It’s starting to feel like Spring around here, so how about a nice lemony dessert? Er, sort of. This dessert doesn’t contain any actual lemons, but rather a box of instant lemon pudding, Cool Whip and cream cheese. In other words, it’s Todd’s favorite type of dessert.
The recipe is called Lemon Lush and the original source is Allrecipes.com. However, I might have missed it if I hadn’t seen it in a sample of the new All Recipes magazine which came bundled with the latest issue of Family Circle.
It reminds me of a cross between Taste of Home and Food Network Magazine, with articles written especially for the magazine as well as recipes and tips pulled straight from allrecipes.com. They’ve done a nice job laying out sidebars and blurbs with reader tips, recipe recommendation and quotes you might not have noticed while scrolling through the reviews. This being just a preview, I’m anxious to see how they will fill a full magazine. Food Network has all their Food TV celebrity features, so maybe allrecipes.com will make readers the stars and feature more everyday people kind of like Taste of Home does. We shall see.
Anyway, because Todd’s pretty much the only person who will be eating this, I halved the recipe and made it in an 8 inch metal pan. To slice it neatly, I lined the pan with nonstick foil, froze the entire dessert, lifted it from the pan while frozen, and cut into squares a few hours before serving. That step is completely optional, but I like things to look nice on a plate.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter, softened**
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant lemon
- pudding mix
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped
- topping, thawed
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch metal pan (glass okay too, but you might want to lower the temp to 325).
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt (if using) and softened butter using a pastry cutter until a ball forms. Press into the bottom of dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and well blended. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon pudding mix and milk for 3 to 5 minutes. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Chill until set, then spread whipped topping over the top.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Todd is a lucky man!
If you ever need a tasting assistant …
Yes I am!
I love Allrecipes. My banana brownie recipe which you helped me with is a published recipe out there. This dessert looks refreshing and easy to make. Plus it is pretty with the different layers. And in regards to the comment about Todd being lucky, I second that. How does he and how do you stay in shape (assuming you are not both 400 pounds by now) with all the dessert-making goin’ on?
Yummy!
I’ve received two of those, and admittedly I haven’t looked very closely at them. I was sort of taken by the photo on the front cover. I can’t remember why I passed on that and looked further. I hope Todd liked the dessert!
My Aunt used to make lemon lush. It was always a big hit!
I got that new Allrecipes mini-mag, too. Looks like it will be a good one.
What makes this Todd’s favorite type of dessert? The Cool Whip, the cream cheese or the pudding? Or the combination of all three?
Anyway, looks like a good dessert for the height of summer when one doesn’t want to turn on the stove if you swapped out the crust in the recipe for a graham cracker crust.
Love Love Love your granite counter top
Thanks Lori! It’s Venetian Gold.