Remember last week when I was talking about how I kind of kept forgetting it was spring? Yeah, I’m over that. My car thermometer said 94 degrees yesterday and the fact that I was wearing pants was making me feel all stabby. Apparently summer is here (at least in the South; is it super hot everywhere else?) and I’m (clearly) trying really hard to have a good attitude about it. Note sarcasm.
The good news? Frozen treats make me feel better about the world. The bad news? My freezer is currently overrun by little Frozen Lemonade Pies. Fortunately, that is not the worst bad news I’ve ever gotten in my life.
This is one of my favorite favorite favorite treats of all time, but I’ve always been a little hesitant to post it because it’s so dang easy. Not that we’re not all about easy, but we’re talking easy enough that a really smart monkey could make it. But maybe when I’m feeling grumpy because I’m legally required to wear pants, I need super-smart-monkey frozen treats.
Growing up, we always made this pie in a store-bought graham cracker crust (and that’s still totally an option; you could also use the small graham cracker tart crusts). I wanted to adorable-ize (TOTALLY a word) things just a little, so I decided to make these in the squatty little Mason jars, kind of like a summery version of Pie in a Jar. You can use 8 8-ounce jars with the straight sides (like we do in Pie in a Jar), but I actually found myself wanting a more dainty portion and wished I had 16 of the 4-ounce jars on hand that weren’t covered in Mod Podge and tissue paper. Don’t ask.
For the crust, you’ll need 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons of butter.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a small bowl. Melt the butter and then drizzle it over the crumbs…
Toss together the ingredients, wither with a fork or with your fingers. Then evenly distribute the crumb mixture into the jars. If you’re using 8 ounce jars, you’ll need about 3 heaping tablespoons per jar. For 4 ounce jars, use closer to 2 level tablespoons per jar. Lightly press the crumbs onto the bottom and up the sides of the jar.
Keep in mind that these are going in the freezer and will solidify a lot. Also keep in mind that graham cracker crust that is hard to eat will only lead to heartache and sorrow, and since we don’t want to be the cause of any kind of heartache, don’t press the crust in too firmly.
Set your jars aside.
For the filling, you’ll need 12 ounces (so 1 1/2 of the smaller containers) of thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, and 8 ounces of thawed lemonade concentrate (you’re not gonna use the whole can…mix the rest of it with water for, well, lemonade). I use pink lemonade because that is how I roll. You also might want to have a lemon on hand–if the mixture is a little too sweet for your taste, you can add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice to kick things up a notch.
In a large bowl, gently fold together the COOL WHIP and add the sweetened condensed milk. Add the lemonade concentrate (thawed but still cold) and continue folding until combined.
If you want, you can add a little food coloring–I added 4 drops of red food coloring and a drop of yellow, not that you’ll be able to tell in the pictures.
Divide the filling evenly among the prepared jars…
and freeze for at least 4 hours or until firm. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
So easy, right?! Now that we’re moving into wedding season, these would be perfect little make-ahead desserts for a bridal shower (and baby showers, although, as I have discovered, there’s not really such thing as baby season–they seem to happen all year long). They would also be perfect for Mother’s Day; not saying that there aren’t men or children who feel completely at home in the kitchen on Mother’s Day, but my man is not one of them. Bless his heart. NOTE TO MY HUSBAND, SHOULD HE BE READING THIS: I want pie for Mother’s Day. And I don’t want to do the dishes afterwards.
Just to make things super easy, these pies should have little attachable notes, right?
Print these out, buy some cute ribbon, punch a hole in the corner, tie it onto the jar, and you have a happy mom.
For the Mother’s Day Printable, click HERE.
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Frozen Lemonade Pie in a Jar {and Mother’s Day Printable!}
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Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs*
1/3 cup sugar*
6 tablespoons melted butter*
12 ounces (1 1/2 small containers) of COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces thawed (but still cold) lemonade concentrate
Optional: 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Optional: 4 drops red food coloring and 1 drop yellow food coloring
8 8-ounce Mason jars or 16 4-ounce Mason jars (the short, squatty ones)
*If desired, you can use a prepared graham cracker crust or several of the small prepared graham cracker tart crusts.
Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and toss with a fork or your fingers to combine. If using 8-ounce jars, lightly press 3 heaping tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of each jar. If using 4-ounce jars, use 2 level tablespoons. Set the jars aside.
In a large bowl, gently fold together the COOL WHIP and sweetened condensed milk. Add the lemonade concentrate. If desired, add the lemon juice and food coloring. Evenly distribute the filling among the jars. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, allow to stand for 5 minutes.
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Questions & Reviews
I have been making this pie for years! The ingredients fit a normal size graham cracker pie crust. And, the filling firms up, so it would not have to remain frozen until given out. It can stay in the refrigerator. I will have to try these in the jar!
Can I make this lactose free somehow? It’s the condensed milk that is a problem…any substitutions?
This is alot like the Pink Cloud I make But you use Ritz crackers for the crust.
and powdered sugar instead of granulated.
I made these in the little-jar size last month for teacher appreciation day at my kids’ school…teachers loved them!! I attached little cards on them tied in rafia. Very cute and easy to do. Since then, I’ve made this recipe twice for my family, and they love it too. I just made it as a whole pie tonight and it came out great. I also added fresh raspberries to one of previous batches and it was also yummy. Thanks for the great idea!
I made these in the 8 oz jars but found I would have liked a smaller version. Instead of buying the 4 oz jars since they were just for family and not gifts, I bought small plastic ramekins from the dollar store (3 for a dollar) and it was a super cheap alternative to the jars. I even bought red and died the mixture blue for a great American themed dessert. I used a whole can of pink lemonade….because the first time I forgot the 8 oz part by the time I opened the can. And the second time I thought the 12 oz version had tasted better. Alittle more tart. 😉 I loved them too much!!! Thank you!
I bought my 4 oz jars at HEB. They were actually cheaper there. I couldn’t find any at Walmart. I think they had them at Target, but they were at least a dollar more than they were at the grocery store. Unusual, I know.
Almost everything is cheaper at HEB than at Target, in my experience. I’m going to need to look at mine for the 4 oz jars, though, because now I want to make this! These little jars, outside of sheer cuteness, are going to be amazing to help with my portion control…
These are absolutely tasty! I made a whole bunch, and they vanished in a week. I used the whole can of lemonade concentrate and a larger whipped cream. Really zippy and tasty. Just got a different flavor of lemonade concentrate to try it with next time.
Has anybody done limeade and made mini key-limeade pies? Just curious. 🙂
~m
Hey just wondering exactly how much lemonade you add to the mix…?
Growing up we had this all the time as a refrigerated pie. Our favorites were always limeade and pink lemonade. Need to try this version. Thanks for sharing.
We blessed my son today so we had a gathering of many ‘moms’ here today. I made these up yesterday to pass out to all the lovely ladies. They were a HIT!! Everyone loved them!! I did pink lemonade and food colored them a very pretty light pink:) Thanks for the recipe!!
ps. Oh, and my daughter and I kept making mini pies on a spoon as we were finishing them too! Sooooo yummmmy!!!
I just made these for tomorrow, and I literally swiped the bowl clean with my fingers getting the remnants out. So yummy! I’m sure they’ll be even better frozen and with crust. 🙂
My mom used to make this when we were young, and it’s only fitting that I make it for her now 🙂 I made it using the store bought graham crust, “laminated” the printable using packing tape, punched a hole in the corner and tied a cute little bow with ribbon. Then I glued the printable to the plastic lid that came with the crust. So cute! Can’t wait to give it to her 🙂
The following might be ridiculous questions, but now that I’ve actually sat down to make these, I’m confused. You said we wouldn’t be using the whole can of lemonade; if that’s the case, how much are we using? And just to clarify, by thawed do you mean in its liquid form? Or just thawed enough to work with?
The recipe notes that you only need 8 oz of the lemonade, and mine was completely defrosted when I poured it in (but still cold from the fridge). I just stirred until it was completely combined, and I didn’t see any of it still swirled in the Cool Whip.
Yep, Leigh Ann beat me to it. 🙂
Wow. I just made this, and if my kids weren’t watching, I would have licked the entire bowl clean with my tongue. It’s DELICIOUS! And so cute. A perfect go-to for a quick gift. Thanks!
Could this be any MORE delicious looking? I cannot wait to try this. I will most likely make extra (by accident, of course). I love it! I featured this recipe in my Weekend Find blog post this weekend, which you can check out here: http://twotendesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/weekend-finds-mothers-day.html
Cannot wait to make (read: eat) these!!
Thanks for sharing!
Kim
These are delicious! I made them in baby food jars for a baby shower! They were adorable!
We totally had this pie all.the.time growing up! LOVE it. Yeah for the South!
I made this this weekend and it was delicious! 🙂 Still enjoying the leftovers. I made it in a 9 x 13in pan and used a 16 oz cool whip and all 12 oz. of the lemonade. The only thing I would change is to double the crust proportions for this size of a pan. Just hoping the suggestion will help someone else. 🙂
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! Also, pregnant women should be allowed to go pantless and pretty much do whatever they want, especially toward the end.
very cute idea. I like all recipes in ball jars.
I want to make these for my Mom, but live four hours away from her. Will they be okay on a four hour drive?
My boyfriend who thinks he is a judge on top chef loved these!! (btw that was the 3rd recipe I used from OBB this week, and all were hits!)
Okay. I made a lemonade one and a pink lemonade one. Oddly enough, the pink one was more tart. I used a different brand of lemonade, maybe Old Orchard? This did not go over well for most here. I suggest using the brand of lemonade as shown in the post.
Just made this and can’t wait! I licked the spatula and it was awesome! Perfection! Not sure I can wait the 4 hours!
I can’t wait to make this. Years ago, a local mexican restaurant served these. I have always wanted the recipe. Thank you!
Could you make this with *real* whipped cream? I don’t often buy Cool Whip- home made is how I roll. I would love this so much.
Hey, My BYU roommate taught me how to make lemonade pie in 1974! I’ve been loving it ever since. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
XOXO Julie (Erin Jones’s mommy)
I love this dessert! It isn’t warm here yet, but hopefully it will warm up soon so I can make this dessert.
Cute Dessert and lots of people like lemon.
THANKS!!!
Wow! This sounds so darn good! I’m not going to waste time with the jars, I’m going for the whole pie! What a way to cool off in the hot Texas heat! Tks!