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Recipe compliments of www.ITISAKEEPER.com

A square of lemon on a dish with nuts on top.

Lemon Lush

5 from 1 vote
Lemon Lush dessert is light, creamy and sweet, yet tart. This layered treat has all the delicious flavors of cheesecake but is so much lighter, making it perfect for the warmer season.
Prep Time : 20 minutes
Cook Time : 20 minutes
Cooling Time : 4 hours
Total Time : 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Calories: 506kcal
Author: Christina Hitchcock

Equipment

Ingredients
 

CRUST:

  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Butter, softened
  • 1 cup Walnuts, chopped

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:

  • 16 ounces Cream cheese, 2- packages softened
  • 1 ¼ cups Powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons Lemon juice

PUDDING LAYER:

  • 6.8 ounces Instant lemon pudding, 2 packages
  • 3 cups Milk
  • 12 ounces Frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • ½ cup Walnuts, chopped, optional

Instructions
 

Crust

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • Add the flour and butter to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
  • Add the walnuts and pulse until combined.
  • Press the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
  • Let crust cool.

Cream Cheese Layer

  • While the crust is cooling, add the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice and zest to a medium bowl and mix together until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.

Pudding Layer

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the pudding and milk together until fully combined; Let the mixture firm up for about 15 minutes.
  • Once the pudding is set, spread it over the cream cheese layer in an even layer.
  • Spread the whipped topping over the pudding layer and garnish with remaining chopped walnuts.
  • Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Christina's Notes

  • Buttery Shortbread Crust: Classic crust is made from flour, butter, and chopped pecans. Toast the pecans first for a nuttier, deeper flavor.
  • Chill: Chill the crust dough for 10 mins before baking to keep it from puffing up too much. Also, be sure to allow to cool completely before adding pudding mixture.
  • Room Temperature: Soften the cream cheese fully to avoid lumps in the lemon cream cheese filling.
  • Set Time: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the layers set up and slice clean.
  • Toppings: Top with lemon zest, fresh whipped cream, berries, sugar and lemon slices.
  • Individual: Make individual parfaits that are easy to take on the go.
  • Use Cool Whip: You can make homemade whipped cream using sugar and heavy whipping cream. However, the frozen whip topping is more stable and best for this lemon lush recipe.
  • Serve this Recipe With: Serve with 2 Ingredient Lemon Bars, Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars or Fresh Strawberry Poke Cake.

MY NOTES