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    Home » Summer Recipes » Mini Lemon Tarts with a Cheesecake Layer

    Published: Sep 25, 2018 · Modified: Sep 27, 2021 by Pam

    Mini Lemon Tarts with a Cheesecake Layer

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    Mini Lemon Tarts come together easily with a simple cheesecake layer in a filo shell topped with lemon custard.  Garnish however you like.

    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    Lemony desserts are perfect for any occasion or season. These Mini Lemon Tarts are pretty, delicious, easy to make, and satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us beautifully!

    Small Bite Sweets are a favorite

    Y’all! We love our sweets just like most folks. But, we all know we should limit our indulgences. When you’re entertaining we want to help you with ideas to offer something sweet to your guests without overwhelming them. There’s nothing worse than serving a delicious meal and then topping it off with a rich, sweet dessert that your friends feel obligated to eat.

    You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to create that delicious dessert. Why not save those for times when there was a light meal, or even an afternoon coffee and dessert gathering when a big dessert is more welcome.

    Hey, are you getting our weekly updates? If not, you can sign up right here.

    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    Whether it’s your own dinner party or you’ve been asked to bring a sweet to a potluck-type meal you’ll be thanked for making something mouthwatering, yet sensible. Besides these Mini Lemon Tarts we have Mini Peach Trifles, Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Chips, and Pecan Pie Cheesecake Mini’s.

    It’s always fun to make two or three and give everyone a choice – maybe even one of each. For individual portion-sized desserts check out our Brownie Trifles. Cookies are always a good option for guests as well. If you’re looking to keep with that citrus flavor theme, you’ll want to try these Key Lime Cookies.

    For a boozy twist to the selection that adults will love you can make Mudslide Pudding Shots and Key Lime Pie Pudding Shots.

    Mini Desserts are so easy

    This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Click here to read our full disclosure policy

    These Mini Lemon Tarts and our Mini Cheesecakes with Chocolate Chips start with prepared filo shells. New to the recipe collection is Pecan Pie Cheesecake Mini’s and Two Bite Coconut Tarts.

    These little jewels are just great for sweet and savory bites. Find them in the freezer section of your grocery, or you can order here.  Just fill them however you like. There is no baking required. Just fill, chill, serve and enjoy!

    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    All three of our mini desserts have a simple cheesecake filling that comes together with just a few ingredients. Do yourself and your guests a favor, though. Don’t use that frozen whipped topping.  Yes, it’s pretty, but that’s where the positive features end, in our opinion.

    It literally takes just a couple of minutes to whip your own cream and you’ll have pure, simple goodness to go into your mini lemon tarts. Mmmmm……..

    This recipe made the suggested list for the Backyard BBQ Menu Ideas. You’ll want to visit for lots of other recipes as well as tips, tricks and planning help for your cookout.

    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    Mini Lemon Tarts

    Mini Lemon Tarts with a bottom layer of creamy cheesecake, then topped with tangy lemon custard.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 45 mini fillo shells
    • 1-¼ cup sugar divided
    • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 4 oz. cream cheese softened
    • ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
    • 4 lemons juiced, approximately 8 Tbsp.
    • 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
    • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes
    • pinch of salt

    Instructions
     

    • Beat ¼ cup sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese with a mixer at medium speed until well mixed.
    • Beat whipping cream in a separate bowl at high speed until peaks form.
    • Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
    • Pipe mixture into fillo shells. Refrigerate during next steps.
    • In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolks, salt, and lemon juice over medium-high heat.
    • Whisk constantly until thick (about 3 minutes).
    • Remove from heat and add butter 1 cube at a time until melted. Cool. 
    • Pour over cheesecake layer in shells. Refrigerate 1-2 hours and garnish as desired.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    Ideas for Garnish:

    We garnished ours with blueberries and mint leaves, but you can let your imagination go wild and have the garnish match your color scheme, the theme of your meal, or just make your mini’s look however you like. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

    • besides blueberries, any berry would be great – blackberries, a slice of strawberry, or a raspberry
    • a few graham cracker crumbs or any type of cookie crumbs
    • a dollop of whipped cream is always good
    • a small wedge of lemon, lime or orange
    • a drizzle of syrup – caramel, chocolate, maple
    • sprinkles – any color or combination that suits your fancy
    mini lemon tarts are perfect small bite sweets for any occasion

    A few items you may need for your mini lemon tarts:

    • mini filo shells
    • hand mixer
    • stainless whisk
    • our favorite citrus juicer

    This recipe was developed and written by Biscuits and Burlap and first appeared at the House of Wood.

    Don’t forget to sign up for new recipes to be delivered directly to your In Box each week. 

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    Categories: Desserts Tags: dessert

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Caitlyn Erhardt says

      September 26, 2018 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      I am obsessed with these! They are so cute, and pretty and tiny! Pinned! Can’t wait to try them 🙂

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:09 am

        Hope you like them Caitlyn.

        Reply
    2. Danielle says

      September 26, 2018 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      These are so cute! Plus the lemon and cheesecake combination sounds so tasty 🙂

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:10 am

        It really is great. Thanks, Danielle!

        Reply
    3. Tisha says

      September 26, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      These look amazing! Perfect bit sized dessert!!!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:10 am

        Thank you, Tisha!

        Reply
    4. Iryna says

      September 26, 2018 at 10:18 pm

      5 stars
      Such a cute little dessert! Love that it’s made with Phyllo dough, it adds that extra crispy bite.

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:09 am

        Exactly! Thanks, Iryna.

        Reply
    5. Meredith says

      September 26, 2018 at 10:46 pm

      5 stars
      These mini lemon tarts are adorable! And I love that you added a cheesecake layer… can not wait to try them!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:08 am

        Thank you, Meredith. We hope you like them as much as we do.

        Reply
    6. Colleen says

      September 27, 2018 at 12:30 am

      5 stars
      I love these little perfect treats! Lemon tarts are my favorite, and adding a cheesecake layer is so awesome. Pinning to try!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:07 am

        Thank you so much, Colleen!

        Reply
    7. Brandi says

      November 29, 2018 at 5:49 pm

      How much lemon juice do you usually get from 4 lemons and could I use bottled lemon juice instead?

      Reply
      • Pam says

        November 29, 2018 at 6:16 pm

        Hi Brandi, I wasn’t sure, so I just googled it myself and the answer was approximately 2 Tablespoons of juice per lemon. You certainly could use bottled juice and the recipe would come out fine. However, we highly recommend using fresh lemon juice. The flavor is so superior that it will really make a difference in everything that you cook with it. Do you have a citrus juice? It makes short work of getting out the juice. (affiliate link). This links to one just like we use.

        Reply
    8. Christi says

      April 05, 2019 at 9:14 pm

      How would they do if I made them the night before an evening event? Do you think the phylo would get soggy?

      Reply
      • Pam says

        April 06, 2019 at 7:17 pm

        Christi, To be assured of crispiness I would make the filling ahead, but not pipe it in the shells until a few hours before your event.

        Reply
    9. Kathleen Pope says

      May 24, 2019 at 10:57 pm

      5 stars
      These look so inviting!!! Lemon anything gets my attention! Perfect for a tea party! Thanks for sharing on Weekend Potluck!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        May 28, 2019 at 4:54 pm

        Thanks so much, Kathleen.

        Reply
    10. Marlene says

      March 09, 2020 at 10:59 pm

      I think the amount of lemon juice needs to be more specific. I was just looking back at your last reply about getting @ 2 Tbsp per lemons and that is not always the case. I got far more juice than I probably needed which led to them being very tart. The lemon curd overpowered the cream cheese.

      Reply
      • Pam says

        March 10, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Thank you for your comment Marlene. We have gone back in to the recipe and added the note “approximately 8 Tablespoons”. I’m sorry that yours came out too tart and hope you will give it another shot.

        Reply
    11. Patricia says

      April 27, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      what’s the time baking for the litte filo baskets ??

      Reply
      • Pam says

        April 29, 2021 at 8:47 am

        Patricia, They are pre-cooked when you guy them at the store. No baking is required.

        Reply

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