Pink Lemonade Freezer Bars

For the crust:

Stir together butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in egg yolk. Add flour and salt, and stir until mixture is dry and crumbly. Press dough into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 F.

After freezing it for 20 minutes, put the crust into the oven. Bake it, rotating halfway through, just until crust turns golden brown, about 20 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.

For the filling:

Using the whip attachment on a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until softened. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk very slowly while mixing to avoid clumps, scraping the bowl as you go.

Slowly add the lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating. Add a few drops red food coloring if desired until the color is light pink.

Pour the mixture onto the cooled shortbread crust and place in the freezer while you mix the topping.

For the topping:

Using the whip attachment on a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer add the cream to the bowl and start to whip it. Add in sugar and continue to whip until it’s thickened and peaks form when you pull out the whip. Spread thickened cream over filling and freeze until firm enough to cut into squares.

*Crust recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, November 2009.