Little Lemon Tons Recipes

LITTLE LEMON-TONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment (the easiest way is to cross 2 x 20cm strips over the base). Beat the butter, caster sugar, flour, almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and the lemon zest and juice from ½ lemon with an electric whisk until smooth. Scrape into the tin and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Let cool.
• Turn out onto a wire rack, trim edges and slice into 16 squares. Tip the granulated sugar onto a plate. Pour remaining lemon juice into another shallow dish. Very, very quickly, dip all sides of the cake squares, one-by-one, into the juice, then quickly in the sugar. Sit on a wire rack to set and crisp.

LITTLE LEMON DROPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F. You'll need mini-muffin pans coated with nonstick cooking spray.
• For lemon drops: Beat all lemon drop ingredients in large bowl with mixer on medium speed several minutes until blended and smooth.
• Transfer the batter into two 1-gallon ziptop bags.
• Seal bags; cut tip off one corner of each bag and pipe batter into prepared muffin cups, filling cups slightly less than 2/3 full.
• Bake 12 minutes, or until a pick inserted in centers comes out clean.
• Remove pans to wire rack and cool 2 minutes; invert muffins onto rack (leave muffins inverted) and cool completely.
• Continue baking batches until all the batter is used up (you'll have about 100 muffins).
• For Lemon Glaze: Place a wire rack over wax paper.
• Beat ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Dip muffins in glaze to coat rounded tops and sides, letting excess glaze drip back into bowl.
• Place on rack until glaze is set.
• For sugared cranberries: In small saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail or water just to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Remove from heat; stir in 2 cups cranberries.
• Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain well.
• Toss berries in superfine or regular granulated sugar until coated all over.
• Let stand on wax paper 2 hours or until dry.
• To serve: Place each lemon drop in a decorated mini-muffin liner.
• Top with sugared cranberry, if desired.
• Storage tip: Store in airtight containers with wax paper between layers at cool room temperature or in refrigerator up to 1 week, or freeze unglazed up to 3 months.

LITTLE LEMON SOUFFLES

Steps:

• Place one oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• The lemons will be your serving dishes so prepare them as follows: trim the stem end from a lemon so that the fruit sits level.
• Cut the top end one-third of the way down, making sure the cut is parallel with the bottom; reserve the top. Repeat with all the lemons.
• Hold a lemon above a strainer set over a heat-proof bowl, and scoop out the pulp.
• Squeeze and reserve the juice; discard the pulp. Repeat with all the lemons.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, 1/4 granulated sugar, 1/4 cup reserved lemon juice, and the flour.
• Beat on medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
• Fill a small saucepan one-quarter full of water and heat it to a simmer over medium heat.
• Place the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk constantly until very thick, about 8 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat, and return to the mixer.
• Beat on medium speed until cool, scraping down the sides several times with a rubber spatula, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and attachment.
• Combine the egg whites and the remaining granulated sugar in the mixer bowl. Set a small saucepan filled with water over medium heat, and bring to a simmer.
• Place the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm.
• Remove from heat and return to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachments; beat on low speed until frothy.
• Gradually increase the speed until the meringue is shiny and soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes; do not overbeat.
• Whisk one-third of the meringue into the yolk mixture to lighten it, and whisk until smooth.
• Gently fold in the remaining meringue. Carefully fill the prepared lemon shells to just the rims.
• Transfer shells to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake until the meringue is slightly golden and rises about 1 inch above the lemon, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, and transfer to serving plates.
• Dust with the confectioner's sugar, and garnish with the reserved lemon tops.
• Serve immediately.