Leftover pie can be dangerous, which is why I made Mini Deep Dish Lemon Meringue Pies for two! It’s everything you love about lemon meringue pie but made in mini springform pans.
Deep dish pie is something my dad has been trying to do for years. Every time we walk past pie plates, we would look to see if any were deep dish. None were, so we gave up looking. Fast forward to this past December, I was looking at recipes when I saw Bake or Break’s deep dish pecan pie, which she cleverly used a springform pan for the crust. Oh I have that! I made her pie for New Year’s Eve, which lead me to think about making these Mini Deep Dish Lemon Meringue Pies. Mini deep dish pies mean smaller portion sizes, and since the recipe makes two pies, it’d be perfect for date night.
I chose Lemon Meringue Pie because custard pies are my nemesis and because lemon is one of my favorites. I have failed over and over again in having the filling not ooze out everywhere when cut. I figured if I failed with a mini deep dish pie, it wouldn’t be as devastating as a regular-sized pie. Fortunately, it all stayed together. Success!
The key to the filling not failing is patience. Make sure the hot filling is thick like pudding. Otherwise, it’ll be too thin when you cut it.
Ideally you want to roll the dough into a circle as one piece, but patching pieces together in the pan works just as well. The cornstarch in the meringue is a little trick I learned from the recipe I used. It helps prevent it from shrinking or weeping.
Items you may need (affiliate links):
Mini Deep Dish Lemon Meringue Pies
Yield:
2 mini pies
Leftover pie can be dangerous, which is why I made Mini Deep Dish Lemon Meringue Pies for two! It’s everything you love about lemon meringue pie but made in mini springform pans.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 ounces cream cheese. softened
- 1 cup flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
Lemon Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Meringue
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 egg white
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and cream cheese pieces and pulse until the mixture looks like large pebbles. Add the water and pulse until a dough forms. Alternately, you can make the dough by hand by cutting the butter and cream cheese into the flour mixture with a pastry blender.
- Gather the dough and divide into 2 pieces. Shape into flat disks, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until cold.
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Wrap the outside of two 4-inch springform pans with aluminum foil.
- Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough into a circle a little bigger than one pan. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan (if the dough breaks, patch into pieces). Prick holes with a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough and pan.
- Line each pie crust with foil on top then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and weights then bake another 5 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown and no longer looks uncooked. Cool completely.
- Next, make the filling:: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, lemon zest, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil, whisking often. Boil for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and almost transparent. Remove from the heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice. Whisk some of the hot sugar mixture into the yolks to temper. Return everything to the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil. Boil for 1-3 minutes or until thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Fill the cooled pie shells with hot filling.
- Make the meringue: Preheat the oven to 350F or have a blow torch ready.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, water, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- In a clean mixing bowl, on medium speed beat the egg white until foamy. Increase the speed to high, add the salt, and beat until soft peaks form (when you pull the beaters straight up, the peaks will form but the tips will fall over). Gradually pour and beat in the sugar mixture. Beat until stiff peaks form (when you pull the beaters straight up, the peaks won't fall over).
- Top both pies with the meringue, making sure the pie is completely sealed (if there are holes in the meringue, there will be a mess). Bake 10-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. Alternately, toast with a blow torch. Cool completely before cutting. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Alex says
Eheheh I’m also a bit rolling-impaired – :D
It looks wonderful!
Carla says
What’s nice is you can just press the dough in ;) Thanks Alex!
Kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
I’m rolling-impaired too! I can press out a pizza crust in seconds, because I do it multiple times every Friday for my family, but a pie crust? Hopeless.
I’m off to work at the thrift shop today and I’m definitely keeping an eye out for small springform pans. Such a great idea.
Thanks, Carla!
Carla says
Well, worst case is you just press the dough into the pan and patch it back up ;) I found my pans at Target with their Easter stuff, but I’ve seen them at the kitchen specialty stores. Have fun at the thrift store!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Wow! That is one gorgeous looking pie!!! I love that it is smaller but taller!!!
Carla says
Still less calories right? ;) Thanks Jocelyn!
Renee says
Absolutely gorgeous little pies Carla. So bright and lovely. I’ll have to try your pie crust. The cream cheese in it really caught my eye. Mmmm….
Carla says
Yes, the cream cheese made it great! Thanks Renee.
Carolyn says
These are awesome! Now I wish I had 4 inch springform pans, but I have way too much bakeware as it is. I am pinning these.
Carla says
I know what you mean! I have a drawer full of pans I have trouble shutting haha You can make it in a big springform pan, but I’m not sure of the ingredient ratio. I know with my one mini cheesecake recipe, I multiply by 3. Hope it applies to pie too. Thanks Carolyn!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says
I have similar pans left from the quiches I baked for the cafe, which were sort of deep dish. This are perfect little lemon pies! I always, always use swiss meringue because it lasts longer but I´m so intrigued about the cornstarch addition which appears on so many vintage recipes. How was it the second day? If there were any left…
Carla says
I took the extra pie into my coworkers, and the meringue held up well even after a day or two.
Robin Phillips says
I found my mini springform pans at Jo Ann Fabrics and Crafts. They have some amazing supplies! I will have to try this! Thanks!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
I am pie pastry impaired. Granted, I’ve only attempted it a few times but I get so gosh darn discouraged when it doesn’t turn out. This crust looks perfect – so golden, crisp, and sturdy. These photos are beautiful, Carla. The yellow of the filling really pops – it must’ve tasted amazing. My husband would love these.
Carla says
This crust is a little more forgiving because you can patch big pieces together, so you should give it a try! Thanks Nancy.
kelly @ kellybakes says
Knowing your hatred of pie crusts, I have to say that when I woke up and saw these on my facebook feed, I clasped my hands together and squealed, disturbing Sleeping Beauty (aka Mars). Seriously seriously gorgeous and I like that you didn’t make one huge pie…clearly, you are helping me with portion control–instead of eating the entire pie in one meal, I can have one smaller pie for breakfast and one smaller pie for dinner ;)
Carla says
Haha glad I could make your morning ;) I think pie is slowly winning me over. Maybe I’ll even like it enough to go to the next pie party.
kelly @ kellybakes says
If the pie party does not make you love pie, nothing will….
…but it will. Trust me. You need to come next year! We’ll have a blast!
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba) says
So adorable! I’d just eat the lemon curd all by itself it looks so good!
Carla says
Thanks Sarah!
Vicki @ WITK says
I haven’t mastered making a pie crust yet, maybe I’ll give it another try with Kerrygold. Your filling looks deliciously yellow, I love lemon meringue!
Carla says
Usually I pick at pie crust, but this one was really good. Good butter and cream cheese changed my mind! Thanks Vicki.
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Mmm…I’ve been craving a lemony dessert, and this looks soo good!
Carla says
I’m always craving lemon haha thanks Rachel!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Wow Carla! This recipe is gorgeous and it completely POPS off the page with your new layout and side panels! L-o-v-e them! It looks great. Hoping you love it too.
Carla says
Thanks Toni! And Robin did a great job, didn’t she? Thanks for the rec!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
Okay, 1. You are a genius – deep dish????? 2. omg these are gorgeous!
Carla says
Haha thanks Dorothy!
Dianna says
Thank you for making smaller portion pies! I am pie dough impaired but I find the pressed in doughs much easier to deal with. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Chicago Jogger says
These looks delicious and are SO cute! I love that you made two mini pies. Have a great weekend!