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mini lemon tartlets on a white plate on brown cutting board

Lemon Tartlets

Author Erin Dooner
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 18
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
These lemon tartlets combine a buttery tart shell with tangy lemon curd, creating the ultimate bite-sized treat. They can be made traditionally or gluten-free.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour see notes
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

For the curd:

  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs 50 grams each out of shell
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 cup (56 grams) cold unsalted butter

Optional topping:

  • 18 fresh raspberries blackberries or strawberries

Instructions

Make the crusts:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
    1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour, 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
    1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla, and just 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk (ignore the amount below - it's a technical issue I can't fix). Stir this into the dry ingredients.
    1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk
  • Use your hands to work the dough and bring it together. The dough shouldn’t be crumbly, as you're going to roll it out. If necessary, add more milk, but don't add too much, as it'll make the baked crusts soft.
  • Form into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap.
  • Chill for 1 hour. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. While it’s chilling, you can make the filling (below).
  • Grease eighteen 2.6” (6.5 cm) fluted non-stick mini tart pans
  • Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8 inch (3 mm). I used the bottom of a glass (a cookie cutter would give you better, cleaner-cut edges) to make circles that were about 1/4” (6 mm) wider than the widest part of the tart pans, and I still had to trim some away. Do a test to make sure your circles are the right size for your pans. If the dough becomes hard to work with, stick it in the freezer for a few minutes. Then you’ll be able to very easily remove the circle cut-outs. If the circles don’t come off the parchment paper perfectly, it doesn’t really matter since you’ll be pressing them down into the pans and will likely have to trim some off anyway.
  • Place a circle cut-out over the top of the greased mini tart pan and press it firmly into place. Be sure to press down around the bottom edge to remove any air pockets.
  • Prick holes over the bottom (not going all the way through the crust, but almost) with a fork. Repeat with the remaining tartlet pans.
  • Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
  • Towards the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C) and place a baking sheet large enough to fit the tartlet pans in the lower third of your oven.
  • Place the tartlets directly onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 14-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if you notice them browning too quickly in certain areas, until the sides are nicely browned and the bottom has browned.
  • Remove the baking sheet and tartlets from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing the crusts from the pans. To do that, just turn the pan over and let the crust fall into your hand. It’s important to do this while they’re still a bit warm. They came out super easily.
  • If making ahead of time, you can put the cooled crusts in an airtight container and store them at room temp for up to 3 days.

Make the lemon curd:

  • In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, sugar and salt until smooth.
    1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, pinch salt
  • Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring it doesn’t touch the water.
  • Continuously whisk the mixture until it thickens and reaches a temperature of 175 °F (79 °C), and then immediately remove from the heat. Some sites say 160 °F (71 °C), but mine was still much too runny at this point. The first time I made it, I cooked it to 160 °F, added the butter, realized it wasn’t going to get much thicker, put it back on the heat, and thickened it up more. And it was fine (just saying in case you have the same issue).
  • Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until fully incorporated.
    1/4 cup (56 grams) cold unsalted butter
  • Strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve into a clean, nonreactive bowl.
  • Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, or simply stir ocassionally as it cools.
  • Let cool until room temp, about 1 hour. You can place it in the fridge or freezer and stir occasionally if in a hurry. You can also make this 3 days in advance and keep it refrigerated. I had no issue with scooping it straight from the fridge into the crusts.

Bake the tartlets:

  • I recommend filling the tartlets the day of serving. This is to assure that the crusts are at their very best! They get softer over time.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 °F (163 °C).
  • Add 1 tbsp (15 grams) of curd to 18 cooled tartlet shells. Place the filled tartlet shells (out of their pans) directly on a baking sheet.
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. This just helps the curd set.
  • Let them cool for 10 minutes in their pans on the baking sheet which has been placed on a cooling rack.
  • Remove the tartlets from their pans, place on a cooling rack, let cool for about 20-30 minutes and then chill for an hour.
  • Top with a raspberry or other fruit before serving.
  • Refrigerate the tartlets in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • For the flour, you can use 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour for a gluten-free version.
  • The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. Values don't include the raspberries on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 141mgPotassium: 39mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 307IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mgNet Carbs: 16
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