Bright, lemony sweets and desserts are the perfect way top off a Spring meal. I love all things
flavored with lemon. Here is a collection of sweet, tangy recipes that is sure to please your family
and friends! Warning, these recipes are not low calorie or diet approved, so enjoy in small but
delicious amounts!
Lemon Dump Cake
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 (3.4-oz.) pkg. lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix (such as Jell-O)
1 tsp. grated lemon zest, (from 1 small lemon)
1 (15.25-oz.) pkg. lemon cake mix (such as Betty Crocker)
3/4 cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Powdered sugar
Lemon slices
Preheat oven to 350°F. Gather all ingredients.
Whisk together milk, pudding and pie filling mix, and lemon zest in a 13-x 9-inch baking dish
until smooth. Let sit until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pudding layer, breaking up any large clumps.
Arrange butter slices evenly over cake mix layer.
Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly around edges, 40 to 45
minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack, 45 to 60 minutes.
Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with lemon slices before serving.
Lemon Mousse with Strawberries
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8 egg yolks
Zest of 2 lemons
8 to 10 strawberries chopped, plus more for garnish (if you have more strawberries, use them!)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 3/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
Combine 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, 8 egg yolks and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Whisk to
combine. Over medium heat, stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until mixture is thick
enough to coat back of wooden spoon, about 7 minutes. Place lemon mixture in fridge and chill
until cool, stirring occasionally.
In a separate bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and butter until well combined.
Using electric mixer, beat heavy cream in medium bowl until medium peaks form.
Gently fold whipped cream into lemon mixture until well combined.
Divide graham cracker mixture between 8 serving dishes. Top with chopped strawberries and
sprinkle strawberries with a bit of sugar. Serves 8.
Lemon Oreo Fudge
6 TBSP butter
24 oz. white chocolate chips
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup marshmallow fluff
1 tsp. lemon juice or lemon extract
20 Lemon Oreos cookies, crushed
Line an 8 in baking dish with foil or parchment paper
In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter, then, add in milk. Add in white chocolate chips and
cook until chips are melted completely. Stir in marshmallow fluff and continue stirring until
smooth. Slowly fold in crushed cookies. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set. Cut into 1-inch squares for serving.
Lemon Rolls
Rolls
1 box of lemon cake mix
2 packages of rapid rise dry yeast
2 1/2 cups of very warm water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
5 cups flour
(Extra flour for flouring surface when rolling out dough)
Filling
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
Zest from one lemon
1 package JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding Mix
Frosting
1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
3 1/2 - 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
3-5 TBSP milk
Rolls and Filling
Mix yeast and warm water until dissolved. Combine cake mix, salt and flour in a large bowl.
Add warm water/yeast mixture and vanilla to cake mix, salt and flour mixture. Mix well. This
may require kneading with your hands a bit to completely combine ingredients.
Cover tightly. Let rise for one hour. Punch down and let rise again for another 30-60 minutes.
Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll one half of dough into a rectangle shape, approx. ¼
inch thick. Once dough is rolled out, brush with half of softened butter.
Combine white sugar, lemon zest and JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding Mix in a bowl,
stirring until well combined. Sprinkle half of the sugar; lemon zest and JELL-O Lemon Flavor
Instant Pudding mix over buttered dough. Starting at end opposite from you, roll the dough
towards you until all dough is rolled into one long piece.
Slice dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Place 12 rolls into a 13x9 inch pan that has been sprayed
with non-stick cooking oil. Repeat process with remaining dough to make the second pan of
lemon rolls. Cover and let both pans rise until almost doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes.
Don't worry if rolls don't completely double in size, they will continue to rise while baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until lightly brown.
While rolls are baking, prepare your frosting. Remove from oven and either frost immediately if
you would like frosting to melt into rolls, or wait until rolls have cooled, then frost.
Frosting
Beat cream cheese, softened butter and lemon extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix until
well combined. Add in your confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time, mixing well after each
addition. Add in three tablespoons milk, and mix until very well combined. If you desire a
thinner frosting, add additional two tablespoons of milk, one at a time, mixing well after each
addition. Store rolls in refrigerator.
Soft Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ½ - 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
For the Icing
1 ½ tablespoons water
¾ cup to 1 cup powdered sugar
Combine butter and cream cheese in a bowl fit with a paddle attachment of a mixer. Cream
together for about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar and continue to mix. Add egg and vanilla
extract and continue to beat on medium to high speed until light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
Add half the flour, all the baking soda, salt, cornstarch and lemon zest. Add lemon juice and the
remaining flour. Mix to combine until the dough starts to form like a ball. Add a little more flour
until slight ball starts to form. Cover and refrigerate dough at least 2-3 hours or up to a few days.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet and spray with cooking spray or parchment
paper. Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 1 ½ tablespoon cookie dough. Roll cookie dough
between hands to get a nice round ball and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10
minutes, removed from oven and while still hot, slightly press down if desired. Allow cookies to
cool down completely before transferring. Cookies will slightly harden overnight a little more so
don't bake them much longer.
To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar and water together in a small bowl. Whisk fast until
ingredients are combined with no lumps. Dip cookies upside down into icing or drizzle icing over
the top and allow to harden. Yields 25 cookies.
Lemon Pie with No Fail Meringue
(This recipe claims to be “no fail meringue”, they have not invented one for me that is a no fail, so
good luck)
Crust:
1 9" baked piecrust. (Brush the crust with lightly beaten egg white during the last five minutes of
baking to seal it.)
Filling:
1 cup plus one tablespoon granulated sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (almost two lemons)
4 large egg yolks
pinch kosher salt
1 1/4 cups boiling water
Meringue:
4 large fresh egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (omit if using a copper bowl)
Cake crumbs, cake donut crumbs or bread crumbs (optional)
In a medium heavy bottom saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the filling with the exception
of the boiling water. Whisk until starch has dissolved and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Whisk in the boiling water and then place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the
mixture to a boil stirring gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Then reduce heat to
medium-low and cook for up to one minute and no longer, continuing to stir gently.
Immediately pour the filling into your prepared piecrust. If doing a hot filling meringue*
immediately top with your pre-prepared meringue and bake according to the instructions
below.
*Merinque
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set a rack near the bottom.
Combine the cornstarch and water and then place over medium high heat stirring constantly
until it has thickened into a gel (about two minutes) and set aside.
In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to dissolve. Begin beating on
medium-low speed until foamy and begin slowly sprinkling the sugar in while beating, giving the
sugar time to dissolve (this is very important). Continue to beat on medium speed until stiff
glossy peaks form. Then add the cornstarch gel and beat to combine.
Sprinkle either your chilled or freshly poured piping hot pie with crumbs (this will create a dry
seal on top of the lemon filling) and then apply a large dollop of meringue. Spread the meringue
to the edges of the pie, taking care not to disturb the crumbs. Seal the pie completely by pressing
the meringue against the crust. Add the remaining meringue and fluff (or smooth) with a spatula.
Yields 1 9-inch pie.
