Mini Lemon Cookie Tarts Food

MINI LEMON TARTS

Steps:

• Mix flour, butter, and salt together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, or with a pastry blender, until dough becomes crumbly. Add ice water, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the consistency is smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup cupcake pan.
• Roll out dough on a cutting board and cut into 3-inch circles using a scalloped cookie cutter. Place dough into the prepared pan, pressing down the sides to fit.
• Combine egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, butter, and lemon zest in a heavy, non-aluminum saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and filling thickens slightly. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl and cool, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour filling into the dough cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is set, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

LEMON COOKIE TARTS

Steps:

• In food processor pulse sugar, powdered sugar and butter till creamy. Can be done with electric beaters as well.
• Mix rest of ingredients except lemon curd and sweetened condensed milk, mix until a smooth dough is formed.
• Chill 15 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.
• Spray mini muffin tins with Pam.
• Measure 1 Tbsp of dough.
• Roll into ball place one in each hole of mini tart pan.
• Using your thumb make a centre with the dough making sure that the dough in uniform size all around and not to thin on the top.
• Bake at 350°F for 9 minutes or until dough is slightly firm but not set. They may close up during cooking.
• Remove tart shells from oven working quickly and using the back of a rounded 1/2 tsp measuring spoon gently press a shallow indentation in each shell. (Don't let them cool or it will be harder to get them to form a shell).
• Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until edges of shells are firm and golden.
• Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
• Carefully remove from pan and transfer to cooling rack, if they need more shaping you can do that now.
• Cool completely before filling. Can be made to this point and frozen (but thaw to room temp before filling).
• For the filling mix together purchased or homemade lemon curd and sweetened condensed milk.
• Put a small amount of powdered sugar in a sieve and shake a little on the top of each tart, garnish with a long piece of lemon zest.

MINI LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange tart shells on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven; leave oven on.
• Whisk egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest together in a medium bowl. Whisk in buttermilk. Add flour and salt; whisk well.
• Pour filling into the tart shells, filling them almost to the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling rises and appears set, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid overcooking.
• Prepare meringue while the tarts are baking. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar; continue beating until meringue is stiff and shiny.
• Top baked tarts with meringue. Ensure that you press the meringue down to form a seal around the edges.
• Return tarts to oven and bake until meringue starts to brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool before serving.

EASY MINI LEMON TARTS WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine sugar, lemon juice, eggs, flour, and lemon zest for filling together in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
• Combine flour, butter, sugar, and salt for crust in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until the dough begins to come together in a ball.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, placing dough portions in each well of a nonstick 6-well mini tart pan. Press dough over the bottom of each well and up the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until mini tarts reach room temperature.

CLASSIC LEMON TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. (If you like, you can let the butter cook until it browns and smells nutty, 2 to 4 minutes longer.)
• Whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in melted butter and, using a spatula, mix until well combined. Press this into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan, using a measuring cup if you like to flatten the tart shell and make sure it's even. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 months (wrap in plastic if storing for more than 4 hours).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line tart dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until the crust is very lightly golden at the edges and baked through on the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool. (Tart shell can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.)
• Make the curd: Put butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and mixture is hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, yolks and salt. Whisk the hot mixture gradually into the eggs to temper them. Then pour everything back into the saucepan and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (170 degrees; do not overcook, or it will curdle), about 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Taste and add a bit more sugar if you like. It should taste tart but balanced.
• Spread the curd (it's OK if it's still warm) into the tart shell, spreading it evenly with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Return to the oven to bake until the curd is just set along the edges but still jiggly in the center, about 7 to 15 minutes. (It will continue to firm up as it cools.) Transfer back to the wire rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours, before serving. If the curd still looks a little loose after cooling, you can chill the tart for an hour or two before serving. Note that it's a soft curd but shouldn't be runny.

LEMON COOKIE TARTS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the vanilla and 1 egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in 2 cups flour and the salt. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat all filling ingredients except powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with wire whisk. Cover; refrigerate.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 48 mini muffin cups, 1 3/4 x1 inch, with cooking spray. Shape dough into 48 one-inch balls. Place 1 ball in each muffin cup. Press dough into bottom and up side of cups. Spoon slightly less than 1 tablespoon filling into each cup.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until centers are puffed and edges are light brown. Cool in pan 30 minutes. With tip of knife, lift tarts from muffin cups to wire rack; cool completely. Just before serving, sprinkle tarts with powdered sugar.

MINI LEMON COOKIE TARTS

Steps:

• Beat the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and egg in a large bowl on medium speed until combined. Stir in the flour and salt, then cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Prepare the lemon filling by beating all of the ingredients together until will mixed. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 350F Spray 48 miniature muffin cups 1 3/4 x 1 inch, with cooking spray.
• Shape the dough into 48 one-inch balls then place in the muffin cup. Press dough into the bottom and up the sides of the cups. Spoon slightly less than 1 tablespoon of the lemon filling into each cup.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until centers are puffed and the edges are light brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. With the tip of a knife, lift the tarts from the muffin tins to a cooling rack. Cool completely, then dust with the icing sugar just before serving.