When life gives you lemons, you make dessert!

I LOVE lemon. Not lemons, not even lemon water, but lemon flavored things. Especially dessert. Mmmmmmmmm.

Justin and I have this great tradition (we've done it since our first date) that every time we go to one of our favorite restaurants, The Laughing Planet, we take turns on who gets to eat the lemon. Have you ever tried eating a lemon? My eye starts twitching, my cheeks pinch in, and my attractive scale drops to just about a zero. Justin gets quite the kick out of it, and I, when it's his turn.

Besides this little endevore that we partake in, lemon goes perfectly in any dessert. I can't wait to try out some of these new recipes I found! Maybe you can put a little lemon in your life this weekend!

Lemon Cream Bars

via tasty kitchen

oven: 350

For the Crust:

2/3 cups butter, melted

1 1/2 cups flour                 

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

For the Filling:

1, 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh please- about 3 lemons)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Combine milk and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside for a moment.

3. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly.

4. Press half of the streusel (dry) mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour the lemon mixture over top. Finish by sprinkling remaining streusel over the top of the lemon filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely then store in the refrigerator.

Lemon Cheesecake Tart

Via: The Dough Puncher

For the Crust:

9 graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

For the Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

zest and juice of 1 large lemon

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press into a 9-inch tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool while you make the filling.
2) In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the milk, yolks, and zest (saving the juice for later), and whisk until well combined. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Around 5-8 minutes (don't worry if it's a little longer/shorter). Pour through a seive into a medium-sized bowl, add the lemon juice.
3) In another bowl, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar until smooth. Add to the lemon custard and whisk until smooth and well combined. Pour into graham cracker crust and refrigerate for several hours until set up (it won't ever set up super thick, but it will be thick enough to cut messy slices)

Is your mouth watering? Mine is.

God bless!