Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies pack the flavor of an entire pie into a little hand-held sweet treat. With a flaky pie crust, tangy lemon filling, and golden marshmallow meringue topping, they’re perfect for lemon lovers and so easy to make.
For more puckery desserts, try Lemon Cut Out Sugar Cookies and Lemon Cream Cheese Icing next!
Where my lemon lovers at? These delectable lemon meringue pie cookies have your name on them! Just like the classic pie, these lemon meringue cookies are the perfect combination of flaky pie dough as the cookie base, lemon filling, and fluffy meringue. It's an easy recipe that comes together with shortcut ingredients so you can spend more time enjoying these lovely lemon cookies.
And if you love mini pies as much as I do, check out these cute Chocolate Mousse Tartlets in a buttery shortbread cookie crust and Creamy Mini Coconut Cream Pies.
🍋Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe and exact amounts.
- Pie crust. I use store-bought pie dough, but you can also use homemade.
- Eggs. You'll need 3 eggs total: 3 egg whites and 1 egg yolk. You can freeze the leftover egg yolks for another use.
- Cream of tartar. Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites and makes a sturdier meringue.
- Marshmallow creme. Aka marshmallow fluff, marshmallow creme helps meringue hold its structure.
- Lemon pie filling. I used canned Duncan Hines Wilderness Lemon Creme pie filling. Homemade pie filling or a homemade lemon curd recipe will work if it is very thick and holds its shape when spooned onto the crusts.
🥧Substitutions or Variations
- Pie crusts. Instead of using classic pie dough, fill these little shortbread tartlet shells with lemon pie filling or tangy lemon curd.
- Filling. You can use any pie filling as long as it's thick enough not to ooze out of the shells.
🥣How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
Step 1: With a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut pie dough into 2 ½-inch rounds. Cut 1-½-inch circles into the middle of half of the rounds. Re-roll and cut the scraps. Place rounds on parchment-lined cookie sheet and brush rounds with beaten egg yolk and water. Top each with a cut-out round. Brush with egg yolk. Press down the edges with a fork, poke holes in the center, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Step 2: With a stand mixer or hand mixer (beaters or whisk attachment), beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed in a large bowl to soft peaks. Add marshmallow creme to egg white mixture and beat to glossy, stiff peaks.
Step 3: Arrange pie crusts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dollop lemon pie filling into the center of each crust. Use a butter knife to spread a dollop of meringue on top of the filling, sealing it in.
Step 4: Bake lemon meringue pie cookies at 350 for 10-15 minutes until the meringue tops are golden brown. Cool on a baking rack. Enjoy warm, room temperature, or cold.
👉Top Tip: Instead of round cookie or biscuit cutters, use a glass or can for the circles and a spice container lid or shot glass for the center hole.
☑️Tips
- For a pretty presentation, transfer meringue to a piping bag and pipe meringue on top of the cookie.
- If you have a little meringue leftover, pipe it into kisses on a foil-lined sheet and bake at 200 for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave them in for another hour. They’ll be firm and white (not brown) and delicious as-is or sandwiched with a little lemon pie filling.
- For the leftover lemon pie filling, stir it into yogurt or whipped cream for parfaits or fruit dip, or spoon it over angel food cake or pound cake for a quick and easy dessert.
🎁Storage
- Store lemon meringue pie cookies in a single layer covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The meringue may weep slightly after a day, affecting appearance but not flavor.
- Like lemon meringue pie, these cookies are best within 1-2 days. They can be made the night before and enjoyed the next afternoon without noticeable weeping.
- Freezing is not recommended, as it affects the meringue’s texture.
📅Make Ahead
Bake the pie crusts up to a few days in advance. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. When ready to serve, add the pie filling, make the meringue, and bake as directed.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 pie dough rounds
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
- sugar, for sprinkling
Lemon Meringue Pie Cookies
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 dash salt
- 1 cup marshmallow creme
- 1 cup lemon pie filling
Instructions
For Pie Crust Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out pie dough onto parchment paper or a floured surface. With a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out 2 ½-inch circles from both pie crusts. With a small 1 ½-inch cutter, cut out the centers from half of the circles. Re-roll and cut the scraps.
- Separate one egg, placing the egg white in a large bowl (to use later) and the egg yolk in a small bowl. Whisk egg yolk with water.Place rounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk. Top each round with a hollow cut-out and brush with egg yolk. With a fork, press down the edges of the dough and poke holes into the center of each crust. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
- In the large bowl, beat three egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks (peaks start to hold a shape and melt back into themselves). Add the marshmallow creme and beat to glossy, stiff peaks (peaks hold their shape).
- Arrange baked pie crusts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dollop about 2 teaspoons of pie filling into the center of each pie crust. Spread or pipe the meringue over the filling, completely sealing it in.Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is light golden brown. Cool on wire baking rack. Enjoy warm or cold.
Notes
- Instead of round cookie or biscuit cutters, use a glass or can for the circles and a spice container lid or shot glass for the center hole.
- For a pretty presentation, transfer meringue to a piping bag and pipe meringue on top of the cookie.
- Store lemon meringue pie cookies in a single layer covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The meringue may weep slightly after a day, affecting appearance but not flavor.
- Like lemon meringue pie, these cookies are best within 1-2 days. They can be made the night before and enjoyed the next afternoon without noticeable weeping.
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