you to choose from, plus details on how to make a traditional pie crust. With Betty’s help, making the lemon pie of your dreams is simpler than you think!"
Prep Time: 60 minutes; Total Time: 8 hours; Servings: 8
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
Crust
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 whole crackers)
1/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Directions
In medium bowl, mix Crust ingredients. Press evenly into ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Refrigerate 1 hour.
In large bowl, beat Filling ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly in crust. Refrigerate 6 hours or until set.
Serve with whipped cream if desired.
Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens
tip 1
Crush graham crackers in food processor or in sealed food-storage plastic bag with rolling pin.
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