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You are here: Home / Recipes / Pies & Tarts / Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd

Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd

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An easy recipe for lemon tartlets with lemon curd. Sweet pastry shells make the perfect container for the best lemon curd ever – it’s so silky and smooth.Meyer Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

As Spring approaches, I just wanted to squeeze (no pun intended!) in one more lemon recipe! This was another recipe that I shared at a recent dessert night (remember those lemon curd pavlovas?).

You’re telling me you don’t have dessert nights? You should definitely make them a regular thing – there’s nothing better than catching up with friends over sweet treats.Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

With our backyard lemon tree making meyer lemons faster than we can pick them, everyone also got a handful of lemons as a parting gift. With multiple lemon desserts and these parting gifts, I probably overdid it a bit. Luckily I didn’t hear any complaints!

Meyer Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized DessertsLemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

This recipe is so versatile – tartlets make a great (two) bite-sized appetizer, a fun dessert, or a good dish to pass at a potluck. Its sweet pastry dough is the perfect vessel for the best lemon curd you’ll ever have.

Making the Best Lemon Curd

There are lots of recipes out there for lemon curd, but I’m hear to tell you this is the best one, and it’s so easy to make. Even if you mess up a step, there are ways to troubleshoot it to almost guarantee success every time.

Overcook the curd so small chunks start to form? Just strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Undercook it and it doesn’t thicken when you add the cream and butter? Just put it back on the stove and cook it until it does. Was it too damn delicious and you ate the whole thing before you made the tartlets? I recommend always starting with a double batch. πŸ™‚

Easy Make Ahead Dessert – Lemon Tartlets

As with so many of my recipes, these tartlets can be made ahead of time. The shells will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The lemon curd will keep in a sealed contained in the fridge for a week. When you’re ready to serve them, just spoon the lemon curd into the shells and you’re good to go!

Meyer Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

Β Looking for other lemon recipes? Try these:

Tartine Lemon Shaker Pie
Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd
Fig & Chèvre Appetizer Bites with Candied Lemon
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Dried Lemon Slices

Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.

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Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd

Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

★★★★★

4.8 from 6 reviews

Pretty lemon tartlets with the best lemon curd you’ve ever had! Definitely a crowd pleaser as an appetizer or dessert at your next party!

  • Author: Kelly Egan
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 15
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: French

Ingredients

For the tart dough:

  • 1 1/3 cups (166 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1 stick (115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 egg yolk

For the lemon curd: (makes extra, about 1 1/2 cup in total)

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch table salt
  • Berries for serving (optional)

Special supplies:

  • Mini muffin tin
  • Circle cookie cutter

Instructions

Make the tartlets:

  1. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.
  2. Stir in the sugar, then add the egg yolk until just combined. Use your hands to work the mixture into a dough.
  3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface.
  4. Cut the pastry into rounds with a cookie cutter and press into mini muffin tins. Optional :: Use a fork to make the crust design you see in the photos. Freeze for 30 minutes.
  5. Bake at 350Β° F for 20 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.

Make the lemon curd:

  1. Heat lemon juice over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk eggs and yolk in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar. While whisking, slowly pour hot lemon juice into the eggs. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture registers 170Β° Fahrenheit and coats the back of a spoon.
  3. Remove pan from heat and stir in butter. Once melted, stir in cream, vanilla, and salt. If the curd didn’t come together and thicken, simply return to heat and cook a bit longer, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
  4. Curd can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, just cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Assemble the lemon tartlets:

  1. Spoon the lemon curd into each tartlet shell.
  2. Top each tartlet with a berry (optional) and serve.

P.S. – This recipe is an update from a recipe I first published in March 2015. Wondering what my photos looked like from two years ago? Here’s one from the original post:

Mini Lemon Curd Tartlets Recipe - perfect for a party!

P.P.S. – Craving these lemon tartlets stuffed with the best ever lemon curd? Pin them for later!

Meyer Lemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd Recipe for Bite Sized Desserts

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February 6, 2018  β€’  Filed Under: Appetizers, Desserts, Party Recipe Ideas, Pies & Tarts, Recipes, Snacks 28 Comments

Comments

  1. Jill @ Champagne for Everyday says

    March 16, 2015 at 6:41 am

    Kelly, these pictures are fit for Martha Stewart!! I also love that you showed me how to set them up – my still life’s look so ugly! What kind of light did you use from the side?

    Jill

    Latest post: Oui Oui for Black and White Prisoner Stripes!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:26 pm

      You’re too sweet! The side is just natural light from the bay windows in our living room!

      Reply
  2. suki says

    March 16, 2015 at 10:29 am

    Love the behind-the-scenes look! Totally unexpected when just looking at the finished product. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Awesome, I’m definitely going to try to share more like this!

      Reply
  3. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says

    March 16, 2015 at 2:02 pm

    Hi Kelly! You have a lemon tree and a mini photo-shoot studio? You are just awesome! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Haha, I’m so fancy right!? Nothing says pro like shooting your food photos on the floor on a piece of cardboard. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Kelly @ Life made Sweeter says

    March 17, 2015 at 10:52 am

    These are perfect for spring! I love lemon desserts and these little bite-sized tarts look incredible! Love seeing your behind-the-scenes set up πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      Awww, thanks Kelly! I promise they taste as good as they look!

      Reply
  5. Drool of Happiness says

    March 17, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    Thank you for sharing your behind the scenes photo. Very helpful!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:23 pm

      Awesome! I’m glad you liked it!

      Reply
  6. ATasteOfMadness says

    March 18, 2015 at 7:59 am

    I love seeing behind the scenes photos πŸ™‚ These tartlets are gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:22 pm

      Thanks! I’m going to try to share more, but I always forget when I’m in the moment! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. Nancy says

    March 18, 2015 at 7:17 pm

    Oh the reflector is a good idea! I should wrap one of my painting canvases in tin foil, I bet it’d be the same right?!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      March 24, 2015 at 8:22 pm

      Haha, you could try it! The reflector is pretty cheap though and is a great investment!

      Reply
  8. Carla (@charliesue) says

    March 25, 2015 at 11:50 pm

    There is no way I’ll ever be able to stop cooking with lemons this year (or… any year, I think), I love them WAY too much. I can’t wait to have a tree with an awesome supply like yours!

    Also: TAAAAAARTS. Those not only LOOK beautiful, they sound delicious!!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      April 2, 2015 at 10:59 am

      Thanks so much Carla! I agree, I’m sure I’ll be cooking with lemons for months!

      Reply
  9. Kitchen Kelli says

    April 22, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Thank you very much for posting to Yum Goggle! We are featuring your Lemon Tartlets in no less than 9 social media outlets and will tag you in as many as we can! Please continue to submit to YG as we grow from new (March 1 2015) to the largest food site on the net! Thanks, Kelli and Holli from YG

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      April 22, 2015 at 8:06 am

      Hi Kelli and Holli – that’s awesome! Thanks so much! I’m especially trying to grow my Instagram following! (@asideofsweet)

      Reply
  10. Mira L says

    April 26, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    These look gorgeous! I make similar ones, perfect for spring! Pinned!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      June 1, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      Awesome! Thanks so much Mira! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  11. Esha Lee says

    June 10, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    I’m new to your blog and I gotta say you do an amazing job! Everything looks so perf! Plan on making these for a church picnic this weekend! Looks delish!

    Reply
    • Kelly @A Side of Sweet says

      June 10, 2015 at 6:14 pm

      That’s so sweet Esha! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  12. Nathalie says

    August 30, 2017 at 7:12 am

    This was delicious! The tartlet shells were beautiful and flaky but just sturdy enough, and the curd was the perfect tangy-meets-sweet softness. However, to my dismay, I barely had enough curd to fill my shells! My shells were about half the size yours were, and I had 24 of them, but after filling 8 I was already nearing the end of my batch. I have checked and re-checked the recipe and cannot for the life of me figure out what happened. I had a bonne-maman jam jar filled to about 2/3 with the stuff. Is that right? Or did I do something wrong?

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet says

      August 30, 2017 at 7:59 am

      Hi Nathalie – How frustrating! My tart shells were very shallow (about 1/2 inch high x 1.25 inch in diameter) so it only took a tiny bit of lemon curd to fill them. The apprx 1 cup the recipe yields. was enough for my use. I’m sorry yours ended up a bit short.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Nathalie says

        August 30, 2017 at 8:35 am

        Thanks so much for your quick and kind reply. Comparing my photos to yours, I guess the diameter of my tartlets was a bit larger than yours (if you’re curious you can check the photos on instagram @bakingbank). I ended up spreading a little bit of curd over all the shells and pushing the raspberry in quite far, which ended up working all right. Next time i’ll probably make 1.5x the recipe, but otherwise this recipe goes into my book as is! Thanks again!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet says

          August 30, 2017 at 6:14 pm

          No problem! I’m really glad you love the recipe. You’ve totally inspired me to make them again soon! Our lemon tree is starting to produce so it’s the perfect time. Also I almost always double the lemon curd recipe when I make it because it’s sooooo good!

          ★★★★★

          Reply
  13. Mr.Loto says

    February 15, 2018 at 9:55 am

    You want to eat them just by looking at them in the photos!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kelly Egan - A Side of Sweet says

      February 15, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Definitely! They are stunning aren’t they?

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Kelly. I live in San Francisco with my husband, Pat, and our puppy, Maddie. Here you’ll find recipes, DIYs, style, travel & a glimpse into our adventures. To learn a little more about me, Click Here.

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