Sugar Cookie Lemon Tarts

Sugar Cookie Lemon Tarts

I vaguely remember that Lauren Conrad shared the link to the Inquiring Chef and found it really interesting because it wasn’t just a recipe but a post on millennials and what people do after doing some obligatory travelling and then returning home.

She spends some of her Saturday afternoons baking and she shared the tarts as one of those recipes.

Not one to brag *ahem* but these turned out perfectly on the first bake. Such a simple recipe to follow, I was surprised at how easy the cookie crust was and how the filling baked nicely.

The dough was straightforward to make and I would certainly recommend trying to keep it in the fridge for the full half an hour, I made two batches of this and the second time I didn’t leave it in as long and was a lot stickier when moulding into the bun tins.

The lemon filling was probably fiddly just for the pure reason that I had to separate the yolks from the white and put them in the right bowl.

Pour in the filling bang in the oven and they’re done in 12 minute on the dot. Sprinkle over some icing sugar and a squirt of whipped cream for decoration!

SUGAR COOKIE LEMON TARTS

 

 

PREP TIME

45 mins

COOK TIME

12 mins

TOTAL TIME

57 mins

 

No finicky crusts necessary for these tarts. Use a simple cookie dough for the crust and fill it with a perfectly sweet and sour lemon filling.

Author: Jess Smith

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 24 pieces

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

• 8 Tablespoons (115g) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 and ½ cup (190g) all-purpose flour
• scant ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt

For the lemon filling:

• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ cup whipping cream
• juice from 1 large lemon
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

For topping

• 4 Tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
• ½ cup whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the sugar cookie crust, in a standing mixer (or by hand) beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes oh high. Add the egg and mix on medium until fully incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt all at once and mix on medium just until no spots of flour remain, about 20 seconds (do not overmix). Wrap the dough in parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.
3. While the oven is preheating, make the lemon filling by whisking together the eggs, egg yolks, whipping cream, lemon juice, and granulated sugar until smooth.
4. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Divide the dough into quarters and divide each quarter into six even balls of dough. Press each ball of dough it into a space in the muffin tin. Using your thumbs, press the dough into the tin so that it is evenly distributed along the sides and bottom. (Don't worry if it is a bit thinner in some places than others.) Pour the lemon filling into the center of each sugar cookie cup, stopping just below the top of the crust.
5. Bake until the filling is set and the crust begins to turn golden, 10-12 minutes. (Do not over bake - pull the tarts out just when you see any golden color on the crusts.) Allow these to cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Before serving, dust the tops of the tarts with 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar. Beat the whipping cream with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spoon the whipping cream on top of each tart. Serve chilled.