Everyone Will Love This Easy Lemon Lush

Lemon lush is a classic because it’s stacked with fancy-looking, creamy layers, but is so easy to make. Start with a simple shortbread crust of butter and flour pressed down into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake until the edges turn golden, then add a layer of whipped, sweetened cream cheese. Next, add a layer of lemon pudding, then top it off with store-bought whipped topping and chill.

Lemon lush is also a great make-ahead dessert to serve at gatherings since it can be made up to two days in advance. Plus, when folks ask to take some leftovers home (and they will), you can tell them they’ll stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two more days. 

Tips for Making Lemon Lush   

• Fully soften the cream cheese: To keep the crust from breaking apart, make sure the cream cheese has been fully softened on the kitchen counter for at least an hour before you mix it with the sugar. Also make sure the crust is completely cool before adding the cream cheese mixture on top. But even if the crust does break apart a little, the flavor will still be amazing. 

• Avoid lumpy pudding: To prevent lumps in the pudding layer, make sure to check for any powdery bits of pudding mix that haven’t mixed in and stir them in well. Scrape the bowl well halfway through the mixing process, using a spatula to mix in any powder that hasn’t yet been incorporated. 

• Spray the dish well: Be sure to coat the bottom of the baking dish well with nonstick cooking spray before pressing in your crust. Even though the crust has lots of butter in it.

Easy Tweaks  

Change things up by making this a vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate lush by simply swapping out the store-bought lemon pudding mix with another flavor. You can add toppings to the lemon lush, too, pecans, shredded coconut, or lemon zest are all delicious.

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, plus more for your hands

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 2/3 cup (132g) sugar

• 2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix

• 3 cups cold milk, preferably whole

• 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping, thawed in the refrigerator

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Make the crust:  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and softened butter. Use a fork to mash them together until the mixture has a crumbly texture. Pour the crumbly mixture into the prepared baking dish.

   Dust your hands with a little flour, then firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish to create the crust layer.

3. Bake and cool the crust:  Bake the crust until the edges start to turn golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely, at least 1 hour, before moving to the next step.

4. Make the cream cheese layer:  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and sugar. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, using a spatula to scrape the bowl halfway through. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust, being careful not to pull up too many crumbs.

5. Make the pudding layer:  Clean the bowl and paddle of your stand mixer or beaters if using a hand mixer. In the clean mixer bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk. Mix on medium-low speed until well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes, using the spatula to scrape down the sides halfway through. Pour the mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer.

6. Add the whipped topping:  Spread the thawed whipped topping evenly on top of the pudding layer. Cover and chill the dessert in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours, then slice and enjoy. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

[Source: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/easy-lemon-lush-recipe-11715810]