Name: Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 lb shortcrust pastry ((450 g), or as needed); 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk ((150 g)); 1 large egg yolk; 1/4 cup lemon juice ((60 ml)); 2 large egg whites (, room temperature); 1/4 tsp lemon juice; 1/2 cup sugar ((100 g))

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Summer is just around the corner and what better way to pre-welcome it than with these lemon meringue pie bites. Am I right?

And when I said bites, I meant they are literally just a 2 bites worth! Well you can do a 1 bite if you're feeling adventurous.

These lemon meringue pie bites are with crunchy crust, creamy tangy lemony filling and ohh that luscious silky sexy meringue on top.

Oh la la!

lemon meringue pie bites and lemon slices on a marble table

The Base

I'm really making this already super easy recipe into an even easier one (or is it an excuse for being lazy?) by using store bought shortcrust pastry.

I just thought Ok, why complicate things when under 1 hour I can easily enjoy these cute beauties. Am I right? Of course I am. Haha!

But you do you, alright? If you're feeling fancy, you can definitely make your own shortcrust pastry and use it. Nobody's going to sue you for that. I even applaud you!

Anyway, I pre-bake the base first until it's golden brown so that it's crunchy. I've tried baking it together with the filling (I was trying to save time) but I didn't like it. The base was too soft to my liking.

Raw shortcrust pastry in mini muffin pan

The Magical Filling

Oh you have got to try this!

I call it magical filling because you only need 3 ingredients for it, which are sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk and lemon juice.

Method? Oh ridiculously easy. Just whisk everything together and that's it. Yep. That is all my friend.

This filling gives you a more luscious silky texture than the one where you have to cook it on stove, due to the sweetened condensed milk. Trust me, you will love it!

lemon meringue pie bites lined on a marble table with lemon slices

Basic Meringue

Again, still on the theme of super duper easy recipe, I opted for the basic meringue for this. Or some refer to it as French meringue.

All that you need is egg whites, sugar and some lemon juice. And all that you need to do is whisk and whisk until you get your meringue. No cooking at all.

You might have some balance of the meringue, depending on the size of meringue dollop that you pipe on the lemon pie bites. But hey, that's nothing to be mad about at all. Simply bake the balance meringue in the oven and you'll get yourself some crunchy meringue instead. Break some in your yogurt and add your favourite berries. Delish!

several lemon meringue pie bites on a table together with one half eaten

To Blowtorch Or To Grill In The Oven

Yeah, I know. Not everybody have a blowtorch laying around in their kitchen. It's not because it's expensive or anything (because it's definitely not expensive at all) but because you don't use it that often. Well until lemon meringue or lime pie come into the picture.

I like to use blowtorch. But no worries if you don't have it. Use your oven instead. Grill for a few minutes and you're good to go. My reasons for choosing blowtorch instead are these:

Color of caramelisation - Blowtorch makes a beautiful dark golden color contrast against the white meringue. Grilling in the oven will leave a light brown color all over the meringue.

Texture - Blowtorch maintain the creamy texture of a meringue while grilling in the oven makes the meringue a bit hard and dry.

So there you go. I really hope you'd give this recipe a try. Let me know what you think! And oh, these cuties are adapted from my lemon meringue pie (normal pie size). Also yum!

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