HI, friends! It’s Meyer Lemon season, and I want to incorporate them into all the things!!! Like this Meyer Lemon No Bake Cheesecake. I’m kind of turning backflips over it. We’ve even made it a wee bit healthy-ish. We skip the graham crackers and go for an almond flour crust sweetened with coconut sugar and punched up with Meyer lemon zest. The filling is sweetened with agave and flavored with more lemon zest and juice. THEN, for bonus points, we’re going to top this whole creamy, dreamy business with candied Meyer lemon slices. All the lemon heart eyes!

Plus, if needed- you can make it a couple days ahead of time, it’s gluten free, AND it’s super easy, so a great “baking” project with littles.

The Crust

Simply mix up the four ingredients and press the mixture into a small baking dish. Simple as that. My son loves to get his hands into the food, so the crust is a fun project for him. This recipe is very forgiving. If your baking dish is slightly larger and you don’t have enough crust mixture to take it up the sides, just do the bottom. No worries.

Whipping the Cream.

• You have two options. Option One is to use your egg beaters which is obviously the fastest, easiest way.
• Option Two involves a large metal bowl and a balloon whisk. It actually takes the same amount of time, but your arm could be a wee tired at the end. There are a few reasons Option Two might appeal though. It prevents you from over whipping your cream. It’s MUCH quieter if you have a small napping human. It also is an acceptable alternative if your toddler has run off with yet another kitchen utensil, and you have zero clue as to the actual location of your egg beaters. Although you suspect the bottom of the toy basket. Just saying.
• Don’t over whip. When it looks like the photo above, you’re almost there. And if we were whipping cream to add a dollop to berries or such, we’d be done. Because this is a no bake cheesecake, the texture we’re going for is a bit thicker.

When it looks like this- you’re done. Stop. However, if you do over whip the cream and the liquids and solids start to separate, just keep going and make butter. It’s not the worst thing to happen to fresh cream. Start over for your whipped cream for our cheesecake, though. Here is our post all about homemade butter.

For the Filling

Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. When you beat it with the agave, zest and lemon juice you want it nice and smooth like so. Your egg beaters (or your whisk) are earning their keep today.

Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream with a rubber spatula.

Scoop the filling into your prepared dish with the almond flour crust. And if you want, you can stop RIGHT HERE.

It is perfect lemony, creamy deliciousness that your family is going to rave about. And that, in truth, is what I do 99% of the time. But if you want to fancy it up a little, slice up one more lemon and candy it in a mixture of honey and lemon juice.

Let’s talk about these candied lemon slices for a minute, because I want you to know what you’re in for. Again, this dessert is delightful just the way it is, and I went searching for a candied lemon slice recipe primarily for looks. Most of the ones I found involved boiling lemons for an hour in gobs of white sugar. No thank you to the white sugar and also to the timeframe. Then I found one that uses honey and takes 12 minutes. That, I’m willing to do!

Full disclaimer:

• These puppies are STICKY.
• They are somewhat of a pain to peel off the wax paper.
• They get stuck in your teeth.

But holy smokes, they’re so good. A perfect balance between tart and sweet, they make me think of a lemon flavored caramel. Are those even a thing? If so, I need to know. Anyway, your dessert, your rules, lemon slices or no lemon slices. Either way, your family, dinner guests, office mates and/or neighbors are happy and super impressed with your Meyer Lemon No Bake Cheesecake.

A giant thank you to Healthy World Cuisine Magazine for their Candied Lemon Slices recipe. My world is better for it.

If you are looking for another use for Meyer lemons, you could do far worse than our Bourbon Hot Toddy.

Also, if Meyers are not in season, you can 100% make this with regular lemons. It won’t be the same, but it will still be YUM!

Happy cooking, friends!

Amanda

Meyer Lemon No Bake Cheesecake

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A no bake lemon cheesecake that takes it a little easy on the carbs and sugar. The almond flour crust is even better than graham crackers, and coconut sugar and agave add a depth of flavor you can’t get with white sugar. It’s like cheesecake’s sophisticated older sister. See post for tips on whipping your cream!

Yields: 6 servings

• For the Crust
• 1 Cup Almond Flour
• Zest of 1 Meyer Lemon (can sub regular lemon)
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar (can sub Light Brown Sugar)
• 3 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• For the Filling
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 Ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese- room temperature
• 1/4 Cup Agave (can sub honey)
• Zest and Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon (can sub regular Lemon)
• For the Candied Lemon Slices
• One Meyer Lemon, sliced very thin
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• Juice from one Meyer Lemon

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crust ingredients.
2. Using your hands, press the crust mixture into a shallow baking dish covering the bottom of the pan and bringing it about 1 inch up the sides. Set aside.
3. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Using an egg beater or a large balloon whisk, beat the cream until it starts to form peaks- about 3-4 minutes. Set aside
4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the Cream cheese, agave, zest and juice of the lemon and beat with egg beater until smooth.
5. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
6. Scoop the filling into the baking dish and spread over the crust. Garnish with a little more lemon zest or the candied lemon slices.
7. Candied Lemon Slices
8. Combine Juice of 1 Meyer Lemon and 1/2 Cup Honey in a skillet
9. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add lemon slices
10. Simmer 12 minutes turning lemon slices occasionally.
11. Remove to wax paper to cool.
12. Allow to cool 20 minutes and then peel off and top the cheesecake.

• Preparation time: 45 minutes
• Total time: 45 minutes

Nutrition

• Calories: 325
• Fat: 27 grams
• Carbs: 21 grams
• Protein: 3 grams