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 seven 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 Apple-Lemon Fritters. Enjoy!

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.

GINGER-LEMON-BLUEBERRY PIE

This is from Pillsbury, and begins, "Directions for this luscious pie specify cooling two hours before slicing, which gives the filling time to firm up a little for neater cutting. If you absolutely can't wait, serve the pie in shallow soup bowls and be ready with a large spoon to ladle up every last bit of the filling!"

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust

1 box (14.1 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury™ Pie Crusts (2 Count), softened as directed on box

6 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon half-and-half

Filling

5 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Remove 1 pie crust from pouch; place flat on work surface. Sprinkle top of crust with 1-1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. With rolling pin, roll crust lightly to coat with sugar. Continue to make pie crust, sugared side up, as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

In large bowl, mix filling ingredients. Spoon into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Brush top crust with half-and-half; sprinkle with remaining 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar.

Place foil or cookie sheet on oven rack below middle rack to catch any spills. Place pie on middle oven rack; bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. After 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Cool at least 2 hours before serving. Serve warm or cold.

LEMON POUND CAKE

This recipe begins, "This sugar-free pound cake is easy to make because it uses a reduced-fat baking mix as the base. Lemon yogurt, juice and grated lemon peel provide rich flavor. This is sure to become a favorite with frequent requests. Just don’t let anyone know how easy it really is to make so you can bask in all the praise!"

Yield: 16 servings

Source: Equal

Recipe and image appear courtesy of Equal.

To view this online, go to https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipe/lemon-pound-cake.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2-1/2 cups reduced-fat baking mix (Bisquick)

48 packets Equal sweetener*

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 cup lite lemon flavored nonfat yogurt

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons 2% milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

*Substitute 2 cups Equal Spoonful for the packets.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spray a 9 cup Bundt cake pan OR a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Combine baking mix, Equal, cornstarch and lemon peel.

Mix in yogurt, melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, milk and flavorings until blended.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

Let cake cool in pan 5 minutes.

Remove and cool completely on wire rack.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 137; Fat: 6 grams; Sodium: 258 milligrams; Cholesterol: 35 milligrams; Protein: 3 grams; Carbohydrates: 18 grams

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fat; 1 Starch

BAKED LEMON PUDDING

This is from JR Ryall and adapted by David Tanis in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, David wrote, "My repertoire of sweet lemon recipes is limited, but, as it happened, my friend, the Irish pastry chef JR Ryall, was in town, with his new cookbook “Ballymaloe Desserts,” for which I wrote the foreword. It contains a recipe for a homey hot lemon pudding. It's not a soufflé, but it has a light, airy feel. And, as it bakes, it separates into distinct layers, custardy on the bottom and spongy on top."

Time: About 1 hour; Yield: 4 to 6 servings

This was featured in "Spring Comes Early With This Bright, Cozy Dinner", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023966-baked-lemon-pudding.

Note: Please read the article; you won't regret it. It also has a couple of more recipes that look absolutely divine. (Thanks, David!)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large lemons, grated and juiced (about 2 tablespoons zest and 6 tablespoons juice)

1 cup whole milk

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Softly whipped cream, for serving

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place butter in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar as you mash the mixture with a wooden spoon until it looks like damp sand.

Mix egg yolks into sugar mixture, then beat in the flour. Add lemon zest and juice, then whisk in the milk.

In a separate clean large bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold whites by hand gently into batter.

Pour mixture into a 5-cup ceramic or glass baking dish (or Pyrex pie plate). Bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until mixture is just set and top is golden brown. (Alternatively, bake in individual ramekins or custard cups for about 20 minutes.)

Serve warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar, with softly whipped cream alongside.

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.

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

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