Grandma Rose's Recipes
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Puddings & Custards

Layered Lemon Icebox Dessert

From Rose's kitchen

A four-layer lemon icebox dessert on a pecan shortbread crust, with cream cheese, lemon pudding, and Cool Whip. A summer staple from Rose's tin box.

2 hr total 30 min prep 30 min in the oven One 9x13 pan
Potluck

as written in Rose's hand

A layered icebox dessert built in the pan you serve it from. Pecan crust on the bottom, sweetened cream cheese in the middle, cold lemon pudding next, and a soft top of whipped topping if you want it.

Rose kept this one for hot summer afternoons when no one wanted to run the oven longer than the crust required. Once the pan is set, everything after is stirred and layered and left alone.

Ingredients

Scale the recipe

Makes One 9x13 pan at full size

×1

Tap the boxes to check ingredients off as you go.

Step 1 — Pecan crust

Step 2 — Cream cheese layer

Step 3 — Lemon pudding layer

Step 4 — Top (optional, see notes)

How to make it

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. For the crust, mix the crushed pecans, flour, and melted butter well in a 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool completely.
  3. For the cream cheese layer, beat the powdered sugar, cream cheese, and 8 oz Cool Whip together until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. Let it set in the icebox 30 minutes.
  4. For the pudding layer, whisk the two boxes of instant lemon pudding mix with the cold milk until it thickens. Spread over the cream cheese layer. Let it set in the icebox 20 to 30 minutes.
  5. Top with a layer of Cool Whip before serving, if you like.
  6. Keep covered in the icebox until you serve it.

You'll also find in the tin box

This one lives in the puddings & custards drawer of the recipe box, right next to No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream. If a cousin's coming over on short notice and you need a whole meal from Rose's kitchen, the recipe box is where to start.

Rose kept this recipe with the ones the family expected at potluck time, so it'll show up in those seasonal collections whenever you're planning ahead.

Cooking by what's already on your shelf? Every ingredient across every card sits in the ingredient index, so you can start from the pantry and work backward to the recipe.

Puddings & Custards

No-Churn Mocha Ice Cream

A no-churn mocha ice cream made in a double boiler with marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate, strong coffee, whipping cream, and egg yolks.

Cakes

7 Up Sheet Cake

A tender yellow cake made with a can of 7 Up and topped with a hot pineapple coconut frosting poured over while the cake is still warm.

Cookies & Bars

Church-Supper Cream Cheese Bars

Grandma Rose's cream cheese bars. A yellow cake mix crust pressed flat, with a soft cream cheese and powdered sugar filling poured over the top.

Handwritten by Rose. Typed by the family. ← Back to puddings & custards