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Happy summer! We hope this season is full of lazy, hazy, crazy days and good food for all. While there are a million barbecues and potlucks to go to, you also need time to treat yourself! So today, we’re rounding up some deliciously easy and refreshing citrus desserts for you and your family to enjoy all summer long.
Creamy Lemon Bars with Browned Butter Raspberries
Thanks to Half Baked Harvest for this recipe!
Ingredients
Bars:
– 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (finely crushed into crumbs)
– 6 Tbsp of salted butter (melted)
– 2 Tbsp of brown sugar
– 1 large egg + 2 large egg yolks
– 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
– 2 tsp of lemon zest
– 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 tsp of vanilla extract
– ½ tsp of kosher salt
Browned Butter Raspberries:
– 4 Tbsp of salted butter
– 1 Tbsp of lemon zest
– 1 ½ cups of fresh raspberries
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is light golden.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolks. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the cracker crust. Return it to the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until it is just set. Allow the bars to cool in the pan and then place them in the fridge to cool completely. This should be anywhere from two hours to overnight.
4. Make the raspberries by adding butter to a skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted. This should take about two minutes. Stir the butter often. Remove the butter from the heat and add the lemon zest. Gently toss the raspberries with a spoon into the mixture.
5. Cut into bars. Just before serving, spoon over the browned butter raspberries. The bars can be kept in the fridge for up to four days.
Tangerine Coriander Sorbet
Thanks to Dessert For Two for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 3 cups of fresh tangerine juice
– 2 Tbsp of fresh lime juice
– ¾ cups of sugar
– 1 Tbsp of vodka (or corn syrup if you want to make this kid-friendly)
– ½ tsp of ground coriander
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Whisk until everything is completely dissolved.
2. Pour the ingredients into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
3. Scrape the mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least four hours to firm up. Enjoy!
Orange Sherbert
Thanks to The Messy Baker for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 1 cup of sugar
– 2 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice
– Zest of 1 orange (finely grated, about 2-3 Tbsp)
– A pinch of fine sea salt
– 1 Tbsp of orange liqueur (Triple Sec is a good option)
– 1 Tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract
– ¾ cups of heavy cream
Directions
1. Make the orange mixture. Place the sugar, orange juice, zest, and salt into the blender. Puree until the sugar is well dissolved. Pour the orange mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any remaining pulp peices. Discard the pulp.
2. Stir in the liqueur, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add the cream and stir again to blend well.
3. Cover the mixture and chill for 2-3 hours. If you chill it overnight, the juice and the cream might separate.
4. About 20 minutes before you churn the sherbert, stir it together once more and put it in the freezer to make it extra cold.
5. Churn the sherbert in the ice cream maker according to the directions. The sherbert will be very soft. Scoop it into a freezer-proof container and chill for another 2-3 hours.
No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
Thanks to Martha Stewart for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 1 cup of finely ground graham crackers (about 9 crackers)
– 3 Tbsp of sugar
– ½ tsp of kosher salt
– 5 Tbsp of unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
– 2 packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
– 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
– ⅓ cup of fresh key lime juice
– 2 tsp of grated key lime zest
– Thinly sliced lime rounds for serving
– ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract
– ½ cup of cold heavy cream
Directions
1. Whisk together the cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Stir in the butter until the mixture resembles wet sand (yummy!) and holds together when squeezed. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
2. In the bown of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and condensed milk on medium-high speed until the mixture is fluffy. Pour the mixture over the chilled crust and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
3. Cover the cake with plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to three days.
Clementine Granita
Thanks to Martha Stewart for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 24 clementines
– ½ cup of sugar
– 1 slice of peeled fresh ginger
– 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
Ingredients
1. Slice the top ½ inch off each clementine and reserve. Cut around the flesh and scoop out into a sieve set over a bowl. Reserve the skins and be careful not to tear them. Press the flesh to extract the juice. Squeeze in juice from the tops. Juice enough clementines to yield two cups of juice.
2. Moisten the clementine skins with some juice or water. Roll the skins in ¼ cup of sugar to coat. Freeze until solid, about two hours.
3. Bring the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of water, and ginger to boil in a saucepan. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it stand for 30 minutes. Discard the ginger.
4. Stir in the two cups of juice and lemon juice and transfer it to an 8-inch square baking dish. Freeze until solid, about three hours.
5. Scrape the granita with a fork to fluff. Spoon the granita into the clementine “cups” (the rinds) and freeze for 10 minutes before serving.
Orange Fluff Fruit Salad
Thanks to Dessert Now Dinner Later for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 1 tub of low-fat small curd cottage cheese
– 1 tub of Cool Whip or whipped topping
– 1 small box of orange Jell-O/ gelatin dessert
– 1 can of mandarin oranges (drained)
– 1 can of crushed pineapple (drained)
– 3-4 cups of mini marshmallows
– ½ cup of sweetened coconut flakes (optional)
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese, Cool Whip, and orange Jell-O mix.
2. Gently fold in the manadarin oranges, crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and coconut, if desired.
3. Chill or serve immediately.
Orange Creamsicle Icebox Cake
Thanks to Yellow Bliss Road for this recipe!
Ingredients
– 2 cups of heavy cream
– ½ cup of powdered sugar
– 2 tsp of vanilla extract
– 22 ounces of canned manadrin orange slices (drained)
– 64 vanilla wafer cookies
– Zest of 1 orange (for garnish)
– 1 orange slice (for garnish)
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until medium peaks form, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Place the mandarin orange slices on a cutting board and chop them roughly into small pieces.
3. Layer two paper towels on top of each other and place the oranges on top. Wrap up the orange pieces and gently press to soak up any extra juices.
4. Gently fold the orange pieces into the whipped cream.
5. Create a layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9×9 inch baking dish. Place ¼ of the whipped cream on top of the cookies and use a spatula to spread the whipped cream in an even layer. Repeat the cookie whipped cream layers three more times, ending with whipped cream on top.
6. Sprinkle orange zest over the whipped cream if you want to.
7. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours.
8. Cut the icebox cake into the desired number of servings and serve!
We’re ready for all of these amazing citrus desserts to be in our fridges! How about you? What recipe are you trying first? Comment below!
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