First things first – can I just say how adorable these are? They’re mini pies. Mini lemon meringue pies.
Does anyone else have an obsession with tiny things? Those mini bottles of booze on airplanes, teacup pigs, miniature versions of any kind of food. If it’s little and cute, I’m all over it.
These were inspired by those two-bite brownies you can buy at the grocery store. Who doesn’t love those? Are they good because of the brownie, or because they’re miniature? You decide.
I started craving those two-bite brownies on a day I was also craving lemon meringue pie. Thus, these were born. I can’t get over how cute they are. And delicious! The sweet, crunchy crust, the tart zing of the lemon curd, the fluffy texture of the meringue, all in bite-size form.
If you need to whip something together for a party or gathering, these are sure to impress. I’ll admit they’re not the easiest things to make, but the extra time and effort is so worth it!
| Two Bite Lemon Meringue Pies | | Print |
- For lemon curd:
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (save whites for meringue)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 6 Tbsp lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- .
- For crust:
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
- 2 Tbsp shortening
- ½ cup icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour
- .
- For meringue:
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- To make lemon curd: In a large heatproof bowl, mix eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice. Set bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and custard-like, about 8 minutes. Strain mixture with a mesh sieve and into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1.5 hours.
- To make the crust: Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a mini muffin pan. Mix butter, shortening and icing sugar until smooth. Add in vanilla and salt. Stir in flour until thoroughly mixed. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place each ball in a muffin cup. You should fill the whole pan. Using thumb, press dough into muffin cup, shaping into a tart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool in pan completely, the add dollops of lemon curd into the crust shells.
- To make meringue: In a large bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until stiff peaks form, about another 10 minutes. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue and top filled tarts.
- Broil in the oven until the meringue is golden, about 2 minutes.
How fun! Definitely pinning these for later.
Thanks Mama B! Have fun making them!
they are so cute and look yummy!
Hi,
These look great!
What do you mean by “boil” the meringues?
Hi Sarah, thanks for pointing this out! I’ve clarified it in the recipe – I meant to say broil in the oven until lightly browned.
These look great! Any trouble getting them out of the pan?
Thanks, Jill! You shouldn’t have any problem removing these from the pan. The crust is more like a pastry than a cake, so it shouldn’t stick. But just to be safe, I’d recommend using a non-stick mini muffin tray, and lightly greasing it with oil or butter.
For the meringue, is it 1/2 cup of sugar?
Thanks for asking, Jenn! I’ve clarified it in the the recipe: 1/2 cup granulated sugar.
Please can you tell me how long the meringues once made can be stored in an airtight container for? I need to make 200 and I’m trying to work out the best time to make them!
Can you help?
I was thinking of making just meringue tops seperately to add later when I’m about to serve them.
What could be a substitute for shortening?
You can simply replace the shortening with 2 tablespoons of butter.
Hello!
They look delicious.
But, when do you take the tarts out from the tray? Before or after the meringue?
Thanks!
Hi Natalie! It’s easiest to leave the tarts in the tray the whole time, since they’ll need to broil for a few minutes with the meringue. Once the broiling is done and the meringue has browned, let them cool enough to the touch and then you can remove them from the tray.
Is that in Fahrenheit?
I’ve clarified in the recipe – yes it’s Fahrenheit.
These look great! I want try them.
Just had one question. Will the egg in the lemon curd be cooked all the way with just a couple of minutes in the oven on broil?
I was thinking about making and bringing these to church, but I try to be careful about making sure what I bring is safe and fully cooked.
Thanks!
Hi Rochelle! Before you broil the mini pies, you’ll have to first make the lemon curd. As the recipe states, the egg and other ingredients will need to be whisked in a bowl that is placed over a pot of simmering water for about 8 minutes. During those 8 minutes, the bowl will heat up and the eggs will cook and form a custard. You can then proceed with the recipe. 😀
What is the icing sugar used in the crust?
Icing sugar is also known as powdered sugar, or confectioner’s sugar.
Can these be assembled the day before? Will they get soggy?
You can make the base of this recipe – the pastry cups and lemon curd – the day before, as they’ll keep well in the fridge. However, I recommend doing step 3 & 4 on the same day you serve them. The meringue is best served when fresh, and chilling it can make it somewhat chewy. This isn’t a bad thing, though. I’ve served them both fresh and a day old and they’ve always been a hit!
Any tricks for preventing the dough from puffing up when baking? Do you use a fork to makes holes in the dough before baking?
The dough itself won’t puff up too much when baking, so you shouldn’t have to worry. You could definitely poke holes in it with a fork before baking, to release a bit of the steam, but even without doing so they should hold their shape.
Is the flour plain (all purpose) or self raising?
Thank you
The flour used was all-purpose flour. Enjoy!
I used the back of my measuring spoons to mash the warm dough down into the cup of my mini muffin tin to ensure plenty of filling goes into the pie.
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! I made these the other day and they were insanely delicious. See my blog post about this (referencing your post of course!): http://mirimiri.net/mini-lemon-meringue-tarts/
As you can see in my post, I’ve mentioned that I’m currently debating what camera lens to invest in. Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II, Canon 24-70mm f/4.0 L, or Canon 24-105mm f/4.0 L…. Any thoughts would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks for the shoutout, Miriam! I’m glad you like them! They’re so cute, aren’t they? 🙂
As for the lens, a great lens is TOTALLY worth the investment! I did a quick comparison of the ones you listed, and I’d recommend the Canon 24-70mm f/4.0 L. It seems kind of like a middle-of-the-way lens, and I like that it has a macro setting (I use a macro lens for shooting food all the time!). The Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II would be a superior lens, but for the price point, I’m not sure it would be worth it, especially if this is your first great lens. Good luck!
Hey Chelsea,
I’ve made these a few times now and they are always a hit.. thanks so much for the recipe. it’s yummmmmmm.
We’ve thought about how they would taste made with passion fruit instead of lemon for a change.
Do you think that will work? Replace the Lemon juice with Passion fruit? Only thing I’m worried about is the seeds in the passion fruit. Do you have any hints?
I will try it anyway, but open for suggestions 🙂
Have a great day
Thanks, Fränzi, so glad you like them! I love the idea of trying passion fruit! I think it will work, as long you juice the passion fruit and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the pulp and seeds. As long as you have the same volume of juice (6 tablespoons) it should work. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Chelsea,
In the meantime I’ve made the passion fruit version twice and it’s delicious. I used 5-6 passion fruits for the 6 tbsp of juice. Hope summer stays for another while so I can make them again 🙂 yum
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks for coming back with the results. If I ever get my hands on some passion fruits, I will definitely be trying this variation!
Can you use Pillsbury ready made pie crust cut to fit tin?
able to be frozen
are these able to be frozen
Get a blow torch for the meringue top, far more fun.
Delicious way to use up lemons from my in-laws tree here in WA.
Agreed, Lynn! 😀 We JUST got a blow torch for Christmas, too!
I am currently making the lemon curd and it’s got thinner not thicker and it’s been on the pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes now. What did I do wrong??