Lemon Tassies

Lemon Tassies are so pretty for Spring. The tassie crust is a cross between shortbread cookies and pie crust. The filling is a rich, beautiful lemon curd that is a lemon-lover's dream. 

Try the luscious, sweet-tart lemon curd with other things, too- on pound cake, scones, toast, or ice cream.

Lemon Tassies  Print Recipe
Makes about 22-24 mini Tassies

For the crust:
1 and 1/8 cups flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

For the lemon curd filling:
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
scant 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
4 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions for the crusts:
1. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together. Set aside. Find your mini muffin tin.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and light. With mixer on low, gradually pour in flour, and mix until well-combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, shape into a disc, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Dough is very sticky until refrigerated. 
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using scant tablespoons, fill each mini muffin cup with chilled dough and shape up the sides into cups using floured fingers or floured tart tamper. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. If crusts are puffed after baking, gently tamp the crusts down again after removing from oven. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove crusts to wire rack to cool completely. 
4. Fill crusts with lemon curd (directions follow), top with fruit or whipping cream as desired, and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Directions for the lemon curd filling:
1. Break three eggs into a medium bowl. Add the 2 yolks. Remove the white stringy things ("chalazae") and discard. Whisk the eggs and yolks until very smooth and well-combined. Set aside.
2. In a heavy saucepan, but not over heat, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk lightly to combine. Whisk in eggs until well combined. 
3. On low heat, cook and stir constantly until mixture thickens and you begin to see an occasional big bubble break through the surface of the mixture, about 12 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for 2 more minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in butter, one piece at a time, until all is added. Stir in zest.
5. Let cool and serve. Refrigerate leftovers. Will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for 2 to 3 weeks. 

Cook's notes: The lemon curd filling recipe makes 1 pint, which is more than twice what you will need for the tassies. You could easily double the number of tassies, or just enjoy the extra lemon curd.

You may also enjoy

Old Fashioned Lemon Cupcakes:

We love these parties!

Subscribe to Yesterfood by email: