two bite lemon tarts

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!)

Print this recipe!

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.