Lemon Meringue Pie Bites are wonderfully light, refreshingly tart, and absolutely satisfying. Don’t let the fanciness fool you- these little bites of perfection are surprisingly easy to make.
Most weeks I incorporate taking recipe photos into everyday life. After all, nearly every recipe I make is meant to be enjoyed by my family. It isn’t uncommon for me to make dinner and then take photos before serving the food.
Lately, though, life has been a little crazier, and making time for photos has been tough, especially with the sun setting so early. So a few Saturdays ago I had a marathon recipe session. I made Jalapeño Popper Twice-Baked Potatoes, Lighter Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, Crispy Baked Potato Wedges and, of course, these adorable little Lemon Meringue Pie Bites.
I knew I’d be making these as soon as I realized I had leftover lemon curd from making Baked Lemon Hand Pies, as well as leftover egg whites from making the Homemade Lemon Curd. There wasn’t quite enough curd left to make a full pie, plus these meringue nests are just too darn cute to resist.
I’m not prepared to admit how many of these guys I ate. It was a few, okay? They’re so light and airy! I got too excited and filled all the meringues, meaning they needed to be eaten that day. Looking back, I should have left some of them empty, stored them in the fridge, and then filled them to be eaten on Sunday.
Oh, well. Looks like I’ll just have to make them again!
Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
Ingredients
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups lemon curd
Instructions
Place egg whites in a large bowl and whip on medium/high speed until they’re foamy and form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and mix well, and then add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time, continuing to whip the mixture on high speed. Wait to add the next spoonful of sugar until the previous one is well-incorporated.
When all sugar has been added, continue to beat until the whites forms stiff peaks. Gently scoop the meringue into a piping or zip-top bag. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a piping tip or cut the corner off the bag to prepare to pipe the meringue. Gently squeeze the bag (don’t squeeze too hard, as that will make a thicker line of meringue and result in too big nests) and pipe a 1 1/2 inch circle, filling in the middle. Without lifting the tip, add two more circles of meringue on top of the outside of the bottom circle, forming a nest.
Repeat until meringue is gone. Bake meringues for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake for 10 minutes more, or until nests are barely golden. Turn off heat, leave meringues in for ten minutes more, and then remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Add lemon curd to a sandwich bag, cut off the corner, and pipe the curd into the meringue nests.
Serve immediately or within four hours.
Notes
- For best results place bowl and whisk in the refrigerator of freezer for up to an hour before making the meringue.
- Store-bought lemon curd works fine, but I highly recommend making your own!
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I absolutely love lemon dessert and I often buy the mini pre-made tart shells and whip up a fresh lemon curd to satisfy my cravings! I can’t wait to try these cute meringues!
I love that the meringue is able to make use of some of the egg whites leftover from making the curd! I always hate to throw out a bunch of whites or a bunch of yolks if I can help it. I’m definitely going to have to give these a try!
Oh my! So cute and clever and they also look absolutely delicious! Love this great idea!
What a fun, adorable alternative to lemon meringue pie! These look so wonderfully light and fluffy – it’d be hard to stop after a few 😉
How simple is this! I love it! Love that there is only 4 ingredients! They do look fancy, but the ingredients and process steps aren’t intimidating at all! Can’t wait to try this!
What a fabulous idea! Love the idea of this as opposed to a full lemon meringue pie. I’m going to have to try it once the weather gets cooler here in Florida…my meringues never crisp up on our hot and humid days!
OH my goodness, I love these bites! Lemon has to be one of the best flavors and lemon meringue is one of my favorite desserts! I can’t wait to try these.
I love how fancy these look – I’m picturing how perfect they would be for a baby shower or bridal shower. Plus, I am crazy about all things lemon this time of year. Can’t wait to try them!
These are so much fun! I just adore lemon meringue pie and anything mini or individual size is right up my alley. These would be perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch!