This recipe is quickly becoming my favorite summer time dessert. It’s not a super quick recipe to make, but it is worth every single minute!
Some of my very favorite recipes are the ones that are passed down in church cookbooks and Junior League cookbooks. My Aunt Johnette gave this recipe to my mom and we made it at the beach a few weeks ago.
And we had it again yesterday for the 4th of July.
There are a few steps involved and little boys love to lick the beaters in between the steps!
This dessert is served cold and has four layers. So the recipe is organized by the layers.
Lemon Layer Delight!
Crust (bottom layer)
1 cup flour
1 stick melted butter
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions: Mix well and spread in a 9 1/2 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes or until slightly browned. Let the crust set out and cool completely.
Layer #1
1 cup Cool Whip
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
Directions: Mix well and spread over the cooled crust.
Layer #2
2 egg yolks
Juice of 2 lemons
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Directions: Stir together and pour over the first layer.
Layer #3
Top with a container of Cool Whip (or real whipped cream, as we prefer!) and garnish if you like. Refrigerate until you’re ready to eat!
Note: There are raw egg yolks in this recipe. I Googled some options for a substitute and didn’t really see anything that would work other than heavy cream. But unless you or a guest has a raw egg allergy it is fine. Just make sure you buy pasteurized eggs for this recipe.
You can fix this recipe with different flavors for the filling, but I love the lemon in the summer time. I’ve had it with chocolate a lot, too, and that’s also a crowd pleaser.
I just love garnishing with sliced lemons and lemon zest.
This looks soooooo yummy!!!! I love pecans and lemons so I know I would love this.
Are the egg yolks raw in the second layer? I’m not big on eating raw eggs, any substitution ideas?
just a thought, but you could probably use store bought lemon curd. this recipe looks sooo yummy, cannot wait to try it!
I totally need to make this. like NOW.
that looks so delicious and refreshing!
YUM. I Love all things Lemon!!
That sounds heavenly!
Hey girlie! I am a sucker for anything lemon-y in the summer. I’ll have to try this for sure! We actually make the chocolate version of this called… Chocolate Delight {imagine that ;)}
I’ll have to do a piggie-back post on it and bring you a sample next time I see you.
XO
CTB
I want to lick the screen!!!! Lemon desserts are so refreshing in the summer. Making this ASAP 🙂
That looks yummy!
I’m probably in the minority but raw egg in desserts doesn’t bother me all that much; one of my all time favorite dessert is tiramisu, so I made my peace long ago! I do buy fresh eggs and use them as soon as possible and I’ve never had any problems.
This looks delicious! And heck, I eat raw cookie dough all the time.
Love lemon-anything, so I’m totally trying this! Thanks for sharing!
OMG I love anything lemon, and if it has condensed milk and cream cheese… even better!
I make this dessert but use lemon pudding for the second layer…amazing ! We call it Lemon Heaven at our house ! 🙂
ooh…i was just on the lookout for a crunchy, creamy, lemony desert and was about to improvise something. i can’t wait to try this!
Erin, don’t know if you’ll get to this, but we make a similar dessert here at home (except we top it with italian merengue and skip the 2nd layer), and a few years ago we stopped adding the egg yolks. It really doesn’t make much of a difference taste-wise.
Hope it helps! Looks delicious 🙂