IRENE'S LEMON LUSH

Irene's Lemon Lush image

Lemon always says "SUMMER" to me, so it should surprise no one who knows me that this recipe would be one of my absolute favorite summer recipes. I first enjoyed it when my Aunt Irene Lynch made it for my mother's 70th birthday party in 2000. It is a layered dessert with a cookie-like pecan crust, a cream cheese filling, and LEMON pudding on top, refrigerated until chilled through and ready to serve on a hot summer day. You could also make this for any of the other three seasons and we'd never tell on you. =^..^=

Provided by Fran Miller @TchrLdy71

Number Of Ingredients 15

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Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 stick(s) butter or margarine
1 cup(s) chopped pecans
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING
24 ounce(s) (3 boxes) cream cheese, softened
2 cup(s) powdered sugar
2 cup(s) cool whip, out of a 16 oz. container (you'll need more for the 4th layer)
FOR THE COOKED LEMON PUDDING
2 package(s) lemon pudding mix, the kind you cook
1 cup(s) white sugar
4 - egg yolks
4 1/2 cup(s) water, divided
FINISH WITH...
Rest - of the cool whip

Steps:

Put the cream cheese & butter into two different mixing bowls to soften. When they are, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1st Layer: Mix together butter, flour, and chopped nuts with a pastry cutter or two large forks, as you would for a pie crust. Press into a 13 x 9" baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
2nd Layer: Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 2 cups of Cool Whip with a mixer until smooth, then spread on the cooled crust. Refrigerate until the lemon pudding is cooled in the next step.
3rd Layer: Prepare the cooked lemon pudding, as directed on the package, with the pudding mix, sugar, water (just a little at first), and egg yolks. Add the rest of the water. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cool completely before pouring over the cream cheese layer.
It should look about like this.
4th Layer: Spread the rest of the Cool Whip over the lemon pudding layer.
Refrigerate overnight or until chilled through. Refrigerate any leftovers.
NOTES: This recipe is easy to halve when you're not cooking for a crowd. Just press the crust into a 9" square pan to bake. Everything else should fit in nicely. You can also save a few calories by using fat-free cream cheese & Cool Whip. Someone out there might also have a sugar-free cooked lemon pudding recipe, too. Aunt Irene's recipe called for THREE boxes of cooked lemon pudding, but I make it with only TWO boxes, to save calories & all that extra cooking time. I also think the ratio of lemon pudding to the cream cheese layer to the cookie crust is still good with less pudding, but experiment & decide for yourself, as I always encourage. =^..^=