Lemon Tassies
intro
Bite-sized buttery cream cheese crust tarts filled with bright tangy lemon filling, these melt-in-your-mouth treats are perfect for holiday cookie platters and casual tea time.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix the crust dough
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the 8 tablespoons (113g) portion of softened unsalted butter and 4 oz (113g) softened full-fat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth, with no lumps remaining. Add the 2 tablespoons (25g) portion of granulated sugar and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine, then gradually add 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour, mixing on low just until a soft, uniform dough forms, taking care not to overmix.
Portion and press crusts
Divide the dough evenly into 24 1-tablespoon (15g) portions, rolling each into a smooth ball. Place one dough ball into each cup of a 24-cup non-stick mini muffin tin. Use your thumb and index finger to press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides of each cup, forming a small ¼-inch thick crust cup that reaches the top rim of each muffin well. Chill the tin in the refrigerator for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare the filling.
Whisk the lemon filling
While the crusts chill, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Make the lemon filling in a clean medium bowl: whisk 2 room-temperature large eggs until fully smooth, then add the ¾ cup (150g) portion of granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, and the 2 tablespoons (28g) portion of melted, slightly cooled unsalted butter. Whisk continuously for 1 minute until the mixture is completely smooth and pale sunny yellow, with no streaks of unincorporated egg white remaining.
Fill and bake tassies
Remove the chilled crust tin from the refrigerator. Pour exactly 1 tablespoon of lemon filling into each dough-lined cup, filling each to ⅛ inch below the crust rim—do not overfill, as the filling will bubble slightly while baking and can spill over the crust edges. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 350°F (175°C), until the crust edges are light golden brown and the filling is just set, with only a slight jiggle in the very center when you gently nudge the muffin tin.
Cool and remove tassies
Once baked, transfer the hot muffin tin directly to a wire cooling rack and let the tassies cool in the tin for a full 20 minutes at room temperature—do not attempt to remove them early, as the warm crust and soft filling will stick to the tin and break easily. After 20 minutes, run a small offset spatula or thin toothpick around the edge of each tassie to loosen it from the tin, then gently lift each tassie out to finish cooling completely directly on the wire rack.
Finish and serve tassies
Once tassies are fully cooled to room temperature (about 10 additional minutes on the rack), optionally dust the tops lightly with 2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar for a delicate, decorative finish. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, letting chilled tassies sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to bring out the bright lemon flavor.
Tips
2.Use only fresh-squeezed lemon juice for the filling: bottled lemon juice concentrate has a flat, harsh, artificial flavor that will make the tassies taste dull, while fresh juice delivers a bright, zingy, balanced lemon flavor.
3.Do not overbake the tassies: the filling will continue to set as it cools in the tin, so if you bake it until it is completely firm in the oven, it will become dry and rubbery once cool. Pull them out when only the very center jiggles slightly.
OMG these lemon tassies are SO good! I brought them to my neighborhood potluck last weekend and every single one was gone in 10 minutes. The crust is buttery and flaky, the lemon filling is perfectly tart not too sweet, total game changer for my go-to dessert list. I did add a tiny extra dollop of lemon curd on top before baking and it was chef’s kiss.
Made these with my 7 year old daughter for our weekly Sunday family dinner, she had a blast pressing the crust into the mini muffin tins! My only tiny note is I wish the recipe specified how much zest to get from the lemons — I ended up using 2 medium lemons and it turned out great, but almost over-zested. Super easy though, even for a beginner baker like me.
These are the perfect little bite-sized dessert for my book club meeting! I dusted them with a little powdered sugar right before serving and everyone asked for the recipe. Not too heavy, perfect lemon flavor, and so quick to throw together even on a busy weeknight. 10/10 will make again.
Wait, game changer alert: I made a big batch of these for my weekly meal prep snack stash and they hold up SO well in the fridge for up to a week! I was worried the crust would get soggy but it stays perfectly crisp. I did use a gluten free all purpose flour blend for the crust because of my wheat allergy and you literally can’t tell the difference. My kids loved them too, they keep grabbing them from the fridge after school!
I’ve made these three times in the last month! First for a work potluck, then for my sister’s baby shower, then for my husband’s birthday cookout. They’re always the first dessert gone. The only change I make is adding a tiny little raspberry on top of each one right after they come out of the oven for a pop of color and extra fruit flavor. So easy, no fancy equipment needed, total crowd pleaser.
Super easy recipe for a college kid who barely knows how to work an oven! I didn’t have a mini muffin tin so I just used a regular muffin tin and made bigger tassies, baked them a couple extra minutes and they turned out perfect. My roommates devoured them in one sitting. Will 100% make again when I need a quick dessert to impress people.
These taste exactly like the lemon tassies my grandma used to make every Christmas! I was so worried I’d never find a recipe that matched hers, but this is spot on. The cream cheese in the crust? That’s the secret I was missing all these years. I got a little emotional eating the first bite, honestly. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Okay, total baking fail on my end? Wait no, actually they still tasted good, but my crusts shrank a ton when I baked them! I followed the recipe exactly, chilled the dough like it said, but when I pulled them out of the oven the crust had slid down the sides of the tin so I barely had room for the filling. What did I do wrong? Flavor was 10/10 even with the tiny crusts, I just want to get it right next time!
These are such a great lighter dessert option when I’m craving something sweet but don’t want a huge slice of cake or pie! I cut the sugar by about 25% in the filling because I prefer less sweet desserts, and it was perfect. The bright lemon flavor really shines through, and each little tassie is just the right size to satisfy a sweet tooth without overdoing it. Super easy to make too!
Made these for our college football tailgate last Saturday and they were a massive hit. Easy to eat standing up, no messy plates needed, that bright lemon flavor is perfect for a warm day outside. I even made a little batch with a dash of limoncello in the filling for the adults, and those went fastest of all. Will absolutely be adding these to my regular tailgate rotation.
My three sons are SO picky about desserts, they usually only want chocolate chip cookies, but they went crazy for these lemon tassies! They kept asking for ‘more of the little lemon cups’ all week. I let them help sprinkle powdered sugar on top after they cooled, which made them even more excited to eat them. Such a win for this tired mom.
Wait, can I freeze these? I’m starting to prep dessert options for our holiday cookie platter in a few weeks and these would be perfect, but I don’t want to make them the day of if I can make them ahead and freeze them. Has anyone tried freezing them? The recipe looks so easy and they look adorable, perfect for a cookie tray.
These are the perfect little treat to have with my morning coffee! Not too sweet, bright, buttery, they pair so well with a dark roast. I made a batch on Sunday and I’ve been grabbing one with my coffee every morning before work all week. So much better than the store-bought pastries I usually grab on my commute. 10/10, will be a staple in my house from now on.
I swapped the butter for vegan butter and the cream cheese for vegan cream cheese to make these for my vegan friend’s birthday, and they turned out incredible! No one could tell they were vegan, even my non-vegan friends were going back for seconds. The crust was still perfectly flaky, the lemon filling was bright and tangy, total home run. Love when easy recipes are so adaptable!
I hosted my first ever dinner party last weekend and was so nervous about dessert, but these were so easy to make and looked so fancy! My guests kept asking if I bought them from a local bakery. The cook time was totally accurate too, I didn’t have to adjust anything even with my janky old apartment oven. So proud of how they turned out, thanks for the great recipe!