I have fond memories of making lemon icebox pie in the kitchen with my grandmother. I had no idea what “icebox pie” was at the time, but it held this exciting mysticism for me–we put a few ingredients together and somehow, in the freezer, a wonderful transformation took place and out popped something sweet, lemony, cool and delicious. It’s one of those nostalgic childhood desserts that feels comforting and brings back memories of my grandmother–a woman whose gentleness, warmth, and quiet, steady strength wrapped our family in a safe, loving embrace. Poppy–this one’s for you.
These no-bake yuzu icebox bars build off the classic components of a lemon icebox pie but jazz it up with some unexpected flavors and extra touches. This flavors for this recipe are inspired by the Winter Yuzu dessert at New York City’s Spot Dessert Bar, which contains a frozen yuzu custard atop an oreo crust, and is served with a raspberry foam, chocolate ganache, and fresh strawberries. I first tried this dessert years ago and it has always stuck with me as one of my favorites.
This recipe takes many of those flavors but scales it back a little. A no-bake Oreo crust is topped with a yuzu icebox filling, reminiscent of a yuzu cheesecake. A strawberry coulis is swirled into the yuzu filling and melted bittersweet chocolate is drizzled over the top, solidifying upon contact with the frozen dessert. You can find 100% yuzu juice on Amazon or at most Asian grocery stores–especially Japanese grocery stores (or of course fresh yuzu juice if you’re lucky enough to have access to yuzu). If you can’t be bothered with getting yuzu juice, feel free to try this recipe out with lemon juice–meyer lemon might be a good option, since it has a little bit of that sweetness mixed with sourness. You can also try mixing lemon and lime juice, perhaps with a small amount of fresh orange juices to mimic the flavor of yuzu.
While fresh yuzu is most common in autumn and winter, I can’t help but think of this as a summer dessert–cool and refreshing, without the need to ever turn on your oven. It’s the perfect blend of honoring the past while inviting in new flavors and adaptations.
No-bake yuzu icebox squares
Course: Cookies and barsDifficulty: Baking session16
squares40
minutesThese no-bake yuzu icebox squares have an Oreo crust, a tart and sweet yuzu cream filling, and a strawberry coulis swirled on top. Inspired by both the Winter Yuzu dessert from Spot Dessert Bar and the classic lemon icebox pie of my childhood, these bars are a delightful, comforting sweet treat on a hot summer day.
Ingredients
- For the crust
16 (180g) Oreos
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- For the strawberry coulis
1/3 cup sliced strawberries
1 tsp granulated sugar (optional)
Small splash of lemon juice
- For the filling and topping
1 8-oz block of cream cheese, room temperature (see note)
1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of yuzu juice (see note)
25-30g bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
- Make the crust
- Add Oreos to a food processor and pulse until the Oreos have broken down into crumbs. Alternatively, you can put the Oreos in a gallon-size ziplock and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Pulse or stir in the melted butter to evenly distribute. Dump the mixture into the bottom of your pan and use your palm to spread it to all corners and firmly pack the crumbs together. You can use the flat bottom of a measuring cup to help flatten the crust. Place in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
- Make the strawberry coulis
- Using an immersion blender or a small blender or food processor, puree the strawberries and squeeze in just a tiny bit of lemon juice (probably 1/2 tsp). Taste the mixture–if it’s plenty sweet, set aside. If it’s a bit sour, you can add 1 tsp of sugar and pulse again to blend into the strawberries. You don’t want the coulis to be super sweet, as the yuzu filling is already quite sweet, so you just want the sugar to take the edge off if your berries are a bit sour. Set aside.
- Make the filling and assemble
- Add the room temperature cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. Then beat in the condensed milk and the yuzu juice until well-combined. Taste and adjust the amount of yuzu juice to your personal taste. Pour into your pan on top of the Oreo crust, spread out the filling evenly, ensuring it reaches all corners.
- Place about 6 spoonfuls of the strawberry coulis in assorted spots across the top of the dessert, making sure the spoonfuls don’t overlap and are distributed in different areas. Then use a chopstick or knife to swirl it–use long strokes, moving through one spoonful of coulis and traveling through the other spoonfuls in a continuous motion, rounding out your lines as you travel from one spoonful to the next (as opposed to having sharp diagonals from one to another). Don’t overthink it–just do a few large swirls around until you like the look. Freeze overnight.
- Chop the chocolate and melt in the microwave, pausing at 10-15 second intervals to stir and check on the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, transfer it into a small ziplock bag. Gather it into one of the bottom corners, and snip the end off the corner with scissors. Drizzle the chocolate however you desire on top of the squares–you can go diagonally across in just one direction or create a checkerboard pattern.
- Slice into 16 bars and store in the freezer until ready to serve. If needed, let sit out for about 5 minutes from the freezer to soften before serving.
Notes
- I find that store-brand cream cheese can have a tendency to form little clumps instead of a uniform mixture so I recommend using Philadelphia brand for the smoothest texture.
- Yuzu juice can be found at most Asian grocery stores or online–make sure you use 100% yuzu juice. If this is unavailable or too expensive, try using meyer lemons or a combination of lemons and limes, with a touch of orange juice.
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