No Bake Lemon Cups

No Bake Lemon Cups (no oven, 15 minutes of work, the freezer does the rest)

i feel like I have become the ambassador of the no bake sweet treat club and I'm definitely not mad about it lol so here i am sharing another no bake sweet treat that is sure to go in your summer or spring dessert rotation. these small batch no bake mini lemon cups are so refreshing and satisfying! picture a soft cookie dough lemon filling covered in white chocolate and finished with a little extra lemon zest. now if you refuse to turn the oven on as soon as summer starts then you have found your perfect dessert, these lemon cups are foolproof, so refreshing and oh so delicious! + they are mini which somehow makes them taste better and they look adorbsss!

the mini silicone cupcake molds are the whole trick here. every cup gets its own full chocolate shell, so there's no slicing into bars and hoping for clean edges, and it cuts the freezer time down significantly. you just pop them out of the mold and they come out perfect, lemon filling and all. i like to add a lil coconut oil to the white chocolate to help the chocolate look extra shiny and smooth. it keeps the chocolate fluid enough to coat the sides of the molds properly and gives the finished cups a gloss that makes them look like a lot more work than they actually were. if you skip it, the recipe will still work but the chocolate sets a bit dull. the glossy finish with the sprinkle of lemon zest on top looks properly polished, all you need is a food processor and 15 minutes of prep time, then the freezer and molds do the rest.

i used a vanilla white chocolate on purpose here, the vanilla rounds out the lemon tartness instead of just sitting alongside it. regular white chocolate works fine but the flavour lands a bit flat without it. if you're using a plain refined sugar free white chocolate, a small splash of vanilla extract or a tiny bit of vanilla bean paste stirred into the melted chocolate before coating does the trick. you can also skip the vanilla entirely and these no bake lemon cups will still be delicious. opt for a refined sugar free white chocolate to keep the whole recipe completely refined sugar free.

i always melt the white chocolate using the double boiler method, which can be done in two ways. either you place a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and melt the chocolate slowly over gentle heat, stirring periodically. or the second option (which is my fave) is to use two bowls: one smaller bowl for the white chocolate and one to hold boiled water. i boil the water in the kettle and fill up no more than half of the bowl so that when you place the second bowl with the white chocolate it doesn't spill! stir until properly melted and glossy. you can always use a microwave but melting white chocolate in the microwave is my worst enemy, it burns every single time and i have never managed to make it work lol. white chocolate is more delicate than dark chocolate and can seize or burn quickly if you rush it or use direct heat, so taking a couple of extra minutes to do it properly is really worth it. once the white chocolate is smooth and glossy, it's ready to coat the molds.

the lemon filling is made in a food processor and comes together in just a few minutes. almond flour gives it that dense, slightly buttery texture that works so well against the white chocolate shell, while the oat flour lightens it up just enough. the lemon zest is where the majority of the flavour lives so please be generous with it. the quarter of a lemon juiced adds the tartness that keeps the filling tasting citrusy rather than flat and the acid also amplifies what's already in the zest. you can adjust the lemon to your preference without affecting the texture of the dough too much, so feel free to go heavier or lighter. maple syrup is my sweetener of choice here, and the melted butter brings extra richness and helps bind the mixture so the balls hold their shape once frozen.

once all is blended in the food processor, take about a tablespoon of the lemon batter and shape into balls, the exact size will vary depending on your molds. since mine are mini i ended up with 5 to 6 balls of dough, as this is a small batch recipe. if you're using bigger molds, the recipe doubles easily. after the cups are assembled, they need 30 to 45 minutes in the freezer to set completely before you pop them out. you want the white chocolate to be fully set so the cups don't break when removing them from the molds, check at the 30 to 45 minute mark and allow longer if needed. the silicone makes removal easy and the cups come out cleanly with a gorgeous glossy shell. store in an airtight container in the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for five minutes before eating so the filling softens slightly and the shell loses its chill.

a little on the nutrition: almond flour is a great source of vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidative stress, as well as healthy monounsaturated fats and plant-based protein. lemon zest and juice are both rich in vitamin C and contain limonene, a compound found in citrus peel that has been studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. oat flour contributes soluble beta-glucan fibre, which supports gut health and helps stabilise blood sugar levels. so these no bake lemon cups are absolutely delicious and sneakily loaded with nutrients.

if you love a no bake cup moment, you also have to try my three ingredient peanut butter cups or my matcha chocolate cups!