Lemon Freeze Bars

🍰 🎀 𝒞🍑💮𝓁, 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒻𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝓁𝑒𝓂🏵𝓃𝓎, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓊𝓁𝓉𝒾𝓂𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒-𝒶𝒽𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒹𝑒𝓈�𝑒𝓇𝓉. 🎀 🍰

by Patty Catalano, Food Editor

If you're looking for a summery dessert that's all fun and no fuss, you'll love my no-bake lemon freeze bars. These bars start with a classic graham cracker crumb crust, and then it's time to move onto the filling, which is where the magic happens. The filling is a shockingly simple no-churn ice cream made by flavoring sweetened condensed milk with lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice to give it a bright, citrus-y flavor, then folding in whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Once frozen, it melts in your mouth with every bite.

Why You'll Love It

• Just a few ingredients. You can make this easy lemon dessert with just 6 ingredients (plus salt).
• It's a make-ahead treat. Take a few minutes to layer the ingredients, then stash in the freezer until firm. Because the bars need to be frozen before serving, you can easily make them early and serve when you're ready.

Lemon Freeze Bars Recipe

Prep time 25 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 12 full-size sheets graham crackers (about 6 1/2 ounces), divided
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the lemon filling:

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (about 3 lemons), divided
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Instructions

Make the crust:

1. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, positioning them perpendicular to each other so that the parchment hangs about 2 inches over all 4 sides of the pan to form a sling.
2. Break 12 whole graham cracker sheets into rough pieces and place in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Process until the crackers are the texture of sand, about 15 seconds. Remove 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker crumbs and reserve for garnish.
3. Add 1 stick melted and cooled unsalted butter to the food processor and pulse to combine, 6 to 8 (1-second) pulses.
4. Transfer the mixture into the baking pan. Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup or your fingers to press the crumbs into an even layer, making sure to reach the edges and fill the corners.

Make the lemon filling:

1. Whisk 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons of the finely grated lemon zest, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl.
2. Beat 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Fold into the lemon mixture with a flexible spatula until no streaks remain.
3. Transfer onto the crust and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker crumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest evenly over the top. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
4. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the slab out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 bars, wiping the knife clean between each cut for the cleanest-looking slices.