What is the secret to a great pie crust?

Cold butter is the key to flaky crusts . Do not skip this step. You must put your butter in the freezer to get it nice and cold. Many people do not like working with frozen butter, but it makes all the difference in the world when you create your pie dough.

What does Shortbread Crust taste like?

With Shortbread Crust, it's like you are eating a cookie and a pie at the same time. Shortbread crust is buttery, dense-yet-crumbly, sweet (but not too sweet!) , and is the best crust recipe for any tart.

What is the number 2 most important thing when making pie crust?

I like to use pastry flour because it contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and therefore creates a more tender crust, but all-purpose flour will work just fine if that's what you have on hand. The “2” is fat . Butter is the most common type of fat used, but other solid fats will work as well.

How do you know when shortbread crust is done?

Since you will be cooking your shortbread in the lower third of the oven, you will get some top browning as the cookie bakes. The surface of the shortbread should be a toasty light brown when it is cooked . It should never appear raw or slightly opaque in the middle.

Why does my shortbread taste bad?

The key to good shortbread is slow baking until it is pale golden and cooked through – if over baked, or baked too quickly, it will become slightly bitter in taste due to the 'burnt' butter .

What's the difference between shortbread and shortcake?

Shortbread is similar to shortcake but doesn't include baking powder . Lots of rich butter gives shortbread a high fat content, resulting in a fine, crumbly texture. Shortcake and shortbread biscuits are delicious on their own, with fruit and cream, or simply topped with a delicate dusting of sugar.

What is the most important rule in making a pie crust?

Keep the Butter Cold With this goal in mind, the cardinal rule of pie crusts is to keep things as cold as possible .

Is pie crust better with butter or Crisco?

“ My preferred fat for pie crusts will always be butter . To me, it is all about flavor, and no other fat gives flavor to a crust like butter does. Other fats, even though they have great pros, lack flavor,” De Sa Martins said. “The more flavorful the butter, the more flavor your pie crust will have,” Huntsberger added.

What not to do when making pie crust?

Below are six common mistakes when making a homemade pie crust and some helpful solutions to avoid them. The ingredients are too warm. ... The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ... The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ... The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan. More items... Oct 18, 2022

What does adding vinegar to pie crust do?

Vinegar is very acidic, and that acidity is thought to slow the development of gluten in dough .

Meyer Lemon Pie with Shortbread Crust Recipe

Mar 15, 2012 · Modified: Jan 1, 2024 by Andrea · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 16 Comments

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I want to get a Meyer lemon tree. This was the first year that I found Meyer lemons in the stores near us, the first year I could actually cook and bake with them, and I’m ready to have a tree or two. I understand that my experiment may fail, but after tasting the lemons and everything I’ve made with them this winter, I must try. That sweet scent and flavor is addictive.

So Michael said he is giving me two Meyer lemon trees for Mother’s Day, which will live in pots outdoors in warm weather and come indoors and stay in the sunroom during the winter. I am so excited! Hey, some girls want fancy jewelry, I get happy over fruit trees. To each her own.

The trees probably won’t produce for a year or two, but I will try to be patient and wait for the excitement of the first blossom.

Recipe Notes

The recipe is actually a riff on our favorite Key Lime Pie recipe, I simply substituted Meyer lemons in place of limes and a shortbread crust instead of graham cracker. I used and recommend Walkers Shortbread Fingers for the crust, my favorite commercially produced shortbread because of the rich, buttery flavor. You can find information on their website about how their shortbread is made with butter from free-range grass fed dairy cows that receive no growth hormones or antibiotics, plus the rest of the ingredients are not genetically modified, and they use no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or hydrogenated fats. I appreciate that commitment to quality, and apparently so did Hockey Guy, who said the crust was his favorite part. Smart kid.

I made this pie using the fresh free-range eggs from Chrysalis Vineyards, so the yolks are a dark yellow color, which made the pie a gorgeous golden yellow. The flavor of the Meyer lemons works very well, much better than the standard lemons, I think, which would be too tart. The recipe is easy to put together, just have your juicing arm ready.

📖 Recipe

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Meyer Lemon Pie with Shortbread Crust

Makes one 9-inch pie.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: custard, lemon, pie, shortbread

Servings: 8

Calories: 381kcal

Author: Andrea Meyers

Equipment

food processor
9-inch pie plate, lightly buttered
stand mixer with wire whisk attachment

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

2 Walkers Shortbread Fingers (5.3 ounce/150 g packages)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
¼ cup granulated sugar

Lemon Custard

3 egg yolks
1 Meyer lemon zest
14 ounces canned sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 6 to 8 lemons)

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream (chilled)
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

US Customary - Metric

Preparation

CRUST: Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C. Break the shortbread fingers into pieces and put them in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add the sugar and melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are all wet. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie plate, pressing up the sides and forming a rounded or squared off top edge. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack and leave the oven on.
FILLING: In the bowl of the stand mixer, whip the egg yolks and lemon zest at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the condensed milk and continue to whip until thick, about 3 or 4 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the lemon juice, mixing just until combined. The mixture will start to thicken as soon as you add the juice. Pour the mixture into the crust.
BAKE: Bake until the filling has just set, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
WHIPPED CREAM: Chill the mixing bowl. Using the wire whisk attachment, whip the cream and confectioners sugar until you have stiff peaks. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of cream.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Share in the comments!

More Lemon Desserts

Lemon Thyme Sorbet

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Perfect Party Cake (Daring Bakers)

More Meyer Lemon Recipes from Other Blogs

Sass & Veracity – Meyer Lemon and Blackberry Chiffon Pie
Cooking on the Side – Meyer Lemon Whipping Cream Pound Cake
Flour Child – Meyer Lemon Doughnuts
Dessert First – Meyer Lemon and Chocolate Tart

More Pies and Tarts

Asparagus and Leek Pie
Orange Cranberry Fool Tart
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Pies

Reader Interactions

Comments

Thanks for visiting! Let me know what you think!

Katie says
March 15, 2012 at 11:04 pm
My boyfriend get me a meyer lemon tree this Christmas and I was unbelievably excited - way more so than about my other presents! I love it and it's not that hard to take care of... plus the flowers smell amazing. The one I have is only 3 or 4 years old and already has lots of lemons, so you might not even need to wait that long! Just thought I'd share my fruit tree enthusiasm... cheers!
Reply
Becky says
March 16, 2012 at 10:48 am
I had a fabulous time making meyer lemon recipes this season! I made the most delicious Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake. I can still almost taste it when I think about it, it was that good! You're pie looks fabulous!
See Also
Keto Lasagna with Zucchini Noodles [Recipe]
Reply
Kalyn says
March 16, 2012 at 10:43 am
So jealous of the thought of you having a Meyer lemon tree! My brother has one in his yard in California. And although I am not a big dessert eater, this pie has two of my favorite dessert flavors.
Reply
the wicked noodle says
March 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm
I never realized we could do that with fruit trees around here! That's it, I'm begging Alan for Meyer Lemon trees for Mother's Day. LOVE this pie with the shortbread crust!!
Reply
Andrea says
March 16, 2012 at 6:38 pm
Hi Katie. It sounds like your tree is doing well, I hope I have good luck with mine.
Hi Kalyn. I wish I could plant mine in the ground, it just gets too cold in the winter. Hopefully the trees will like the indoors!
Hi Becky. Your Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake sounds delicious!
Hi Kristy. I have a bay laurel tree that I put outdoors in the warm weather and bring in for the winter, and it's doing great. Supposedly the Meyer lemons can do the same. Crossing my fingers!
Reply
Elizabeth Stein says
March 16, 2012 at 6:57 pm
This looks soooooooo good! I can't seem to find a print button that will only print the recipe without the pics. Is there one I don't see? Oh, and of course you would want a Meyer lemon tree, Andrea. (Pun intended.)
Reply
- Andrea says
  March 17, 2012 at 10:19 am
  Hi Elizabeth. My blog uses the PrintFriendly service, which allows you to remove all the images and any excess text you want before printing. Just click the green print button near the top, then click anything in the print window that you want to remove from your final printout. You can also adjust the text size to whatever you prefer.
  Reply
Jenny @ BAKE says
March 22, 2012 at 8:51 am
I absolutely love your colour palate in these photographs! The pie looks too good to be true as well!
Reply
Grandma Kat @ Easy Recipes Land says
March 22, 2012 at 12:06 pm
This looks interesting.. I will try it out within the next few days for me and my hubby!
Thanks for the recipe,
Grandma Kat
XOXOXOXOXO
Reply
Kindra @ wickfreeforever says
March 24, 2012 at 1:48 pm
This recipe looks great! I love anything lemon so I think this will be a great pie to make this summer. Thanks!
Reply
Lisa @ Snappy Gourmet says
April 03, 2012 at 12:33 pm
I'm not usually one for lemon pies, but this looks and sounds really good!
Reply
SimplyBakes says
April 08, 2012 at 9:18 am
WOW okay that custard looks so smooth and velvety!! Great job, wish i had the honour of tasting it! hahahaha
-SimplyBakes
Reply
Germaine says
April 18, 2012 at 1:09 pm
Thanks for making this pie while you were here. It was WONDERFUL!!!
Reply

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