Creamy Dreamy Lemon Lush Dessert

A beautiful frozen lemon dessert made of cream and lemon juice, served in a lemon shell. An eye-catching make ahead dessert perfect to serve at a dinner party or a ladies luncheon. Lemon lush dessert cups are crisp, creamy and a true treat.

Let’s Brighten Up January with These Lemon Snowballs.

Is it just me, or is January a boring month?

I could blame Thanksgiving and Christmas. November and December hurl us into a whirlwind of non-stop magical activity.  January most certainly brings that to a screeching halt.

January: The Monday morning of the year. The quit carbs, stop drinking, crowded gym month. On top of feeling cold and fat, there’s the glut of “new year-new me” posts on Facebook.

January: All the gourmet cheese is gone from the fridge.

We start to really notice that it’s pitch dark at 5:00 p.m. and that the ice on the sidewalks is dangerous.

And it’s such a loooooooooong month. Actually no longer than six others, but don’t you find yourself wondering “is it February yet”? That February that brings us Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, and a few warm days to bring us hope that Spring is just around the corner. 

January: I had to make something yellow, something bright and snappy, something lemony. Something lip-puckering zesty. Something fun!

These Lemon Lush Dessert Cups were just what the Doctor ordered. A cross between lemon ice cream and lemon sorbet, you’re going to flip over this dessert.

Frozen Lemon Dessert Recipe

A very long time ago, my friend Linda served this beautiful frozen lemon dessert as the grand finale of a dinner of simple grilled lamb chops with her Tree House Salad.

A light meal that was punctuated by an exclamation mark with these impressive little frozen lemon desserts.

Frozen lemon cream served in a hollowed out frozen lemon half will definitely get ones attention. Linda called them Lemon Snowballs, I call them lemon lushes, because it they are simply luscious.

These lemon lush dessert cups perfect for entertaining, because you can totally make them ahead. Let’s take a look.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this frozen lemon dessert:

• A mixture of heavy cream, milk and sugar.
• Eight lemons.
• Lemon zest.
• Lemon juice.
• Fruit and mint for garnish. Blueberries or raspberries work well here.

How to Make These Lemon Snowballs

Make the Lemon Boats

• Begin by gathering your army of lemons. You’ll need eight.
• Take three of those lemons and cut them lengthwise to resemble boats.
• Slice a small sliver of skin from the bottom of each boat so the lemons will sit level.
• Remove the pulp from the lemon halves. A knife and melon baller work well here.
• Once the lemon halves are hollowed out, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

Prepare the Lemon Cream Lush

• Using the remaining lemons, zest a couple of lemons for a total of two teaspoons of zest.
• Juice lemons for 3/4 cup lemon juice (about four lemons).
• In a large freezer safe bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and cream.
• Add sugar and stir very well to combine ingredients.
• Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for eight hours, or overnight.

Fill the Lemon Boats

• Remove the lemon boats and lemon lush from freezer.
• Using an ice cream scoop, scrape across the top of the lemon lush and place the sheets of the frozen dessert into the frozen lemon shells.
• Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.
• To serve: Garnish with blueberries, or raspberries and small mint leaves.

Recipe for Lemon Lush Dessert Cups

You’ll be very proud to serve these lemon snowballs at your next brunch, lunch, or even light Summer dinner. Easy to make once you get the stubborn flesh removed from the lemon. Just be patient. Use a sharp knife to cut around the edge of the lemon and then dig in.

I hope you give this fun frozen lemon dessert recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite frozen lemon dessert recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

Don’t want to mess with the fresh lemon shells? Simply serve in a chilled ramekin garnished with mint leaves and blueberries.

More Fresh Fruit Dessert Recipes

• Strawberry Tart Recipe with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
• Fresh Peach Blueberry Pie
• Vanilla Swirl Lemon Curd Ice Cream
• Frozen Lemon Cream Pie

And if you have a sweet tooth, you won’t want to miss my dessert category. You’ll find lots of fun approachable recipes, including the most popular dessert recipe on my site for French Pear Tart Bourdaloue.

5 from 3 votes

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Lemon Lush Dessert Cups

Crisp, creamy and luscious. A fresh lemon dessert made of cream and lemon juice and served in a lemon shell.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon dessert, lemon lush

Servings: 8

Calories: 257 kcal

Ingredients

• 8 large lemons
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice about 4 lemons
• 1 cup milk whole fat
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup blueberries or raspberries for garnish
• mint leaves for grnish

Instructions

1. Begin by gathering your army of lemons. You'll need 8

2. Take three of those lemons and cut them horizontally lengthwise. They'll resemble boats .Cut a small piece of skin from the bottom of each boat. This is so the lemons will sit level.

3. Remove the pulp from the lemon halves. Use a knife and melon baller works well here.Once the lemon halves are hollowed out, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

4. Using the remaining lemons, zest a couple of lemons for a total of 2 teaspoons

5. Juice lemons for 3/4 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

6. In a large freezer safe bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, milk and cream. Add sugar and stir very well to combine ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

7. Remove the lemon boats and lemon lush from freezer. Using an ice cream scoop, scrape across the top of the lemon lush and place the sheets of the frozen dessert into the frozen lemon shells.

8. Cover with plastic wrap. To serve: Remove from freezer and garnish with blueberries, or raspberries and small mint leaves.

Recipe Notes

I had more frozen lemon lush than would fit into the lemons. I saved it in the freezer and used it a week later in Ramekins. 

Easy to make once you get the stubborn flesh removed from the lemon. Just be patient. Use a sharp knife to cut around the edge of the lemon and then dig in.

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Lush Dessert Cups

Amount Per Serving

Calories 257 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 44mg15%

Sodium 27mg1%

Potassium 235mg7%

Carbohydrates 40g13%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 30g33%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 510IU10%

Vitamin C 67mg81%

Calcium 83mg8%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.