Lemon Lush

Lemons are falling off the trees in Phoenix. Perfect timing for this yummy dessert.

Lemon Lush

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup sugar
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
3½ cups milk
1 (16-ounce) container whipped topping, thawed


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, softened butter, pecans, and ¼ cup sugar until evenly mixed. Press into the bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread on top of the cooled shortbread crust.
In a medium bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk until it thickens some, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour on top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour is good.
Spread whipped topping over top. Cut into squares. Serves: 12

Notes
If you want pretty slices, you must partially freeze the lemon lush. It will defrost fairly quickly.

Thanks to spicysouthernkitchen.com for recipe.

Zona Lorig's Family Lemon Cups

Lunch by the pool was a perfect venue for good friends to enjoy the weather and conversation. Thanks to Zona Lorig for serving these Lemon Cups.

Joan Robinson and Zona enjoying Lemon Cups

Zona writes, “There’s a surprise lemon sauce under the golden cake topping. The original recipe came from the 1953 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. My grandmother, Edith Davis, loved this recipe and so did the Houston Davis family.”

Lemon Cups

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sifted flour
Dash salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
3 beaten egg yolks

3 stiff-beaten egg whites

Directions:
Combine sugar, flour, salt and butter.

Add lemon peel and juice.

Slowly stir milk into beaten egg yolks.
Add to the first mixture.

Fold in egg whites and pour into ungreased custard cups, filling 2/3 full or pour into 2 quart glass casserole dish.

Set custard cups or casserole in a shallow pan, filling pan to 1 inch with water. Bake in slow oven (325 degrees) for 45 minutes or til the sponge cake (atop the sauce) is done.
Serve warm or chilled. Top with fruit.

Lemony Lemon Brownies

It's that time of year - Lemons are ripe and plentiful in Phoenix now. Nothing like the sweet-tart taste of lemons in a dessert. We also like other lemon recipes in Tastes & Treasures cookbook, especially Very Lemon Loaf.

Lemony Lemon Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs, large
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt

Tart Lemon Glaze:
4 Tbsp lemon juice
8 tsp lemon zest
1 cup icing sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.
Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.
Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.
Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.
Cut into bars and serve.

Lemon Bars with two ingredients

Lemon Bars

Phoenix has lemon trees all over so it's easy to make all kinds of lemon goodies. The trees are loaded down now and ready to pick.
Also try Lemon Rub Pie page 178 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Two Ingredient Lemon Bars


Ingredients:
1 box angel food cake mix

22 ounces lemon pie filling



Directions:
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix and pie filling together in a large mixing bowl.



 Spread mixture into greased 9×13 baking dish.



 Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Expect for these to be more of a cake-like texture than other lemon bars.



 Top with powdered sugar and finely-grated lemon.


Options: try apple or cherry pie filling too.

Makes about 15 bars.

thanks to recipeswithlove

Lemon Coconut Squares from Pam Stevenson

Lots of sugar but lots of goodness in these yummy bars. Pam adds 3/4 cup coconut to the filling for an unique flavor.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients for Crust:     

2 cups flour

1 cup butter

½ cup powdered sugar

Combine and press into greased 9” X 13” pan. Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Ingredients for Filling:

4 eggs

4 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon rind

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder



Directions for Filling:
Mix well and pour over previous layer. Bake again 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Ingredients for Glaze:

4 tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½ cup powdered sugar


Directions for Glaze:
Mix and pour over previous layer soon after removing from oven. Cool and cut into squares.



Pam Stevenson baked these for the Historical League meeting. They were almost gone by the time I took her photo.

Lemon Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Breakfast is such a great way to start the day. Sour Cream Pecan Coffee Cake from Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, page 54 in Tastes & Treasures cookbook is delicious. This Blueberry adaption is yummy also.










Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon

7/8 cup* sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup buttermilk
* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
**


Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.
Fold in the blueberries.
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray.
Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with additional tablespoon of sugar.
Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

Betsy Davis Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

Can't you just smell that wonderful aroma of lemon bars baking in the oven?

Betsy Davis is great about contributing food to the Historical League functions. This was her recipe from the February meeting. It was finger licking good. Sweet and Tart.

Crust
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 sticks butter

Topping
2 cups sugar
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs well beaten
1 heaping Tbs grated lemon rind
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix flour and powdered sugar together. Cut in butter until well blended. Press mixture over bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan. Bake about 25 minutes until lightly browned.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the remaining ingredients and spread on top of the baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Betsy’s Note: if they come out too runny, I haven't baked them long enough or didn't have the oven all the way preheated when I started the baking. If I make sure the oven is at 350 and bake them for 30 minutes, they come out fine.