Creamy Lemon Mousse Cups

Flaky cups filled with a velvety tart and sweet lemon mousse that’s light, yet oh so rich and creamy.

So my friend gave me bucket of gold. Gold as in beautiful juicy lemons just waiting to be squeezed. What a treat!

They looked so pretty sitting in bowls on my counter that I almost didn’t want to use them. But they were all chanting, “Squeeze me, squeeze me.” So, I made my Glazed Lemon Bread a couple of times, a lemon meringue pie, chicken with caramelized lemon slices, lemon bars, and fresh lemonade, of course. 

But then, I wanted to try something I’ve never made before, so Lemon Mousse came to mind. I’ve had lemon mousse, but I didn’t want one that was light and puffy. Nor did I want it to be heavy. Playing around with all of my lemons, I think I came up with something really special.

This is velvety, yet light. Creamy, but not dense. I made it a couple of times before posting it, to make sure it was worthy of sharing. The first time I just put it in little parfait cups with a cloud of whipped cream on top, which of course, you can do for your dessert. But to turn it into Big Bang Bite, the second time I made it, I piped the mousse into mini pie crusts. And yes, I used ready-made pie crust because it’s okay to cheat sometimes. 

The little pastry spoons were a gift from Lindsay. She found them at World Market, so I piped some of the mousse into them just for fun. Cute! And that’s my Gracie Lee waiting patiently in hopes she might get a bite.

Anyway, I hope you give these scrummy delights a try. They really sing. And they remind me of summer too, which is right around the corner.

Makes about 8 half cup servings or about 24 mini tarts

Mini Tarts:

• Store bought ready-made pie crust
• 3-inch flower shaped cookie cutter

Lemon Mousse:

• 1 egg
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 T cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
• 1 T butter
• ½ cup lemon juice
• yellow food coloring

Whipped topping:

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 4 T powdered sugar

  

Unroll the piecrusts. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out 24 mini crusts. Push into a mini cupcake tin, spreading out the petals. Bake for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Beat egg and set aside.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a pot. Gradually add water, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and boils.

Remove from heat, add lemon peel and butter. Stir to blend, then add lemon juice and several drops of yellow food coloring. Mix some of the lemon mixture into the egg, then add it back into the pot. Cook 5 minutes.

Cool in fridge with clear wrap on top, so a skin won’t form.

For whipped topping, beat cream until fluffy. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until peaks form. Reserve about 2 cups for topping. Fold the rest into the cooled lemon mixture.

Spoon mousse into mini tart cups. Or, you can use dessert cups. Pipe the whipped cream on top of lemon mousse. Grate some lemon peel on top for garnish. Serve immediately or store in fridge.