These easy lemon tartlets have bright and tangy lemon flavor encased in a buttery, flaky shortcrust pastry. Perfect for a quick bite or enjoyed at an afternoon tea, mini lemon tarts are portion-controlled bites of lemony goodness!
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Why this recipe works
- An easy baked custard bursts with bright lemon flavor
- The filling uses the whole lemon, so there's no zesting and little waste
- Use a homemade shortcrust pastry or a store-bought pie dough
I love a lemon treat - it's like eating a slice of sunshine. Whether it's Lemon Bars, lemon cheesecake, limoncello cake, or just a lemon shortbread cookie, that tartness just wakes up something bright and sunny in me.
I also love the idea of mini brownies or mini muffins, the ones you can eat in two bites. Besides being cute, mini treats allow for automatic portion control (much like cookies). This way I can take two (ok, maybe three) and feel like I've had enough.
These mini lemon tartlets offer that same level of portion control. I can grab a couple of these lemon tarts without feeling guilty or overindulgent. I love to serve them at a party, with afternoon tea, or just as a quick snack.
These mini lemon tartlets are two bites of lemony sunshine and will brighten your day!
Love these 2-bite wonders! You're right, you can eat 2 or 3 of these without guilt!!
- Sheeba
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this mini lemon tart recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Lemons: Now, you can make lemon tarts with lemon curd, but let's go one step further. This lemon tartlet recipe uses a baked lemon custard filling with a surprise: you use the whole lemon, not just the juice or zest.
Different lemon varieties have differing tartness levels. Meyer lemons are sweeter than standard lemons, so decrease the sugar if you're going to use them. Don’t use bottled lemon juice of any kind - it's too acidic and will ruin the flavor. Whichever variety of lemons you choose, look for fruit that feels heavy in your hand for its size - those are juicier.
Pastry: Tarts need a sturdy base, something that will hold it's shape with it's out of the pan. My shortcrust pastry fits the bill perfectly - enriched with egg, it makes a buttery and flaky tart crust that holds up well. If making a homemade shortcrust isn't your thing, use a store-bought pie dough.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make lemon tartlets
Step 1: Make your tartlet shells
Spray the cups of a mini muffin pan with baking spray.
Roll out chilled shortcrust pastry to between ⅛ to ¼-inch thick, and cut out rounds using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter. Using a pastry dough tart tamper, push the rounds into the pan (photo 1). Freeze the dough for 15 minutes or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up. You don’t want slumped tartlet shells.
Parbake the tartlet shells at 400˚F for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven to cool while you make the filling, and turn oven down to 350°F.
Step 2: Prepare your lemons
Cut the lemon in half. Check if the thickness of the white ring of the skin (the pith) is larger than ¼-inch thick (photo 2). If so, pare the zest from one half of the lemon, cutting away any of the pith before proceeding.
Slice the lemon halves into thin slices, removing the seeds.
Step 3: Make the filling
Put all the lemon slices (and any zest pieces), sugar, and butter into the container of a food processor (photo 3). Purée the mixture, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is chopped fine.
Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse until the batter is smooth (photo 4).
Step 4: Fill & bake the tartlets
After par baking the shortcrust, use a small cookie scoop to portion 1 tablespoon of the lemon custard batter into the shells. Be careful not to overfill them. I learned the hard way that the lemon filling can stick to the pan (even after spraying with baking spray). You don't want to have to dig your tartlets out of the pan!
Bake the tartlets at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is set. It will jiggle slightly and be very light brown on top (photo 5).
Cool the tartlets in the pan placed on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan to the wire rack. If necessary, use a tool that won’t damage your pan to pry the tarts out. Let the tartlets cool completely. Chill before serving if desired.
Dust with powdered sugar, then serve and enjoy.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage instructions: Cooled lemon tartlets can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days. They can also be frozen, stored in an airtight bag for longer storage. Defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving
Make-ahead instructions: The shortcrust pastry can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen and stored in an airtight bag for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Roll your pastry dough to the right thickness
Do you wonder how thick to roll out pastry dough? Mostly, the answer lies with what the dough is for. For instance, rolling out sugar cookie dough to between ⅛ to ¼-inch thick will affect the crispiness of the cookie, especially if you're going to shape it (like with these Hamantaschen cookies).
For a pie or tart, the difference will be if it's for a full-sized item (like with this pecan pie) or a smaller version (such as these mini Bakewell tarts). The smaller the pie or tart, the thinner the crust should be. You don't want a mini tart or tartlet to be overwhelmed by too much crust. But don't too thin or your crust won't be able to support the weight of the filling.
A good rule of thumb is to roll out dough for a full-sized item to ¼-inch thick (about the height of 2 stacked quarters in the photo below). For small or mini uses, roll out the dough pastry to between ⅛ to ¼-inch thick.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions that you might have...
To make a gluten-free version, or if you have extra filling, you can pour the filling into buttered ramekins and bake at 350˚F for about 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar after chilling. It’s quite yummy, like a cross between pudding and soufflé.
You can make a full-sized lemon tart instead of the mini tartlets. Follow the directions above, pressing the shortcrust pastry into a 9-inch tart pan. Bake at 350˚F for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is set. It will jiggle slightly in the middle and will be very light brown. Cool on a wire rack, then chill before serving. You can dust the tart with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes with citrus to try
Recipe
Mini Lemon Tartlets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 recipe shortcrust pastry, or store bought pie dough
- 1 lemon, rinsed and dried
- 1½ cups sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare one basic shortcrust pastry recipe.
- Preheat the oven 400 °F. Spray the cups of the mini muffin pans with baking spray.
- For the tartlet shells: Roll out the chilled shortcrust pastry to between ⅛ to ¼-inch thick and cut out rounds using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter. Using a pastry dough tart tamper, push the rounds into the muffin pan cups. Freeze the dough for 15 minutes or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up. You don’t want slumped tartlet shells.
- Partially bake the tartlet shells for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven to cool while you make the filling, and turn oven down to 350 °F.
- For the filling: Cut the lemon in half. Check if the thickness of the white ring of the skin (the pith) is larger than ¼-inch thick. If so, pare the zest from one half of the lemon, cutting away any of the pith before proceeding. Slice the lemon halves into thin slices, removing the seeds.
- Put all the lemon slices (and any zest pieces), sugar, and butter into the container of a food processor. Purée the mixture, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is chopped fine. Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse until the batter is smooth.
- Use a small cookie scoop to portion 1 tablespoon of the batter into each of the pastry cups. Try not to pour it past the top of the tart shells or it will become difficult to unmold later.
- Bake the tartlets for 25 to 30 minutes or until the filling is set. It will jiggle slightly and be very light brown on top.
- Cool the tartlets in the pan placed on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan to the wire rack. If necessary, use a tool that won’t damage your pan to pry the tarts out. Let the tartlets cool completely. Chill before serving if desired.
- Dust with powdered sugar, then serve and enjoy.
- Storage instructions: Cooled lemon tartlets can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days. They can also be frozen, stored in an airtight bag for longer storage. Defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving
- Make-ahead instructions: The shortcrust pastry can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. It can also be frozen and stored in an airtight bag for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Kira Bornemann says
My mouth is actually watering looking at these!! I love lemon desserts so much.
Tammy says
Thanks, Kira! 😉
Sheeba says
Love these 2-bite wonders! You're right, you can eat 2 or 3 of these without guilt!!
Tammy Spencer says
So glad you like them! 🙂