Description
Christmas Lush is a festive layered dessert featuring a buttery nutty crust, a tangy lime gelatin cream cheese layer, a creamy sweet second layer, and a fresh strawberry gelatin topping. This colorful treat is perfect for holiday celebrations and serves a large crowd with its rich texture and fruity flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup nuts pecans or walnuts, chopped finely
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
First Layer
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 small box (3 oz) lime gelatin
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 8oz container whipped topping, thawed
- Green food coloring (optional)
Second Layer
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 8oz container whipped topping, thawed
Top Layer
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 small boxes (3 oz each) strawberry gelatin
- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
Additional Toppings
- Additional whipped topping
- Sprinkles or candy
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, chopped nuts, and softened butter, mixing until well blended. Press the mixture firmly into the baking dish.
- Bake Crust: Bake the crust for 18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before adding the next layers.
- Make First Layer: In a large bowl, dissolve lime gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, stirring for 2 minutes. Refrigerate until partially set, about 1 hour. In another large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Slowly beat in the cooled gelatin until combined, then fold in whipped topping. Add green food coloring if you desire a brighter green layer. Spread this mixture evenly over the cooled crust and refrigerate until set, about 40 minutes.
- Prepare Second Layer: Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Fold in whipped topping gently. Spread this mixture over the set lime gelatin layer and refrigerate again until firm, about 40 minutes.
- Prepare Top Layer: Dissolve the two boxes of strawberry gelatin in 2 cups boiling water, stirring for 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Stir in sliced strawberries. Refrigerate the mixture until it is partially set, about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure it thickens but is still spoonable.
- Assemble Top Layer: Gently spoon the strawberry gelatin and strawberry mixture over the second cream cheese layer. Refrigerate the entire dessert until firm, about 3 hours for best results.
- Garnish and Serve: Before serving, garnish with additional whipped topping and sprinkles or candy as desired. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- For a brighter lime layer, add a few drops of green food coloring to the first layer mixture.
- Make sure to fully soften the cream cheese for easy blending and a smooth texture.
- Refrigerate each layer until set to maintain distinct layers and prevent mixing.
- If fresh strawberries are not available, frozen sliced strawberries can be used, just be sure to thaw and drain excess moisture before adding.
- This dessert can be made a day ahead to allow flavors to meld and layers to fully set.
- Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water for neat slicing of this multi-layered dessert.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
