Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups
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An easy twist on a lemon meringue tart that is easy enough for kids to make, these Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups are a decadent combo of cookie and pie! The taste of sunshiney citrus with clouds of toasted marshmallow combines with the buttery cookie crust to make one decadent summer dessert!
Lemon Cookie Cups Recipe
Tender, buttery, rich sugar cookie cups filled with creamy, tart and sweet homemade lemon curd and finished off with a toasted marshmallow topping in place of a traditional meringue topping – the perfect mash-up of two family favorite desserts, and can you believe it’s easy enough for kids to make?!
Cookie cups are my daughter’s newest dessert obsession – and for good reason!
Kids can be relatively independent making these (depending on their age or level of kitchen skills); they get to enjoy two favorite desserts in one; and their cute, miniature size basically means you can enjoy a “whole pie” to yourself.
Okay, that was 3 reasons – and I’ll go ahead and add two more. Their portable, handheld nature means they are perfect for parties and they don’t need all of the extra dishes that a traditional pie requires. (Less dishes to clean up is always a win in my books!)
All of the flavours and textures of a lemon meringue pie served up in a mini cookie cup.
You can make multiple different cookie cups at once, which is perfect if you’re preparing these for a party! Just whip up a batch of the cookie cups and fill with different fillings.
Check out our S’mores Cookie Cups or our Banana Cream Pie Cookie Cups for more inspiration!
Lemon Cookie Cup Variations:
- Use pre-made sugar cookie dough or chocolate chip cookie dough for the cookie cups
- Swap out the lemon pie filling for a different pie flavour – key lime is a current favorite in our house!
- Swap out the cookie dough for pre-made pie crust
- If you don’t want to mess with the marshmallow topping, a sprinkle of powdered confectioner’s sugar can be used instead
- Or, you can swap out the marshmallow topping for homemade meringue by combining 2 egg whites, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and 2 Tablespoon of white granulated sugar in a bowl and beating for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form.
How to make with a full-sized muffin pan: We made this recipe with a mini muffin pan, which was the perfect size for cookie cups (and is also the perfect size for making lunch box-sized muffins and egg cups.)
How to Lemon Meringue Pie Cookie Cups: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These cookie cups can be frozen for up to 2 months by storing in your favorite freezer containers. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
More Lemon Desserts:
- Easy Lemon Cake
- Lemon Lush (Layered Dessert)
- Lemon Sticky Rolls
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Muddy Buddies
- Magical Color-Changing Galaxy Lemonade from In the Kids’ Kitchen
- Lemon Pudding from The Food Network
Ingredients for Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups
- Pre-made sugar cookie dough *or use from-scratch recipe
- White Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Cold Butter
- Marshmallow fluff
Optional From-Scratch Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- White Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
Tip: you can replace the lemon filling with store-bought lemon curd.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Electric Mixer <– this is a great hand mixer if you don’t want to make the investment into a stand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- Mini Muffin Pan <– you will want two so you can bake one tray while the other is cooling
- Parchment paper or Silicone Baking Mats
- Cookie scoop
- Citrus juicer <– I love how easy our glass juicer is to clean and it’s also so pretty!
How to Make Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups
Homemade Lemon Curd Directions:
Whisk together the white sugar and eggs in a medium-sized saucepan.
Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until combined.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly add in the butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each tablespoon to melt before adding in the next tablespoon.
Once all butter has been added, continue cooking for 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl, place plastic wrap or parchment paper directly against the lemon curd and place in the fridge to set for 2-3 hours.
Optional Sugar Cookie Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add in the eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and then slowly add it to the sugar-butter mixture.
Once all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before shaping into cookie cups.
Cookie Cup Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Grease a muffin or tart tin and press 1-2 Tablespoons of cookie dough into each indentation and press to shape into a cup shape (along the bottom and sides of the indentation).
Bake the cookie cups for 8-12 minutes (will vary depending on the size of your tin).
Fill each cookie cup with 1-2 Tablespoons of the lemon filling and then top with a Tablespoon of marshmallow fluff.
Set oven to broil.
Place all of the cookie cups under the broiler for 2 minutes, or until the marshmallow topping appears browned.
Let cool before serving.
Pin this Easy Lemon Meringue Cookie Cup recipe for a cute and handheld alternative to a lemon meringue pie:
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Lemon Meringue Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- 1 package sugar cookie dough *or use from-scratch recipe
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons butter, optional
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff
Optional From-Scratch Sugar Cookie Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Homemade Lemon Curd Directions:
- Whisk together the white sugar and eggs in a medium-sized saucepan.
- Add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until combined.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and slowly add in the butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each tablespoon to melt before adding in the next tablespoon.
- Once all butter has been added, continue cooking for 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl, place plastic wrap or parchment paper directly against the lemon curd and place in the fridge to set for 2-3 hours.
Optional Sugar Cookie Directions:
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder and then slowly add it to the sugar-butter mixture.
- Once all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes before shaping into cookie cups.
Cookie Cup Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grease a muffin or tart tin and press 1-2 Tablespoons of cookie dough into each indentation and press to shape into a cup shape (along the bottom and sides of the indentation).
- Bake the cookie cups for 8-12 minutes (will vary depending on the size of your tin).
- Fill each cookie cup with 1-2 Tablespoons of the lemon filling and then top with a Tablespoon of marshmallow fluff.
- Set oven to broil.
- Place all of the cookie cups under the broiler for 2 minutes, or until the marshmallow topping appears browned.
- Let cool before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 63mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves these easy cheater lemon meringue cookie cups as much as mine did!
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
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