Tiny Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies

trEATs

Posted by Hardie Grant

About

The lemon-flavoured base and royal-icing peaks of these cookies make them like tiny bites of lemon meringue pie. The royal icing sets hard so that you can pile up the cookies and package them in a labelled jar or cellophane bag without worrying about them getting squashed. Give these cookies as a gift alongside a new pie tin and a favourite recipe for lemon meringue pie as an extra-special trEAT.

Makes 100

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You Will Need (12 things)

  • FOR THE BISCUITS

  • 60 g Unsalted Butter
  • 60 g Caster Sugar
  • 1 Large (US – extra large) Egg Yolk
  • Grated zest of 1 Lemon
  • 125 g Plain Flour , plus extra for dusting
  • ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • Of Salt

  • FOR THE ‘MERINGUE’ ICING

  • 200 g Instant Royal Icing Sugar
  • 2 tbsp –3 tablespoons Water
  • Yellow nonpareils or Sprinkles to decorate

Steps (6 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F/gas mark 3), and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

  2. 2

    Using a food processor with the beater attachment, mix the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well to combine, then add the lemon zest.

  3. 3

    Into a clean bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing with the food processor until it is just combined.

  4. 4

    Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Roll the dough out onto some baking paper until it is 3–4 mm (1⁄5 in) thick. Chill the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.

  5. 5

    Remove the dough from the freezer and cut out 2 cm (¾ in) circles using a fluted cutter. Transfer these to the lined baking tray and chill in the freezer for a further 10 minutes – this helps the cookies to keep their shape as they bake. Bake in the oven for 3–5 minutes, until firm but still pale. Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.

  6. 6

    To make the ‘meringue’ icing, mix the Instant Royal Icing sugar with the water to form a smooth paste for piping. Transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a 1M (star) icing tip. Ice a single peak on each cooled cookie and sprinkle with the yellow nonpareils to decorate. Allow to set hard before packaging up. Store in a tin or an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.