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Lemon Meringue Puffs

Lemon Meringue Puffs

These Lemon Meringue Puffs feature airy choux pastry filling with a tart lemon pie filling and topped with a dome of meringue.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Servings 20 puffs

Equipment

  • Candy Thermometer
  • stand mixer or hand mixer

Ingredients
  

Choux Pastry - Adapted from La Varenne Pratique by Anne Willan

  • 175ml (5.9 fl oz) water
  • 75g (2.6oz) cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 110g (3.8oz) all-purpose flour
  • 3-4 large eggs

Lemon Filling

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • cups water
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 4 egg yolks beaten
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into cubes

Italian Meringue**

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions
 

For the Choux

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the water, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a rolling boil and melt the butter.
  • Reduce the heat to low and add all of the flour in one go. Using a wooden spoon, integrate the flour into the water mixture, working out any lumps, until a thick paste forms. Continue to cook the paste until a film forms on the bottom of the saucepan or the paste registers 175°F on a probe thermometer.
  • Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dough until it cools to 145°F. Beat the eggs into the dough one at a time. Beat the last egg into a ramekin and add only enough to form a thick glossy dough that falls like a ribbon from the paddle.
  • Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a small round pastry tip ( I used a #12). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Squeeze a dollop of the choux pastry on all four corners to anchor the parchment paper. Pipe 1 inch rounds of the pastry well-spaced apart. You should have 20.
  • Wet your index finger with a little water and tap each round to flatten the peak. Gently brush with a little egg yolk and transfer to the oven. Bake the choux for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
  • Take the puffs out of the oven and let cool slightly. While still fairly hot, cut small holes in the bottom of each puff. You can refine the shape when they cool completely. This is more or less to release steam. Set the puffs aside to cool completely.

For the Lemon Filling

  • In a saucepan, whisk to combine the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk in the water and lemon juice and place the mixture over medium heat.
  • Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture is approaching a boil, reduce the heat and slowly whisk in two ladlesful of the hot lemon mixture into the egg yolks to temper the eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the lemon mixture and whisk until the filling thickens and become glossy.
  • Take the filling off of the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts completely. Transfer the filling to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let cool for 1 hour.

For the Meringue

  • Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture until it registers 240°F on a candy thermometer.
  • While the sugar is heating, pour the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on high until foamy.
  • When sugar is hot, turn the mixer to medium and carefully and slowly stream the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Once the sugar has been added, increase the mixer's speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

To Assemble

  • Transfer the lemon filling to a piping bag fitted with the #12 round tip. If the filling has set too much, whisk it to loosen it up. Pipe the filling into each puff until the puff feels heavy and the bag pushes back on you.
  • Dunk the top of each puff into the meringue and toast the tops with a kitchen torch until golden. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 hours before serving.***

Notes

** You will have quite a bit of meringue left over. I recommend making them into meringue cookies. Or if you're feeling ambitious, a small pavlova. You could half the recipe for the meringue but you would still wind up with excess and you would have egg white leftover. And as someone who constantly forgets about the egg whites in my fridge, I can safely say you don't want that. 
*** If you would like to make these puffs a few days in advance, fill and refrigerate the puffs until the day of and then make and toast the meringue. The meringue will weep if left in the fridge too long. 
Keyword choux pastry, lemon, meringue