Mini Lemon Basil Tarts With Shortbread Crust
Sweet, zesty, creamy, buttery mini lemon basil curd tarts with shortbread crust recipe and truly the perfect treat in mini form!
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Ingredients
- For the shortbread cookie crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 grams
- 1/2 cup sugar 100 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, 227 grams - room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the lemon curd:
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 115 grams, usually 4-6 lemons sieved
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest usually from two lemons
- 1/3 cup fresh basil 10 grams, stems removed
Instructions
THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Place butter, sugar, salt into your stand mixer or a large bowl, and mix for five minutes or until sugar, salt are well incorporated, and your butter has taken on a deeper yellow color, that’s a good indicator that your ingredients are creamed.
- Add in your vanilla and flour and stir well, eventually using your hands to create a dough.
- Press the dough into your the parchment paper-lined tart pans. Press holes with a fork into your dough and bake in the preheated oven for 25 -30 minutes. Check that your cookie is golden brown. It will harden more once removed from oven. Let it cool while you make your lemon curd.
THE LEMON BASIL CURD:
- In a mortar and pestal or food processor, make a lemon basil sugar by adding your basil, lemon zest and sugar. Finely process until it's a very fine sugar.
- nto your double boiler (or your homemade double boiler) and mix your lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh basil sugar, and eggs until well combined.
- Place double boiler bowl over simmering (not boiling) water in a medium-size pan.
- Once your water is simmering, reduce heat. You do not want to overcook your eggs.
- Stir continuously to ensure eggs are not overheating.
- Continue stirring consistently for 10 minutes, finally adding your butter and let it melt into the mixture. Turn off heat. Mix until butter is completely incorporated. I do not multi task while making lemon curd. At this point, your lemon curd should be thicker. If not, continue cooking on low for another 3-4 minutes, mixing constantly. It will continue to thicken further as it cools over your cookie crust.
- Pour the curd over your baked and cooled shortbread tarts and let it cool and set in your fridge for at least two hours before serving.
Notes
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks covered in an airtight container, or in your freezer for up to a year! I recommend freezing the curd and shortbread dough seperately and baking the cookies and assembling when you're close to the time you intend to serve instead of freezing the whole tarts.
- Do not make lemon curd over direct heat. Meaning you need to make the glass bowl double boiler or use one that you already have.
- Do not make lemon curd in a metal bowl. The acidity will react to it and your lemon curd will have a metallic taste.
- If you have a silicone whisk, use that to whisk your lemon curd regularly instead of a metal one.
- Make a bigger batch of basil sugar than you need and store it in an airtight container for your tea, in basil lemonade, Homemade basil ice cream and everything else - because you will definitely want to sprinkle it on everything!
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g
Servings: 6 mini tarts
Calories: 398kcal