Freezable Lemon Bars
I love easy recipes that can be made in advance without suffering in taste or texture. These bars are perfect for summertime gatherings because they’re cool and refreshing. And, you could make them in advance, pop them in your freezer, and always have a summery dessert at your finger tips for unexpected guests or spontaneous dinner plans.
I used freshly whipped cream on my bars and popped them in the fridge since I was going to be serving them the next day. Nikki has assured me that she has tried with store-bough whipped cream with success as well. So use whatever you have on hand.
Hubby agreed with my comment that they weren’t super lemon-ey. You could obviously tell they were lemon, but I like a real punch in the face of lemon tartness in my desserts. I think next time, I’d add the zest of the lemons to the lemon layer to kick up the lemon factor.
One Year Ago: Strawberry and Blueberry Jam and Salmon with Strawberry and Tomato Salsa
Two Years Ago: Turkey Chili
Freezable Lemon Bars
Yield: 16
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 1 1/2 packages of graham crackers)
1/3 cup sugar
5 Tbsp butter, melted
3 egg yolks
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from 2 lemons)
8 oz whipped cream
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
In a small bowl, mix the graham crackers, sugar and butter. Press firmly into a 9 x 9 x 2-inch ungreased foil pan. In another small bowl, beat the egg yolks, condensed milk, and lemon juice on low-medium speed for one minute. Pour evenly over the crust and bake for about 30 minutes or until set.
Using two oven mitts, carefully remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, spread the whipped cream over the top.
Label a large freezer bag with the name, expiration date and direction (below). Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer bag. Freeze up to a month.
Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cut into bars. If not freezing, this can also be kept in the fridge for several days.
Recipe as seen on Pennies on a Platter, originally from Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Mmm I love jam, and this looks great for strawberry season! I unfortunately don’t like blueberries — would you adjust the other ingredients if you minus them? Also where do you get canning jars? Yay, fun summer project!
yumventures – You can def leave the blueberries out. Follow the link through to Ina’s original recipe. It doesn’t have blueberries in it. The comments on the Food Network website did say that it was a bit sweet with the sugar listed in the recipe, so keep that in mind.
I’ve never made homemade jam before…but wow this sure does look delicious!
It would be great in some thumbprint cookies or linzer cookies…yumm.
I’ve never had strawberry & blueberry jam before. That looks divine!
Oh, this looks wonderful! I’ve never made jam before but it’s on my list of things to try, this looks like the perfect way to get started. I love berry combos like this. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Does this recipe require pectin? I’ve heard that pectin is found naturally in raspberries so you don’t need it for that kind of jam, but wasn’t sure if it applied to strawberry as well. I am new to making jam but am excited to try!
Sarah – This recipe does not require pectin.
Hey there.. I have done your strawberry/blueberry jam, and I’m tellin ya,, it was sooooo goooood. Not too sweet either. My problem was, it never would really thicken, and I checked it on a saucer I kept in the freezer. It remained runny,, but ohh sooo good. I gave it away to family and they loved it. I’m just preparing to do more,, fingers crossed, I do hope it gets a little thicker this time. If I were to put the slightest amount of pectin I’m wondering what would happen?????? I noticed this posting is from 2010
beantownbaker — June 15th, 2013 @ 11:44 am
I think a little bit of pectin could help thicken the jam. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out.