Lemon Cream Tartlets

Happy Wednesday y'all! We're taking a break from paleo desserts and using some good old fashioned butter and sugar today. The occasion? Easter! Since it's only a few weeks away, I figured I'd give you guys some dessert inspiration. I've done carrot cake on here before, as well as coconut cake, so this time around, I went in a different flavor direction- lemon!


Before I go any further, let me just address the elephant in the room and say yes, I did in fact overbake these tartlets. First time making tartlets + non-traditional crust recipe does that to you. But the good news is, they still tasted fantastic so if this happens to you, no worries! But I did test the recipe again so I could get down the correct baking time, so hopefully it won't happen to you :)


Now, about that non-traditional crust recipe. It's non-traditional in the sense that it's actually a sugar cookie recipe. And it's paired with this velvety smooth lemon cream filling that is to die for. This is coming from someone who doesn't even like lemon-flavored things. I couldn't stop eating these!

They're even better after 24 hours, because the filling softens the crust up a little and the flavors really meld together!

Lemon Cream Tartlets

Yield: Approximately 18 (3-inch) tartlets

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon milk

For the filling: 
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold

Directions:

In a medium-sized bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add flour, salt, and milk, and beat on low speed until just incorporated.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out between 1/4" and 1/8" thickness. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough. Gather remaining scraps of dough and repeat.

Press each circle of dough onto the bottom and up the sides of each mini tart pan. Using a fork, prick the dough on the bottom several times. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place tart pans on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Open the oven and check if the bottoms of the tarts have puffed up. If they have, poke them with a toothpick to deflate. Then, bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until edges are light golden brown.

Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove tart shells from their pans and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Add sugar, cornstarch and salt to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Add water and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Continue whisking as you add in egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat and stir in butter.

Cool mixture to room temperature. You can also refrigerate to speed up the cooling process. Once mixture has cooled down, beat heavy cream using an electric hand mixer, until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into lemon mixture.

Distribute filling evenly among tart shells. Garnish with additional lemon zest, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, before serving.

Recipe from Bake or Break