24 Sweet and Sour Lemon Desserts to Keep Your December Anything but Dull

Sweet and sour lemon desserts are the kind of treats that wake up your taste buds and shake up the usual holiday lineup. There’s something about the punchy tang of lemons balanced with just enough sweetness that feels fresh and exciting, especially during December’s cozy but often repetitive flavors. These desserts don’t just hit the right notes—they bring a bit of brightness to the season and keep things interesting when everything else feels a little too predictable.

Sweet And Tangy Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

These Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are packed with fresh lemon flavor and topped with a golden broiled meringue for a sweet, tangy, and fluffy dessert.
Get the Recipe: Sweet And Tangy Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Bright And Tangy Lemon Curd Cookies

Warm Up Your Winter: Southern Classics!

FREE EMAIL BONUS: Southern staples made simply & cozy

Lemon Curd Cookies made with butter, lemon zest, and homemade lemon curd filling. A bright, buttery treat with a tangy twist.
Get the Recipe: Bright And Tangy Lemon Curd Cookies

Classic Lemon Icebox Pie With Condensed Milk

A slice of creamy lemon cheesecake sits on a white plate with a decorative fork. A bite-sized piece of the cheesecake is on the fork, accompanied by small lemon slices on the plate, reminiscent of a classic lemon icebox pie. The background features a blue cloth and another plate with a cheesecake slice. — Classic Lemon Icebox Pie With Condensed Milk. Photo credit: Easy Southern Desserts.

With its classic graham cracker crust and creamy lemon filling, this Lemon Icebox Pie is the perfect dessert for any occasion.
Get the Recipe: Classic Lemon Icebox Pie With Condensed Milk

Bakery-Style Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

This super moist and tender lemon poppy seed cake has a buttery, pound cake-like texture with a sweet lemon glaze popping with citrus flavor.
Get the Recipe: Bakery-Style Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Pistachio Lemon Shortbread Bars

Plates with lemon pistachio bars. — Pistachio Lemon Shortbread Bars. Photo credit: Easy Southern Desserts.

Sweet and tart with a slightly nutty finish, these Pistachio Lemon Shortbread Bars are the perfect combination of all your favorite sweets.
Get the Recipe: Pistachio Lemon Shortbread Bars

Fluffy Coconut Cake With Lemon Curd Filling

Delicious coconut cake with lemon curd filling and cream cheese frosting. A perfect balance of sweetness and tartness for your next special occasion.
Get the Recipe: Fluffy Coconut Cake With Lemon Curd Filling

No Bake Lemon Curd Pie With Cream Cheese Filling

A tangy lemon curd pie with a creamy filling and vanilla wafer crust. Bright, zesty, and perfect for any lemon lover.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Lemon Curd Pie With Cream Cheese Filling

Decadent Lemon Jello Poke Cake

A square piece of lemon poke cake with frosting and mint leaves on top sits on a stack of white plates. The background shows a baking dish with the remainder of the cake, additional mint leaves, and a whole lemon. — Decadent Lemon Jello Poke Cake. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

This sweet and citrusy Lemon Poke Cake has a delicious vanilla sponge base soaked with ribbons of lemon Jell-O and lemon Cool Whip frosting.
Get the Recipe: Decadent Lemon Jello Poke Cake

Tangy And Sweet Lemon Squares Recipe

Two pieces of raspberry bars on a white plate. — Tangy And Sweet Lemon Squares Recipe. Photo credit: Intentional Hospitality.

Discover a refreshing twist on the classic lemon squares recipe by adding a sweet cranberry layer. A light, refreshing dessert!
Get the Recipe: Tangy And Sweet Lemon Squares Recipe

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Two soft, round lemon cookies stacked on a cooling rack, dusted with powdered sugar and showing a cracked surface—perfect examples of sweet and sour lemon desserts. — Lemon Crinkle Cookies. Photo credit: Lauren’s Latest.

These award-winning cookies will make you an addict. Lemon Crinkle Cookies are chewy, soft, and bursting with hints of lemon in every bite!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

This Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake may be small but each bite is packed with the luscious combination of lemon cheesecake and blueberry compote!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

Mini lemon meringue tarts are pure sunshine! They have a thick lemon filling on a flaky pastry and are topped with toasted meringue.
Get the Recipe: Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

Glazed Lemon Madeleines

Our lemon madeleines have lemon zest and lemon juice adding a bright citrusy flavor to the moist cookies. We finished them in a sweet lemony glaze.
Get the Recipe: Glazed Lemon Madeleines

Lemon Cupcakes With Raspberry Buttercream Recipe

Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd are topped with a dreamy buttercream frosting. Lemon cupcakes with raspberry buttercream for the win!
Get the Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes With Raspberry Buttercream Recipe

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake Recipe With Lemon Buttercream

This Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream is a true showstopper for any celebration. The moist, tender lemon cake layers are studded with fresh blueberries, creating the perfect balance of tangy and sweet flavors.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake Recipe With Lemon Buttercream

Quick Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake

This lemon pudding bundt cake is made with a lemon cake mix and dry lemon pudding mix. It’s super lemony and easy to make!
Get the Recipe: Quick Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake

Melt In Your Mouth Lemon Shortbread Cookies

These lemon shortbread cookies are so light that they melt in your mouth! They are easy to make with simple ingredients.
Get the Recipe: Melt In Your Mouth Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Uber Lemony Baked Lemon Cheesecake With Lemon Curd

Bursting with lemony flavor, this baked cheesecake with graham cracker crust requires no water bath. Store-bought lemon curd makes this cheesecake Uber-lemony! Super rich and creamy even without any eggs.
Get the Recipe: Uber Lemony Baked Lemon Cheesecake With Lemon Curd

Obsession-Worthy Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake

Made using lots of lemon zest and juice, this flavorful Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake is easy to make with simple ingredients and no mixer needed. Serves 8.
Get the Recipe: Obsession-Worthy Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake

Easy Baked Lemon Donuts With Poppy Seed Glaze

These Easy Baked Lemon Donuts begin with a lemon cake mix and are topped with a lemon-poppy seed glaze for the perfect breakfast or dessert.
Get the Recipe: Easy Baked Lemon Donuts With Poppy Seed Glaze

Super Easy Lemon Cooler Cookies Recipe

A lemon cake mix and fresh lemon zest are combined to create a super easy lemon cooler cookies recipe with a layer of powdered sugar.
Get the Recipe: Super Easy Lemon Cooler Cookies Recipe

Lemon Chess Pie

A bite of chess pie on a fork next to a slice of pie. — Lemon Chess Pie. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This Lemon Chess Pie is tangy with a smooth custard like filling. It’s a great citrus dessert perfect for Mother’s Day or Easter.
Get the Recipe: Lemon Chess Pie

No Bake Lemon Chiffon Pie

An entire lemon chiffon pie with lemon slices on top. — No Bake Lemon Chiffon Pie. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

This Lemon Chiffon Pie has a crunchy salty pretzel crust with ricotta cheese so you have the richness of a cheesecake in a no bake dessert.
Get the Recipe: No Bake Lemon Chiffon Pie

Strawberry Lemon Cake With Honey Whipped Cream

A bite of cake on a fork with whipped cream — Strawberry Lemon Cake With Honey Whipped Cream. Photo credit: Butter and Baggage.

Fresh strawberries in a scrumptious lemon cake topped with a honey whipped cream that you can make in 20 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Lemon Cake With Honey Whipped Cream

Explore Recipes

MSN Slideshows