Easy Cookie Crust Lemon Tart + Video
It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiime of the yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
No, I’m not confusing my holidays. I’m referring to summer! August! A period abounding with beautiful pies and tarts filled or topped with the lovely produce summer has to offer. Like fresh berries and such.
For example: this cookie crust lemon tart. A tart with a rich, sweet vanilla cookie base and a tart, creamy, velvety lemon filling and a garnish of bright, juicy berries.
Dasss what August is all about. And you know what I’m all about? The video tutorial I made for this cookie crust lemon tart. Here we are, folks:
Or, watch it on Youtube.
Let’s start with the crust.
As mentioned, above and in the title, it’s a cookie crust. One made with vanilla cookies that you’ll grind up and stir with a wee bit of confectioners sugar, for extra sweetness and tenderness, and a pinch of salt, because flavor, and melted butter, for moistening and flavoring and enhancing, as butter tends to be really good at doing.
Press that crust into your tart pan, bake it for 10 minutes, and move along to the filling.
Now, this isn’t your ordinary lemon tart, with a lemon filling full of cornstarch and water and eggs. This tart has got a CREAMY lemon filling. Made with CREAM as its liquid source. No water. No eggs. No cornstarch. No joke.
And to turn that base of heavy cream into lemony bliss, we add some freshly zested lemon rind, some freshly squeezed lemon juice, a lil sugar, a pinch of salt, and voilà - you’ve got the tastiest, richest, quickest, easiest lemon filling.
No double boilers, no separating eggs, no intimidating lemon curd situations, no clumping or curdling concerns - just a pot, the few basic ingredients just listed, five minutes of boiling, and the filling is complete.
Do make sure you strain your filling after you cook it though. Cuz otherwise, the texture from the lemon zest will be eh and interfere with the smooth, velvety filling we are aiming for.
Last step: pour the filling into the baked cookie crust. And place the tart into the fridge to set and firm and chill.
This is the most annoying part, honesty. The chilling time. It takes a while. Over an hour. But what can we do.
And once that lemon filling has firmed up, load the top up with whatever fruit you desire, but I say berries because it’s August and your last chance to get all the summer berries in, and your cookie crust lemon tart is ready to be served.
Five minutes to make the crust. 10 minutes to bake the crust. 5 minutes to make the filling. 1 hour for the tart to set. 2 minutes to garnish the tart with berries. There’s your breakdown.
See? Easy. Simple. Fuss-free. But oh-so-beautiful. And delicious. And bright. And fresh. And sweet. And tangy. And creamy. And tart. And rich. And tender. And velvety. And decadent.
You know what I’m thinking? A fat slice of this easy cookie crust lemon tart, a tall glass of iced tea, a novel, a pool, and a view of the ocean. Preferably on some island far away. Who’s joining?
Easy Cookie Crust Lemon Tart
Yield: 9” tart/8 servings
Crust:
2 cups vanilla cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Filling:
3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
-Berries, for garnishing
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9” tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. In a food processor, pulse cookies until ground and measure out 2 cups. Stir ground cookies with the confectioner’s sugar, butter, and salt until a mixture resembling wet sand forms. Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, combine heavy cream, sugar, and lemon zest in a very large pot (mixture will rapidly bubble and rise a lot when it boils) over high heat. Bring to a boil and then boil for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove pot from flame and stir in lemon juice and salt. Strain the mixture, then let it cool 10 minutes before pouring it into the tart pan. Chill the tart in the fridge until set, at least one hour. Garnish with berries and serve.
