My Lemon Tarts with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust are a sunny, tangy dessert ~ just press in the crust, whisk together the filling and bake ~ it couldn’t be easier!
When you’re craving a little something sweet, but aren’t up for a full-on complicated baking project, give these lemon tarts a try. They’ve got a bright lemon flavor, and are as pretty to look at as they are delicious.
what you’ll need for these lemon tarts
CRUST
- all purpose flour
- butter
- sugar
- cornstarch
- salt
- poppy seeds
LEMON FILLING
- heavy cream
- eggs
- sugar
- lemon juice
GARNISH
- powdered sugar
What’s the best way to make lemon tarts?
Lemon tarts have always been one of my favorite desserts, and there are several schools of thought when it comes to putting them together.
- COOK THE FILLING FIRST
- One method is to cook a lemon curd on the stove and then pour it into a baked tart or pie shell. The filling sets up as it cools and requires no further baking. It’s nice and tangy, but has a soft set.
- COOK THE FILLING AND CRUST TOGETHER
- The way I did it here was to simply whisk together my filling, then strain it and pour into my mini crusts. Everything bakes together. Doing it this way saves steps and results in an incredibly smooth filling that slices beautifully. It’s firm but still has that silky mouthfeel we all love in a great lemon tart.
my press-in lemon tart crust is super simple
In keeping with the quick and easy theme, the shortbread crust for these tarts is a press-in, rather than roll-out, kind of deal, so put away the rolling pin and use your (clean!) hands. The poppy seeds add a bit of interest to this otherwise very classic crust. They look pretty and provide a nice delicate crunch. Leave ’em out if you want.
This recipe can make one large, or several small lemon tarts
I made four mini tarts with this recipe, but it’s also easily adaptable to one standard (9 inch) size tart. Simply follow the same recipe, but adjust your baking time to more like 30-35 minutes, keeping an eye on it while it cooks and watching for when it is just set in the middle.
Baking tips
- Place your tart shells on a baking sheet before filling them. They’ll be much easier to transfer to the oven without sloshing. Plus, the baking sheet will capture any leaks that might dribble out during baking.
- When the tarts are done you should have a very slight wobble in the middle of the tarts, but nothing that still feels liquid-y. The shortbread tart shells should be lightly golden.
- Let the tarts cool completely in their pans before removing. This will give the shortbread and the filling time to firm up.
the mini tart pans I use
A set of nonstick mini tart pans with removable bottoms, just like the standard size pans, don’t take up much room in your cupboard and come in so handy when you want to make individual sized tarts, pies, quiches, etc. These pans have a 4″ diameter.
we love lemon poppy seed everything!
Lemon Tart with Poppy Seed Shortbread Crust
Equipment
- 4 mini tart pans
Ingredients
Poppy seed shortbread crust
- 1 1/2 cups cups all purpose flour
- 8 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
Lemon filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon lemon juice
For serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- For the poppy seed crust, combine the flour, melted butter, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and poppy seeds in a bowl and mix until all dry flour is incorporated and a dough forms. It will be slightly crumbly, but will hold together when pressed between your fingers.
- Pat the dough into four mini tart pans with removable bottoms, and put the tart shells in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- For the filling, whisk the ingredients together well, making sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer and then into the mini tart shells. (Note ~ before filling them, place your tart shells on a baking sheet, that way they’ll be a lot easier to transfer to the oven. The baking sheet will capture any leaks that might happen during cooking, too.)
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the filling is cooked through. You should have a very slight wobble in the middle of the tarts, but nothing that still feels liquid-y. The shortbread tart shells should be lightly golden.
- Let the tarts cool at room temperature completely in the tart pans, then remove the tarts from the tart pans, and top with powdered sugar when ready to eat.
I find myself surprised that lemon zest isn’t party of this recipe and wondering if it would be too lemony (is there such a thing?) to add lemon zest to the curd?
I leave lemon zest out of curds simply for texture reasons ~ zest would make it slightly grainy. If you don’t mind that, you can add.
Good morning!! I’ve checked your link to the tart tins you use, but it didn’t indicate size. My tins are 4-inches. Is that the right size for your recipe??
Yes, I just saw that the link was broken, so I fixed. You want 4″ tart pans.
Sue, I am just tickled with today’s posting! I feel practically famous! I can’t wait to make these this weekend. I’m so honoured to have inspired you.
I’m so glad you brought up the idea, I love the cookies 🙂
Hello, Do you think the crust could be made as shortbread cookies (I adore your peanut butter shortbread cookies).
I don’t see why not ~ but now you’ve inspired me to make lemon poppy seed shortbread cookies 🙂
Oh wow! I didn’t know if I’d get an answer … and so fast! And I inspired you?! I’ll let you know if I give it a go.
In the oven right now 🙂
How did they turn out?
Great, I’m posting them this week! I used my other shortbread cookies as a recipe guide, so didn’t use the crust recipe exactly.
I look forward to seeing it and making it and eating it! Thanks for being interested in my idea.