These Lemon Meltaway Cookies are buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies bursting with sweet lemon flavor and a lemony glaze. Perfect for snacking!

Spring is officially here but Sacramento, as per usual, did not get the memo. Instead of the usual heat, though, we have been dealing with atmospheric river rains.

I mean… I will take rainstorms ANY DAY over heat. So bring on the umbrellas and rubber boots, I say!

But don’t worry – even if I will be swept to sea this spring, I’ll still try and bring you springy recipes like these cookies

Making Lemon Meltaway Cookies

These meltaway cookies are divine! The texture is so tender and light and they practically melt in your mouth. You can achieve this with cornstarch (which this recipe does not have) or by creaming the butter and sugar properly which gives the airy, fluffy texture.

Of course, the flavor comes from fresh lemon zest which cannot be replicated! You could use lemon extract in a pinch, but it’s just not the same as fresh zest. You’ll use fresh lemon juice in the glaze.

This recipe has pretty standard pantry ingredients, including:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Egg
• Lemon Zest
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• All-Purpose Flour

The icing uses lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for a little tart zing. The icing is very similar to royal icing in that it hardens on the cookies so they’re stackable. I love this kind of icing for cookies and it tastes especially delectable on these meltaways.

Tips for Lemon Meltaways

• You can store these meltaway cookies at room temperature, airtight, for up to 5 days… if they last that long! Mine were gone within a day or two because I handed them off to neighbors.
• To avoid dense or overly dry cookies, be sure to measure your flour properly. I recommend spooning your flour into the measuring cup, then leveling off the cup with a butter knife as opposed to scooping your flour from the container or bag. Doing the latter (scooping from the bag) will use too much flour and create a drier, denser cookie similar to a hockey puck… not good! For that light and airy texture, you definitely want to measure your flour!
• For the best flavor, use fresh lemons as opposed to lemon juice and/or extract.

Buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth… these sweet and tangy Lemon Meltaway Cookies will sure to put a smile on your face!

*recipe from Dixie Crystals

Print

Lemon Meltaway Cookies

These buttery, soft and tender cookies are bursting with sweet and tangy lemony flavor! You'll love their melt-in-your-mouth texture and amazingly bright lemon flavor!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 32 cookies

Ingredients

FOR THE COOKIES:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• Zest of one medium lemon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE LEMON ICING:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in the egg and the lemon zest and mix well, about 30 more seconds. Lastly, add in the baking powder and salt, then begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix on low speed until fully incorporated.
• Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, scoop out rounded Tablespoon-size balls of dough and place 1" apart on the baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball with the bottom of a greased or sugared drinking glass.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• For the icing glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice until soft and glossy. Dunk or spread the glaze on the tops of the cookies and let the glaze harden before storing or serving. Cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.

These lemon cookies are so dreamy!

Craving more lemony goodness? Check out this recipe!

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Lemon Meltaway Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

This Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf is packed with lemon flavor in a moist and tender loaf cake! A must make.

Hope you don’t mind all the lemon desserts because I have yet another one for you today and it’s a good one!

I love lemon desserts! Lemon desserts and banana desserts are easily my top 2 favorite flavors, be it cake, pudding, frozen yogurt, you name it. Color me a huge fan.

I’m also quite a fan of Starbucks’ lemon loaf, but my coffee order is already over $5, and adding on another treat is just so frivolous, so I set out to make my own loaf cake. This one is pretty darn close to Starbucks, but I think it’s better because you get a whole loaf instead of a measly slice!

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

There are a few key components to making a lemon loaf cake, and those are:

• Oil: I like using oil in this cake recipe instead of butter because oil makes it extra moist. There’s nothing worse than a dry cake!
• Sugar: for sweetness!
• Eggs: for binding everything together and moisture
• Lemon zest: and plenty of it! I use close to 1/4th cup. This provides a huge amount of the lemon flavor.
• Pure lemon extract: this gives another huge kick of lemon flavor. Make sure you purchase pure lemon extract as opposed to imitation, as pure has better flavor.
• Flour, baking soda, and salt: these are your structure ingredients and leavening agents!
• Sour cream: adds moisture and richness. Make sure you use full-fat sour cream.

And of course, Starbucks’ cake is known for that irresistibly thick glaze on top. We can achieve a similar glaze by using confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and pouring it over the cake.

I love the pure, unadulterated lemon flavor in this moist and tender cake. The one-two punch of lemon flavor from the heavy-handed zest and the pure lemon extract is the best, and the texture is amazing thanks to the oil and sour cream. You’re going to love this one, trust me!

And you’re welcome on saving that extra $4 at the coffee shop!

Print

Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf

This Copycat Lemon Loaf is similar to Starbucks but BETTER because it can be made at home, tastes fresh and is so moist, tender and delicious! You'll love its punchy lemon flavor!

Course Bread, Cake

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup lemon zest (from about 3 medium lemons)
• 2 Tbsp pure lemon extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

For Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350° degrees F. Liberally grease a 9" light metal loaf pan with cooking spray. (See Note if you're not using a light metal loaf pan).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the oil and sugar with the paddle attachment until combined, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the lemon zest and lemon extract, mixing well. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until just barely combined, then add in the sour cream and mix until fully combined. Do not overmix.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake the loaf for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool for about 20 minutes in the pan, then carefully invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until just combiend, smooth and glossy. Pour over the cooled cake and allow glaze to drip down the sides. Let glaze harden slightly before cutting and serving the loaf.

Notes

Note: when baking loaf cakes or breads, I HIGHLY recommend using a light metal or even a disposable foil baking pan. Why? Light metal and disposable foil pans conduct heat the most consistently, yielding a perfectly baked loaf. It's also the type of pan I use and what I have tested my recipe with, hence the baking time given. If you do not have a light metal baking pan or a disposable foil pan, please note that your baking time may be off by quite some time depending on your type of pan.

Glass doesn't conduct heat as well, so your loaf may be cooked on the bottom and sides but raw in the middle and therefore will need a longer baking time. Conversely, dark metal pans cook way too quickly as they absorb heat too fast and will cook much faster. 

This loaf cake is so delicious! I know you’ll love it!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

More Copycats This Way…

Copycat Cosmic Brownie Cookies

Copycat Hostess Cupcakes 

The post Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

This Amazing Lemon Cake is bright, zesty, and full of lemon flavor from the cake to the frosting! You’re going to LOVE it!

So even food bloggers make mistakes, and apparently I made a big one.

I made a former lemon cake recipe that shall not be named that everyone apparently hated.

Anyway, I am here today with my redemption by way of this Amazing Lemon Cake. I would venture to say it’s the best, but last time I did that, people didn’t agree, sooo… I’ll let you be the judge.

Amazing Lemon Cake

This lemon cake is based off of my Best Ever Vanilla Cake recipe, which truly is the BEST in all the land. (I’m biased, but the readers agree). With a few simple tweaks, I made it into a lemon cake that’s utterly incredible and super lemon-y. Oftentimes with lemon desserts, the lemon flavor bakes out quite easily since it tends to be so light. But not with this cake!

There’s a whopping 1/3 cup (!! – not a typo!) of lemon zest in this recipe. You read that right! This gives it a superior lemon flavor. In addition to the lemon zest, we’re also using pure lemon extract. Be sure to splurge for the pure lemon extract (found by the vanilla extract on the baking or spice aisle of your local grocery store) because it is a real lemon oil and gives great flavor as opposed to imitation lemon which can taste off-putting.

This cake gets its amazing name from its amazing texture: it’s super moist, has great density yet is also fluffy, and is just an all-around great cake.

There are a few key components to making this cake AMAZING, and those are:

• Room temperature ingredients: I promise, I’m not making things difficult on you. Room temperature ingredients really do make a difference! They cream and blend together better than cold ingredients do, and when you use room temperature ingredients, they create an emulsion which traps air inside. That trapped air gets released when the cake is baking, resulting in light and fluffy cakes. Trust me, room temperature ingredients matter!
• Butter AND oil! This cake uses both butter and oil for superior flavor and moist texture. You cannot substitute one for the other without compromising the flavor or texture of the cake. Butter is used for great flavor, while oil is used to impart moisture. Trust me on this, both of these fats are key for an amazing cake.
• Cool the cakes completely: Cool these bad boys completely before frosting and assembling your layer cake, otherwise your frosting will melt off!
• This recipe can be adapted for different pans: For three 8″ or 9″ layers, bake about 20-23 minutes. For cupcakes, divide into muffin tins and bake about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. For a 13×9″ layer cake, bake about 30-35 minutes or until done.

Filled with a gooey lemon curd and frosted with lemon buttercream, you do NOT want to miss out on this Amazing Lemon Cake!

Print

Amazing Lemon Cake

This Amazing Lemon Cake is seriously divine! Light and moist lemon cake filled with lemon curd and topped with a lemony buttercream. Easy and delicious!

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1½ cups granulated white sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp pure lemon extract
• 1/3 cup lemon zest (from about 3-4 medium lemons)
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For Filling and Frosting:

• 1 cup lemon curd, prepared
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 4-5 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom of two 9" round cake pans with cooking spray. Add a parchment paper round to the bottom of each pan, then grease the parchment round and the sides of the pan with more cooking spray; set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and sugar over medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla and lemon extracts and lemon zest. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add some of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed to combine. Alternate that by adding in some buttermilk and mixing on low speed to combine. Alternate adding in the dry and the buttermilk until a smooth batter comes together.
• Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool completely.
• For the frosting: In a clean bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract together with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the lemon zest and mix well. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, alternating with the lemon juice, until a soft and spreadable frosting is achieved.
• For assembly: Place a cake layer onto a cake plate. Spread with 1 cup of the lemon curd. Top with the remaining cake layer. Top with the icing and cover the cake with the icing. Decorate as desired. Cakes can be stored in the fridge airtight.

This cake is BURSTING with lemon flavor; I know you’re going to love it!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Amazing Lemon Layer Cake first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

Of all the 90s/Y2K trends coming back into style, I am so glad frosted tips aren’t one of them.

I mean, I definitely didn’t skate by in the 90s and 00s without some ~questionable~ looks, so I have no room to talk. But frosted tips definitely weren’t one of the more becoming looks for men. Ahem, Justin Timberlake, I’m looking at you, honey! As long as the teens today don’t bring back low-rise jeans and shark-bite hem clothing, I think I can survive with the crop tops and belly chains. I will forever be scarred from the shark-bite hem clothing though. It’s just so… complicated? And confusing? And strippy? Why did we decide to wear skirts and tops with 18 different hem lengths, all torn up like we were brutally attacked by a bear or shark right before arriving to the party or red carpet?

But I digress.

Some frosted things are always going to be trendy, like Jack Frost nipping at your nose, frosted windowpanes when its cold out, a frosted Christmas tree… okay, so maybe I’m a little wistful for winter weather since it’s approximately 1000 degrees outside. Another awesome frost: this Frosted Lemonade. 

I didn’t grow up with Chick Fil A (it came around town when I was a senior in high school) so I didn’t know about their frosted lemonade drink until I was older. But once I tried it, I was hooked. That stuff is seriously addicting! If you are unfamiliar, they take their lemonade and basically combine it with ice cream to make an ultra creamy, dreamy, frosty, cold, “frosted” lemonade – almost like a lemonade milkshake of sorts. It’s tart, tangy, sweet and creamy and I love the balance of the sweet cream and the lemonade.

And now you can make one at home which is even easier and far cheaper since you can make a huge batch. And if your drive-thru is like mine, it’s definitely nicer to make it at home because my drive-thru is always CRAZY busy.

You guys are going to fall in love with this crazy easy, super delicious Frosted Lemonade!

Print

Best Ever Frosted Lemonade

This Frosted Lemonade is SUPER easy, so delicious, comes together ultra fast and tastes amazing! Way better than the drive thru!

Course Dessert, Drinks, Frozen Desserts

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1½ cups lemonade homemade or prepared
• 12 oz (1 can) frozen lemonade concentrate slightly thawed
• 16 oz pkg Cool Whip OR vanilla ice cream frozen (use either Cool Whip OR ice cream, not both)
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

• Add the lemonade, lemonade concentrate, frozen Cool Whip OR ice cream, and sweetened condensed milk to a blender and blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes. You may need to stop the blender and use a rubber spatula to push the Cool Whip chunks/ice cream chunks down into the bottom of the blender more, then restart the blender to continue processing until smooth and creamy.
• Distribute evenly among 2 large glasses, or 4-6 smaller glasses. Serve immediately. You can get about 2 Mason jars-worth of these, or 4-6 smaller glasses worth.

Notes

This recipe was tested using 16 oz of frozen Cool Whip. I like using the Cool Whip because in my opinion it's a little creamier than ice cream, but you can definitely use ice cream in its place. Just look for a 16 oz container of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. This is approximately 4 cups or so. 

Sweet, creamy, tart and tangy – this Frosted Lemonade is soooo amazing!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Best Ever Frosted Lemonade first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

Pistachio Lemon Snowball Cookies are buttery, tender cookies packed with pure, nutty pistachio flavor and a light lemony glaze! A fun twist on a classic snowball cookie you can enjoy any time of year!

Okay, how GORGEOUS are these cookies!?

The pretty spring green color! The pop of yellow! The little flecks of brown! They’re simply perfect – the ultimate springtime cookie.

Even though we’re in the midst of spring, I was thinking about snowball cookies because Hallmark has been airing Christmas movies on Fridays, lol. Not sure why but I kinda love it and it got me thinking about snowball cookies, which is one of my fave holiday cookies! But why do they have to be exclusive to wintertime? They’re so good, they should be a year-round occurrence!

But I wanted to jazz them up a little bit for spring and I got the brilliant idea to use pistachios instead of the usual pecans. Pistachios are naturally a little sweeter, have a unique and signature flavor and a buttery nuttiness that’s so perfect for these cookies. And of course, their natural color gives these cookies a beautiful minty green hue.

Pistachios also go great with lemon flavors and naturally, a lemony glaze sounded perfect and refreshing – the perfect accessory to these beautiful cookies.

The Pistachio Cookies

Snowball cookies consist of butter, granulated sugar for sweetness, a little brown sugar for flavor and a lovely texture, a splash of vanilla, all-purpose flour to hold it together, and ground nuts – in this case, we’re using ground pistachios. You want them to be finely ground – not to a powder or meal consistency, but not super crunchy either. We’re also going to add in some instant pistachio pudding mix which will give these cookies lovely pistachio flavor and an amazing soft, chewy and tender texture. Trust me, you do not want to skip on this ingredient!

The Glaze

The glaze consists of some freshly grated lemon zest, lemon juice, and confectioners’ sugar whisked together until it is the perfect glazing consistency. You’ll dip the baked and cooled cookies into the glaze and let the excess drip off before returning them to a wire rack to set the glaze. The glaze hardens and creates this irresistible soft shell over the cookie with a kiss of lemon.

Buttery, ultra tender, melt-in-your-mouth Pistachio Lemon Snowball Cookies… you’re going to love these!

Print

Pistachio Lemon Snowball Cookies

These Pistachio Lemon Snowball Cookies are ultra buttery, tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with pure pistachio flavor and a kiss of lemony glaze. The perfect springtime cookie!

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely ground pistachios I used roasted and salted
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup instant pistachio pudding mix just the dry powder, do not prepare the pudding

For the Glaze:

• 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of half a lemon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined. Lastly, beat in the ground pistachios, flour, and instant pistachio pudding mix powder until combined. Dough may be crumbly; this is normal and perfectly okay.
• Using a Tablespoon-size cookie dough scoop, scoop out Tablespoon-size balls of dough into your hand and roll into a ball. The heat of your palm will help hold the crumbly dough together into a cohesive ball. Place 1" apart on the baking sheets.
• Bake for 10-13 minutes or until light golden brown and set. Cool completely on the baking sheets as the cookies are very tender and delicate while they cool.
• After the cookies cool, make your glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined. Dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze and allow the excess to drip off. Return the glazed cookies to a wire rack and allow glaze to set before storing or serving.

Notes

Remember, you're only using instant dry pistachio pudding mix - do not prepare the pudding. 

The perfect consistency for the pistachios is finely ground. It shouldn't be super milled like a flour but not super crunchy or chunky, either. I used roasted and salted shelled pistachios since that was easiest to find.

You guys are going to love these tender, nutty cookies! Not only are they gorgeous, they’re so tasty, too!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Pistachio Lemon Snowball Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

This Lemon Bundt Cake is amazing and the BEST! Moist and tender with amazing, bright and zesty lemon flavor and a tangy cream cheese frosting!

I know some of you guys are buried under a mountain of snow and are experiencing near blizzard conditions, but here in Sacramento, we’re basically in the spring season. It’s so weird to me that the climates can be SO drastically different from place to place – even in Tahoe, a mere 90 minutes away, there is plenty of snow piled up, but here we’re basically in a comfortably mild winterspring.

Therefore, I have been conjuring up all the springy recipes: I’m thinking fruits, anything light and fresh, cakes – I’m feeling very inspired! You guys are in for a real treat for the upcoming recipes!

But let’s talk about this amazing Lemon Bundt Cake!

Sometimes lemon cakes don’t have enough lemon flavor, but this lemon cake packs a serious lemony punch with a whopping 1/3 CUP of lemon zest! This sounds like a lot – and it is! – but it really adds a tremendous freshness and depth of lemon flavor. In addition to the zest, there’s lemon juice in the batter and a lemony simple syrup mixture that gets brushed onto the cake which adds a great moisture and lovely flavor.

This cake gets great moisture from buttermilk which adds such a great tang and pairs beautifully with the tartness of the lemons. The tang also comes through with the cream cheese frosting which tastes SO amazing with the lemony flavor!

I love this cake on its own, but it would be an amazing vehicle for additional fruit like raspberries or blueberries inside of it as well! But definitely give it a go as is because I cannot believe how much lemon flavor is packed in this cake. It is truly bright, flavorful, zesty and incredible. To really drive home the lemon flavor, consider sprinkling the cream cheese icing with little strips of lemon rind, or pieces of candied lemon.

Best Lemon Bundt Cake will be the hero of your springtime dessert table! Trust me!

*adapted from Ina Garten

Print

Best Lemon Bundt Cake

This Lemon Bundt Cake truly is the BEST! Super, powerfully lemony and bright with a luscious and tangy cream cheese frosting. You'll love this moist and tender cake!

Course Cake, Cakes/Cupcakes, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated lemon zest from about 4-6 large lemons
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the Frosting:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 8 ounces (One package) cream cheese softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2½-3 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Liberally grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with shortening and flour or a really good cooking spray - seriously, really grease the heck out of it! Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar together until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the lemon zest.
• Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a medium measuring glass, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice and vanilla. Add in some of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, mixing well after each addition and alternating with the flour, ending with the flour mixture.
• Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top. Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, but not wet, crumbs. Cool in the pan for about 30 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack placed over a piece of parchment or a baking sheet.
• While cake cools, make your lemon simple syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice and granulated sugar over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and brush over the still-warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy. Pipe in lines over the cake. Top with strips of lemon zest, if desired.

Notes

Make sure to zest the lemons before you juice them! For 1/3 cup of lemon zest, I used about 5 large lemons. 

Buttery, lemony, moist and sweet – you’ll love this easy Bundt cake!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Best Lemon Bundt Cake first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

These bright and zesty Lemon Crumble Bars are sure to make you happy! With a luscious, tart and sweet lemon layer and a buttery crumble topping, they’re SO easy and delicious, too!

The weather has been SO confusing here lately, but I am not surprised – it is like this every year, just earlier and earlier as the years go by.

A few days ago, it was full-on springtime weather: sunny, crisp but not too cold or warm and BEAUTIFUL. Ideal and perfect in every sense of those words. My apartment had just about every window open and it was glorious. The very next day? Rainstorm. Cold, windy, overcast. Don’t get me wrong, I love cold and rainy days – in fact, winter is my favorite season! But the weather is just a little hot and cold for me!

I guess that’s what I get for living with a place with virtually no seasons! Our “seasons” are fleeting in inappropriate months (by real spring we’re in full-fledged summer, etc).

But it was one of those fleeting spring-y days when I conjured up the idea to make these Lemon Crumble Bars! I have been on a serious roll with these crumble bars lately and have no intention of stopping (stay tuned for another seriously delicious iteration!) but had to share these ones: the bright, tart, freshness of the lemon cannot be beat! And, my apartment complex has a lemon grove and we still had a huge abundance of lemons, so I was inspired to grab a ton and make these!

My crumble bars have two components to them – the crust/crumble and the filling! Here’s a little breakdown about them:

The Crust/Crumble

The crust and the crumble in my recipe are the same thing which makes things SO much easier as it is made in one bowl for easy cleanup and ease of preparation. For this we use granulated white sugar for sweetness, baking powder for some lift, salt to balance the sweetness, all-purpose flour which acts as a foundation to the base and crumble, unsalted butter which helps hold it all together, an egg for moisture, and vanilla extract for flavor.

The Lemon Filling

The lemon filling is the best part, in my humble opinion! This consists of a can of sweetened condensed milk as the base of the filling for gooey factor, some fresh-squeezed lemon juice for moisture and flavor, fresh lemon zest for flavor, and a couple of egg yolks. *Tip: since you’re zesting and juicing the lemons, I recommend zesting the lemons before juicing them! I bought 3 large lemons and got about 4 Tbsp zest and 1/2 cup juice.

These Lemon Crumble Bars are SO bright, tart, zippy and utterly delicious! I know you’re going to love them!

Print

Lemon Crumble Bars

These Lemon Crumble Bars are seriously amazing! Bright, zippy, fresh and tart with a sweet lemony filling and an irresistible sweet crumble topping make for a simple and delicious bar!

Course Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST & CRUMBLE:

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE LEMON FILLING:

• 14 oz (1 small can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 2-3 med/large lemons
• 4 Tbsp lemon zest from about 2-3 med/large lemons
• 2 large egg yolks

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Line a 13x9 light metal rectangular baking pan with foil or parchment, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray; set aside.
• For the crumble: In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and all-purpose flour until combined. Add in the cubed butter, lightly beaten egg and vanilla and use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the cubed butter into the flour mixture until flour mixture resembles small pebbles. Dough will be crumbly, and you may want to use your hands to work it.
• Press half of the dough into the prepared pan and use your hands to compress it into a nice, even layer. Set aside.
• For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks until combined. Pour evenly over the crust in the pan and spread out in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumble topping over the lemon filling layer.
• Bake for 38-45 minutes or until the topping is light golden brown and center appears set. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least an hour or two to set before cutting into bars. Afterwards, it can be stored in the fridge OR at room temperature.

Notes

Since this recipe requires both lemon zest and lemon juice, I recommend zesting the lemons before juicing them. I like using large lemons (I used about 3 large lemons to get about 4-5 Tbsp zest/1/2 cup juice) for this recipe.

Bright, zippy, and SO tasty! I love these!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Lemon Crumble Bars first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

This Cranberry Lemon Tart is SO delicious and stunningly gorgeous! Juicy, tart cranberry lemon custard filling in a Nilla wafer crust and topped with sugared fresh cranberries for a truly show-stopping dessert!

You guys – I cannot even handle this tart!

Welcome to another day of my unofficial Pie Week! Today we’re celebrating with what is quite possibly THE most gorgeous pie/tart on the planet. The color is kind of mind-blowing and the flavor is outstanding. In other words, y’all need you some of this tart!

I admittedly always forget about tarts, and I think everyone else does as well. Pies tend to take center stage where tarts are lone and forgotten except by the pastry chef elite. However, I busted out my tart pan and made this one for you because it was too good not to share!

The idea came from the recent issue of Food Network magazine and when I was reading the recipe, I was intrigued. I am not a huge fan of super tart, bitter or sour things so I wasn’t sure how I’d like a cranberry lemon custard filling. Would it be overwhelmingly sour like fresh cranberries and lemons are? But I am pleased to say it isn’t! It does have a tart and tangy kick for sure, but it is sweet and creamy and delicious!

Unlike Food Network’s recipe, I used a Nilla Wafer cookie crust for this tart because I thought it was easier than the original one they featured. You could also use a graham cracker crust in a pinch! Just combine some sugar, melted butter and crushed Nilla Wafer crumbs together, press it into a 10″ tart pan with a removeable bottom, and bake briefly to set the crust. While it’s baking, make your filling!

The filling gets made by adding frozen cranberries, lemon, sugar, and water to a blender. You blend this mixture up (it will be thick like a smoothie) to pulverize the fruits. Then you’ll strain this smoothie mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan and add some other goodies. Cook it low and slow until it has thickened, and pour it into your yummy crust!

While the tart sets in the fridge to firm, you can make your gorgeous sugared cranberries. I mean, these guys are too pretty! You just combine simple syrup and fresh cranberries and toss to coat, then toss the sticky cranberries into some granulated sugar. In garnishing the tart, I also added some pretty strips of lemon rind that I peeled off using a vegetable peeler.

Bright, sweet, tart and tangy, this beautiful Cranberry Lemon Tart will take center stage at your next holiday gathering!

*adapted from Food Network magazine November 2020 issue

Print

Cranberry Lemon Tart

This Cranberry Lemon Tart is possibly the most gorgeous tart ever! Bright and zesty cranberry lemon custard filling inside of a vanilla cookie crust makes for a show-stopping and tasty dessert!

Course Dessert, Pie

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1¼ cups Nilla Wafer crumbs
• 3 Tbsp granulated white sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the Cranberry Lemon Filling:

• 3 cups frozen cranberries (about 12 oz) plus 1/2 cup for topping thawed
• 1½ cups granulated white sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 medium lemon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For Sugared Cranberries:

• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided

Instructions

• First, make your crust: Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the Nilla Wafer crumbs, granulated sugar and melted butter and stir until moistened and combined. Press into a 9-10" fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Next, make your filling: In a blender, combine 3 cups of thawed cranberries, 1½ cups granulated white sugar, and 1/2 cup of water. Peel the lemon in wide strips using a vegetable peeler; set all but a few strips aside. Remove any white pith from the lemon, then add the whole lemon flesh (yes, including seeds) and about 3-4 strips of lemon rind to the blender. Blend on high power until smooth, stopping to add in up to 1/4 cup more water if mixture is too thick and isn't blending well.
• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium saucepan and pour the cranberry mixture into the sieve. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to gently stir the cranberry mixture around, straining it into the saucepan. Discard any leftover seeds and skins. Bring the cranberry mixture in the saucepan to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolk, cornstarch and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add in about 1/2 cup of the hot cranberry mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously to prevent eggs from scrambling. This step is called tempering the eggs so they come to a warmer temperature. Pour the warmed egg mixture into the cranberry mixture in the saucepan and stir constantly until filling begins to boil and thickens like pudding, about 10-15 minutes. It should be pretty thick.
• Pour the cranberry filling into the tart crust and place a piece of clingfilm or plastic wrap onto the surface of the pie. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight (preferable).
• For the sugared cranberries: Bring 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then add in the cranberries and remove from heat immediately. Let cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl, and toss the sticky cranberries to coat. Just before serving the tart, garnish with the sugared cranberries and remaining strips of lemon zest.

Notes

Fresh cranberries can obviously be used, but sometimes in the off season frozen cranberries are easier to find! 

Zesty, tart, tangy and sweet, this Cranberry Lemon Tart is seriously stunning in both looks and flavor!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Cranberry Lemon Tart first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

I’m back from my much-needed, though unplanned sabbatical and I missed you guys!

If you missed my last post, I had two sudden deaths in the family within 2 weeks, plus the pandemic, plus what is happening in our country, and I just needed a break to reflect and take care of my family. It wasn’t the kind of break I’m used to taking, but it was very much needed and I appreciate all your well wishes and patience.

Now back to the pie. I cannot believe it is summer and I am already needing to come up with easy, no-bake recipes! While I’m a fan of no-bake recipes year-round, they are essential in the summer when it is too hot to even think about turning on the oven!

This Frozen Lemonade Pie is definitely high up on the list of no-bake things you have got to try! If you love lemon flavors, you are going to love this one.

It starts with a little bit of cream cheese, some sweetened condensed milk, and lemonade concentrate – you know, the frozen canned lemonade? In a pinch, lemon juice works but the concentrate has some sugar in it which helps sweeten the pie some. Don’t worry, though – while it is sweet, there is a definitely a LOT of tangy tartness, too!

For added lemon punch, I added in some lemon zest which really helps drive home that bright lemon flavor! After blending all those ingredients together with an electric mixer to get perfectly smooth, you’ll blend in some thawed whipped topping. This creates a lovely mousse-like texture and makes the pie extra light and fluffy!

Pour the mixture into a graham cracker crust (for ease, I like store-bought!) and freeze for a good 8 hours or until firm and solid. This pie needs to stay frozen, but it tastes SO amazing – like a frozen lemonade!!

And yes, you can definitely make this using pink lemonade as well!

Bright, tart, tangy, sweet and lemony Frozen Lemonade Pie! Welcome to summer!

Print

Frozen Lemonade Pie

This Frozen Lemonade Pie is cool, creamy, frosty and so delicious with bright and tangy lemon flavor in a frozen, no-bake treat!

Course Frozen Desserts, No Bake Desserts, No-Bake Treats, Pie

Cuisine American, Dessert

Prep Time 8 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• One (9" round) prepared graham cracker crust
• 4 ounces (1/2 of a package) cream cheese at room temperature
• 14 ounces (one small can) sweetened condensed milk
• 6 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate mostly thawed
• Zest of one lemon
• 8 ounces (one tub) whipped topping thawed

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add in the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemonade concentrate and beat with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the zest and beat to combine.
• Lastly, slowly beat or fold in the whipped topping until fully incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared graham cracker crust and smooth out the top.
• Freeze for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, before cutting into slices. Pie must stay in the freezer, but it can be eaten straight from the freezer or slightly softened at room temperature (about 10-15 min out of the freezer).

Notes

The frozen lemonade concentrate comes in a little can in the freezer section, often near the frozen fruit or frozen juice/cocktail mixer section of the grocery store. In a pinch, you can use prepared lemonade.

I know you guys are going to love this tart and tangy lemon pie!

Craving more lemon desserts? Check out these recipes!

Fudgy Lemon “Brownies”

The Best Homemade Lemon Bars

Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

And lemon recipes from around the blogs…

Strawberry Peach Lemonade Mojitos by Margaritas on the Rocks

Lemon Parmesan Risotto with Peas by Sweet Tea Thyme

Lemon Raspberry Meringue Tarts by Bakes by Brown Sugar

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Frozen Lemonade Pie first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.

I think now more than ever people are looking for easy, convenient ways to bake up things they already have in their pantry.

Thankfully, I have just the solution and boy, are they amazing.

Before you roll your eyes, I should let you know I am a lover of cake mix. Gone are the days when cake mix-made desserts stuck out like an artificial sore thumb. There are SO many ways to doctor up a standard box of cake mix so you won’t even know the final result started from a humble box. (I promise!)

From cookies to muffins, even cinnamon rolls, you can make so much with a cake mix. And now, you can make cookies out of a muffin mix! Who says you can’t?!

If you’re a “top of the muffin” kinda person (a la Elaine Bennis from Seinfeld) you are going to flip for these Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix Cookies!

These cookies get their humble beginnings from a lemon poppyseed muffin mix – yep, from the box. Of course, to make these extraordinary we’re going to jazz them up a bit with a built-in streusel-y crumb and lots of bright lemon flavor from fresh lemon zest. To top it off and give these cookies an extra punch of lemony goodness and sweetness, they’re garnished with a thick and silky lemon glaze. Are you drooling yet?

To give these cookies some extra flavor and heartiness, I added in a “built-in streusel” which helps provide and excellent texture and some oomph to these cookies. The streusel is basically brown sugar and old-fashioned oats which lend a hearty bite. And to jazz up the flavor and really drive home that lemon, we’ll add fresh lemon zest to the cookie batter. Trust me, the zest brightens things up and sends these cookies over the top!

The crowning jewel is a thick, glossy layer of lemony butter glaze which sets up beautifully and adds a touch of sweetness and some more tangy lemon flavor.

I dare you to give these to any cake mix naysayer and watch them groan with happiness during each bite! I guarantee no one will know they started from a box!

*adapted from my Muffin Mix Blueberry Streusel Cookie recipe

Print

Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix Cookies

These Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix Cookies are a must make for anyone looking to jazz up a humble box of muffin mix! Bright and zesty, these easy cookies come together in a flash and are crowned with a lemony butter glaze that's to die for!

Course Cookies

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 -20

Author Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

• FOR THE COOKIES:
• One box lemon poppyseed muffin mix I always use Krusteaz brand!
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats do not use instant oatmeal
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• Zest of one medium lemon
• FOR THE LEMONY BUTTER GLAZE:
• 1 & 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-2 Tablespoons milk may not need depending on the consistency of your glaze

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the muffin mix - just the dry mix with poppyseeds, oats, oil, brown sugar, egg, milk and lemon zest and stir together until a soft dough comes together.
• Portion rounded, heaping Tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Cool on the sheets completely.
• Meanwhile, make your glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients except for the milk together in a bowl, only using milk if needed, until smooth and pourable. Glaze the tops of the cookies and let set, about 10 minutes. Then serve!

These are so delicious, easy and I know you’re going to love them!

Craving more lemony goodness? Check out these recipes!

Lemon Blueberry Piecaken

Homemade Lemon Cake

Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

The post Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix Cookies first appeared on The Domestic Rebel.