Happy Saturday! I have a fun, quick recipe planned for you today!
Growing up, my absolute favorite dessert of all time was “lemon on a cloud pie”, or lemon meringue pie. My mom always made it for special occasions and I couldn’t get enough of the tart lemon filling combined with the crunchy, sweet meringue.
Even though I’m a total chocoholic, I still have a spot in my heart strictly reserved for lemon baked goods!
These mini lemon tarts are the semi-homemade, quick version of classic lemon meringue pie. They’re great to make for a crowd and (cough cough) look like they take a lot of time and effort when they really don’t at all!
But that’ll stay our little secret, mmk?
One of the reasons why I love these little tarts so much is because they’re just so pretty! Perfect for a springtime baby or bridal shower…or just a Friday night dinner with friends. Either way, you can’t lose!
The first step is making the meringue. If you wanted to, you could also use those strawberry shortcake shells found in the produce section of the grocery store to make these, but I prefer the taste and crunch of meringue!
Plus, meringue crumbs have zero calories! Didn’t you know that? Actually, now that I think about it, ALL dessert crumbs have zero calories! I love how that works out.
When you’re done baking your meringue, it’s time for the really tough and time consuming part.
Hah! Just kidding. Filling these tarts takes approximately five seconds because all you do is scoop in some pre-made lemon curd and then pipe on a little whipped cream. That’s the secret!
Now if you really wanted to get fancy, you could make your own lemon curd. It’s not really that hard and, like everything else, tastes better than anything you can get in the jar. This one looks great!
In each of these two-bite treats you get the tart, creamy lemon curd, the crunchy meringue and the cool whipped cream. Plus, they’re easy to make ahead of time (just bake the meringue, fill with the lemon curd and store in the fridge for up to three days).
Lemon, for the win!
Two Bite Lemon Tarts
makes six small tarts (recipe easily doubled or tripled for a crowd!)
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar + 2 T sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 jar lemon curd
1 cup whipping cream
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and slowly pour in 1/2 cup of sugar with the mixer on. Continue to beat on high until stiff glossy peaks form (about 6-8 minutes).
Scoop meringue into a pastry bag (or plastic bag!) and pipe out four inch circles onto a lined sheet tray. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 1 1/2 hours then turn off the oven and let sit inside for another 1 1/2 hours.
When meringues are done, beat the whipping cream and the extra 2 T of sugar on high until peaks form. Gently use a knife to whittle away the center of each meringue. Fill with one spoonful of lemon curd and top with whipped cream.
Kasey @ thisbodyismyhome
February 12, 2011 at 11:16 amI LOVE that dessert crumbs have no calories! Same goes for dessert off someone else’s plate 😉
Baking 'n' Books
February 12, 2011 at 3:13 pmThank God someone else said that 😉
…neither is eating while your preparing meals right? Right?…
Love Lemon Meringue Pie. These look good – I’d have to find Cream of Tartar though…?
Errign
February 12, 2011 at 4:50 pmright in the spice aisle of the grocery store!
sonia
February 12, 2011 at 11:37 amAwesome lemon tarts and presentation. Its looking so refreshing and vibrant, a perfect dessert to uplift ur mood frm this gloomy weather… !
Moni'sMeals
February 12, 2011 at 11:48 amthis just looks soooo refreshing. I am a big fan of two bite anything. 🙂
Marie @ Peonies&Cupcakes
February 12, 2011 at 11:48 amI absolutely adore lemons & especially in desserts because they are so tart but when you create them into a sweet confection they are just sublime!
Kristen @ That Hoosier Girl
February 12, 2011 at 11:50 amLemon ANYTHING reminds me of spring!!! These are so cute too!
Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
February 12, 2011 at 11:51 amThese look fabulous! Only recently have I learned to appreciate how awesome lemon is in dessert form – lemon squares, lemon pie, and now these! Yum.
Debbie B.
February 12, 2011 at 11:57 amThey look so light and refreshing! They would definitely be perfect for a shower of some sort. I’m the same way, I love anything chocolate … but there is something about a lemon treat that can hit the spot and is so good!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic
February 12, 2011 at 11:59 amYum!! I have a soft spot for lemon desserts too. I’ve seen lemon curd at Trader Joe’s but haven’t bought a jar yet because I didn’t know what to cook it with! This solves my problem 🙂 Great recipe!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
February 12, 2011 at 12:38 pmThis is totally a baby shower dessert! Or bridal shower. You are right…so light, airy, and pretty looking. Perfect for spring!
And I thought for a second you were going to have a really complicated lemon filling recipe…and then, relief came over me when I saw the jar of lemon curd filling.
However, Ive never made meringue…kinda scared if the truth be told!
Natalia - a side of simple
February 12, 2011 at 1:02 pmSo…question. “Two bites” means that you can have, like, 10, right? And that’s a serving? 🙂
Kristen
February 12, 2011 at 1:07 pmYum! Do you happen to have a favorite lemon bar recipe?
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
February 12, 2011 at 1:13 pmIt’s not just the dessert crumbs that have no calories, it’s desserts in general.
Ann
February 12, 2011 at 1:20 pmI have a fondness for lemon based desserts too! Lemon curd is so easy to make, I may have to try some variation of these. I haven’t spent a lot of time with meringue, but I love the way egg whites look whipping up in the KitchenAid, so these are on my list!
Angharad
February 12, 2011 at 1:20 pmThis just in: cookie dough is also calorie free!
Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
February 12, 2011 at 1:56 pmmmm I love lemon tarts! Not a huge fan of meringue though – I know, I’m odd. I love the idea of these lemon filled meringue shells, so cute! Fun to make too, it seems 🙂
Heidi xo
Justeen @ Blissful Baking
February 12, 2011 at 2:53 pmOhh these lemon tarts look absolutely delightful!!
Christie {Nourishing Eats}
February 12, 2011 at 2:54 pmYum! I also love lemon flavored anything. My mom used to make a pie called lemonade pie that I remember very, and I mean very, fondly.
Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen
February 12, 2011 at 2:55 pmLove the use of meringue as the crust!!
joelle (The Pancake Girl)
February 12, 2011 at 3:05 pmLemon Meringue pie was one of the first things I ever baked! It was so easy but seriously DELISH!
Vanessa
February 12, 2011 at 3:10 pmLemon and meringues are a match made in heaven!! MMMH! I just happened to have a jar of lemon curd in my cabinet. What a coincidence! 😉
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin
February 12, 2011 at 4:12 pmThis brings up bad memories of whipping egg whites in my food science lab. It took me 4 tries to get it right! 😛
Pam @ T.H.C.
February 12, 2011 at 5:09 pmLooks so good, I bet the lemon adds such a refreshing element!
Emily @ Savory and Savage
February 12, 2011 at 5:27 pmMeringue topped with lemon curd and whipped cream – OMG!!!
I am going to make some of these for the oscar party I am going to 🙂
Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day
February 12, 2011 at 6:00 pmLemon is sooo refreshing, especially this time of year
A Teenage Gourmet (Sami)
February 12, 2011 at 6:07 pmI must confess . . . I have the best recipe in the world for an olive oil lemon curd, that can be made into a tart with an almond crust . . . I must share it with you.
Michelle
February 12, 2011 at 6:22 pmLemon makes me think of summer. Ahhh, summer. And sun, fresh grass, the ocean, I love all of it. These would be the perfect ending to a summer day!
Kristin
February 12, 2011 at 6:36 pmCan’t handle the suspense! Don’t tell us about lemon tarts- we all want to hear how the SF Food War went!
jenna
February 12, 2011 at 9:26 pmI couldnt end up participating because of somewhere else I had to be with weekend that suddenly came up!! Huge bummer!
Brooke @ Bittersweetb
February 12, 2011 at 6:54 pmLittle lemon pavlovas!
Diana @ frontyardfoodie
February 12, 2011 at 9:25 pmI just stopped being vegan and the big perk of that is meringue. I’m.in.love. My mom always made meringue cookies growing up. They’re dear to my heart.
michelle
February 13, 2011 at 12:35 amCan you do a ‘what I’m reading’ post again soon, Jenna?!!
Heather (Heather's Dish)
February 13, 2011 at 6:05 amoh man, this is dangerous! i think i could handle one serving, but if i know that it’s easy to double/triple i could be in some big trouble 🙂
Andrea @ The Skinny Chronicles
February 13, 2011 at 9:18 amAre hearts are one. Lemon (citrus) desserts…and chocolate. My two faves as well. I could eat lemon curd all day long.
Laura
February 13, 2011 at 10:35 amMy mom once told me that broken cookies don’t have calories either (they “fall out” when the cookie breaks!). 🙂
Katy @ A Healthy Shot
February 13, 2011 at 1:00 pmso this is definitely what I’m making to take to the BF’s parents’ house tonight. thanks 🙂
Maria
February 13, 2011 at 2:27 pmMmm, lemon desserts are the best!
Jenny
February 13, 2011 at 4:40 pmI can taste it already. mmmm mmmm a tartacious goody.
Jenny
February 13, 2011 at 4:40 pmI can taste it already. mmmm mmmm a tartacious goody.
Baking Serendipity
February 13, 2011 at 7:35 pmMy grandmother loves lemon desserts as well and she is coming to visit this week! What a perfect time to discover this recipe 🙂
Lauren R
February 14, 2011 at 8:58 amThanks for a great GF dessert!! I will definitely be trying this soon!