Welcome to instalment 3 of ‘what I made for mum and dads 50th anniversary’ and the cutest little Mini Lemon Meringue Pies EVER!

These were so much fun to create. My family has always been a fan of Lemon Meringue Pie. That and rice pudding are the 2 desserts we probably ate the most of growing up. If you’re particularly after mini tarts, try these Coconut Tartlets aswell.

3 Mini Lemon Meringue Pies on a plate, one is half eaten, showing the inside. More mini pies scattered around.
Mum always used to be the Lemon Meringue Pie maker but in recent years, dad seems to have taken over and is always trying to make his next one the best one.

Well, a big slice of lemon pie is great and all but isn’t everything better in miniature? Plus because these are Mini Lemon Meringue Pies, we can eat more of them right?

The cookie cup

These actually start off with a simple sugar cookie cup base using my sugar cookie recipe. This is a fairly basic dough with just a few ingredients which is rolled out and I use a small round cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough, that then get pushed into the holes of a mini muffin tin. The trick is getting just the right amount of water into the dough to make it pliable without making it very wet but don’t worry. If little cracks or holes appear when you push the dough into the tin, it doesn’t matter as they will still bake up into a perfect looking little cookie cup.

The lemon curd

You can make your lemon curd from scratch using this recipe or to save on time (especially if making a whole bunch for a party) you can use a good quality shop bought lemon curd. Easy peasy.

4 Mini Lemon Meringue Pies on a white plate, one is sitting on the rim.

The perfect meringue top

These Mini Lemon Meringue Pies wouldn’t be lemon meringue without the perfect little, crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle meringue. These I definitely make from scratch and they’re so cute, right? I used my basic meringue recipe that I’ve used in these Massive Chocolate Swirl Meringues and Easy Peppermint Meringues and just piped little meringue kisses.

The meringues puff a little in the oven so make sure to pipe them just slightly smaller than the size of the cookie cups. Also, if you want that burnished look to your meringues a simple kitchen blow torch does the job.

I love doing the meringues separately like this as it means you can assemble the Mini Lemon Meringue Pies at the last minute.

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Mini Lemon Meringue Pies sitting on white plates.

Assembling these perfect Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Assembly of these little cuties is incredibly easy. Take the cooled cookie cups, fill them with a little lemon curd, then top with a cool meringue kiss. Done.

I got a bit indulgent and, since it was mum and dads 50th wedding anniversary, I brushed the meringues with a little gold leaf. If you like the shimmer but don’t want the expense, a simple edible gold glitter will do the trick too.

Other recipes you might like

 

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies are the classic Lemon Meringue Pie in miniature. The perfect sweet finger food recipe that can be assembled at the last minute.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Yield: 40 pies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
4.7 from 15 ratings
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies are the classic Lemon Meringue Pie in miniature. The perfect sweet finger food recipe that can be assembled at the last minute.
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Ingredients

For the sugar cookies

  • 195 g (1 ½ cups) plain (AP) flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup (100g / 3.5oz) caster sugar
  • 57 g (1/2 stick / ¼ cup) unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup lemon curd

For the meringues

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and spray the holes of two 24 hole mini muffin tins with oil spray

For the cookies:

  • Sift together flour & baking powder and set aside
  • Beat the butter and sugar until lightened. Scrape sides of bowl. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat well, scraping down the bowl a couple of times until well mixed. Add flour mix in 3 parts. Keep the mixer on low and mix until it comes together as a dough. If it looks too crumbly and isn't coming together, add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of water until it starts to form big clumps of dough. Be patient. Don't add more water than necessary.
  • Bring the dough into a smooth ball and roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper (I cut the dough in half as I find it more manageable to do half at a time). Roll it to about 2-3mm thick.
  • Use a round cookie cutter about 2cm larger than the holes of the muffin tin, to cut out as many circles of dough as possible. Then re-roll and repeat.
  • Cut out a small triangle from the edge of each cirlcle (a bit like a pac man) – this will help you to shape them into the muffin tins.
  • Make sure the holes of the tin are greased properly, then pushed the circles into the holes very gently. If they break, you can just push the dough together or use offcuts if required to fill any cracks that occur.
  • Bake for around 10-12 minutes until starting to turn golden on the edges and making sure to turn the tray half way through. Transfer to a cooling rack.
  • Once cooled, fill each cookie cup with about 1-2 teaspoons of lemon curd.

For the meringues

  • Preheat oven to 120C / 100C fan forced. Line 2 large cookie sheets with baking paper.
  • In a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld beater), beat the egg whites to soft peak stage (a peak that bends over at the top) - About 5 minutes.
  • Sift over the cream of tartar and beat through. Now add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are thick and glossy and at stiff peak stage. Once all the sugar is incorporated, test the mixture by rubbing a little between your finger and thumb. It should be smooth. If it is still grainy, keep beating until it is smooth when you test it.
  • Tip 1: Use a little meringue under the corners of the baking paper to hold it down (especially if your oven is fan foced)
  • Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and pipe small kisses / teardrops, slightly smaller than the diameter of the cookie cups, onto the baking sheets. Make sure to space them about 1 inch apart.
  • Tip 2: Hold the piping bag perfectly vertical about 1 fingers width from the baking paper and begin piping slowly, as the bottom fills out into a nice shape, lift the piping bag away slowly, creating a little peak on each one. Once you get the hang of it you can move along quicker.
  • Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the outsides look dry. Remove from oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheets. Gently peel away from the baking paper and transfer to an airtight container until ready to top the pies.

Notes

  1. I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (4 teaspoons worldwide)
  2. If you would like the toasted look, use a small kitchen torch to give them just a kiss of colour.
  3. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales like these are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
Calories: 87kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert, High Tea, Snack, Sweets
Cuisine: Various
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies on a white plate, one is half eaten, showing the filling inside.