Gimme Some Oven

Key Lime Tartlets

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This weekend I had — not one — but two good friends turn 30!!!

Actually, it will be my turn next May. (Which I am strangely really excited about!)

But for my friend Christy’s 30th, which coincided with my monthly rockin’ book club, the birthday girl requested some sort of key lime pie dessert to celebrate. I was going to go with a traditional pie, but after passing by one of my favorite ingredients at the store (these adorable mini phyllo cups), thought it would be fun to try “bite-sized”.

And sure enough, these were SO delicious! Seriously. I’m pretty sure I may have accidentally eaten a handful when garnishing them. :)  There was something about the smooth, citrusy custard paired with the flaky, crispy shells that just seemed like the perfect combination. And thankfully, it looks like the birthday girl and friends thought so too, as they totally dug in at our book club bday celebration.

So for those of you who love key lime pie, or those who love a quick 20-minute dessert, you really, really, really should try these.

Really.

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Key Lime Tartlets

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  • Prep Time: 8 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 18 minutes
  • Yield: 30-45 Tartlets 1x

Description

You’ll love this key lime tartlets recipe! These delicious and adorable individual little treats are ready to go in less than 20 minutes. Try them today!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 23 packages frozen mini phyllo tarts
  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus zest from two limes
  • 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 2 cups whipped cream
  • 810 key limes, sliced into thin coins for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks until blended. Add in sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, sugar, and lime zest. Whisk together until smooth and blended.
  3. Spoon batter into mini tarts so that they are nearly overflowing. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until custard has set. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Then top with whipped cream and key lime coins.

Notes

This recipe makes a lot of custard!  Feel free to use 2 packages of phyllo tarts and then use the leftover custard to make a small batch of plain custard or an extra medium-sized tart.  Or use 3 packages, and make even more little tartlets!

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72 comments on “Key Lime Tartlets”

  1. I love love these. Would have never thought to use phyllo dough.

  2. These are so cute! Just apent time in Florida so Key Lime is on my brain!!

  3. These are so adorable, I love that they use phyllo dough so that they’re a bit lighter and I bet that crispness works so well with the filling.

  4. Cute! These are perfect for bringing to a party!

  5. So cute and yummy – I totally adore these! :)

  6. These are adorable. Phyllo dough is brilliant. I am salivating at this filling too!

  7. I love this recipe and presentation!

  8. i downed three of these at bookclub. so perfectly lime.
    i confess when i saw your instagram earlier in the day
    i was hoping they were coming to bookclub. :) lucky us!

  9. Wow, Ali! These little tarts are crazy cute and your friends are so lucky to have such a talented baker for a friend! These would be great for my neighborhood happy hours. Thanks for sharing. :)

  10. You make the cutest things ever! And I just love how beautifully you garnished these!

  11. these are just so darling!! i love it, this is such a great party treat :)

  12. Mmmmmm…I’m trying this with lemon juice instead. I shouldn’t have to change the amounts of anything should I? I’ve never been a huge fan of lime.

  13. Key lime is one of my absolute favorite summer desserts. And I love mini food. This is right up my alley!

  14. I always admire cute little finger bites and these looks fancy pretty :) Your friend is lucky to have you.

  15. Hi Ali,

    Happy b-day to your friends and to you next week:) I wish I had a birthday coming up so I can celebrate with these. I’m not going to wait until next year, have to try these very soon. Beautiful photos and recipe.

  16. I was also excited to turn 30. Life just keeps getting better so why not be excited to see what else it has in store!

    I’ve been thinking about making some yummy little bite sized dessert and you’ve just given me the perfect inspiration. Thank you!

  17. These look so delicious. Going to have to try them soon.

  18. Could these be any cuter?! I bet they delish!

  19. these are the CUTEST bite-sized treats! And even though they are portion-controlled…I so would not be able to stop at just one.

  20. Oh my gosh! So cute — there’s just something so fascinating about little foods! I just tossed a package of those phyllo cups that had gotten lost in my freezer some (very long) time ago. I’m not even sure I had a plan for them when I brought them home. Now I need to go get some again, but I have a plan this time!

  21. Love these…so cute!!!!! I could eat ten of them!

  22. i LOVE key lime pie! i can’t wait to try these!!

  23. these sound amazing!!! do the tarts need to be eaten right away as the package suggest to EAT IMMEDIATELY, or can it be made the day before? i don’t want to serve soggy tarts…thanks ;)

    • Did you end up making these in advance? I’m hosting a baby shower tomorrow and I was hoping to make them tonight. Were they soggy?

  24. I’m wondering about the soggy tarts too… can they be made ahead of time, refrigerated and still stay crispy? thanks. Lyndie

  25. Hi Ali, any thoughts on whether or not these can be made a night in advance? I see that the question has been asked, but I’m not finding an answer. Thanks!

  26. These tartlets looks extremely adorable1!!

  27. Can these be made ahead and frozen? I have a family thing in a few weeks and it’s about 4 hours away. I have a few other things I need to make and would love to make these a few night ahead and then thaw them the day of the event and add whipped cream and line garnish.

  28. I made these for a teacher’s luncheon, and I made them that morning. They were a hit! I kept a few at home for later and the tart shells did get a little soft. I kept the remaining in the fridge over night, and they did get softer that I would want to serve them. They were still delicious but a little on the soggy side! Hope this helps those asking about making them in advance! I will definitely make them again, just serve them soon after!

  29. Hi there! I just wanted to stop over and let you know that I’ve shared this post in a Lemon and Lime Summer Dinner Party inspiration / idea board on my blog https://sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com/2013/06/lemon-and-lime-summer-dinner-party.html
    I hope you can check it out and enjoy the event! <3 The Sparkle Queen

  30. Can you pre-make these fillo tartlets a day ahead?

  31. Has anyone tried to make these a day in advance? Can’t wait to try them but would love to make them the night before

  32. My friend and I made these tarts just a few days ago – but the store was out of the mini phyllo-dough tart shells, so we used small tart pie shells. The amount of custard we had was enough for 8 of those small tart shells. We just had to cook them a bit longer to set, but other than that, they were PERFECT. Great recipe. I love citrus recipes that are still tart, and these were perfect. So perfect that I’m making more tonight. (Using small tart pie shells again because… oh my god, so many minis would be insane! hehe)

  33. This looks wonderful and must try for me! Love keylime! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

  34. Oh my, these look like lovely, tastey treats. I am hoping to make them soon…..so refreshing for summertime :)

  35. i love this idea my daughter does not want a traditional wedding cake.
    These key lime Tartlets could be the trick. Thanks for the idea

  36. These were so light and yummy! I made them for a girls night dinner this summer. They did take a little longer to “set” which to me means they were semi-firm to the touch. I’d say they took about 18 minutes. I didn’t account for how long it would take to cool so I stuck them in the fridge for a few minutes to cool down. Everyone loved them! They’re a perfect size to have one, or four!

  37. Can i make these the night before without the cream and garnish…. im worried the phyllo will get soggy from the custard?. 

    • Hey Gina, I would make the custard and cream and just assemble everything all together, the day you plan on serving, otherwise I do think the custard might make the phyllo soggy. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy! : )

  38. I plan to make 120 of these today for a party. I’ll take pics. =0

  39. Are the cups supposed to be thawed or frozen when you bake them?

  40. This pin for key lime tartlets caught my eye – then I was so excited to see that it was by you, pinned by Williams Sonoma! I’m a Kansas City gal too, and I’ve found that anytime I try one of your recipes, it’s always a slam dunk! I’ll have to give these a try, but tell me… do you have a favorite way to juice limes? 1/2 cup?! Omg, I can barley make it to 4 oz when I’m making a mojito! What’s your lime juicing secret?

    • Hi Lindsay! Very cool that you’re from KC as well! I know Ali LOVES this juicer, and says it’s worth every penny!

      Or you can also just buy a bottle of key lime juice at the store. ;)

  41. Can these be made the day before and refrigerated? I am worried about the soggy factor. I would, of course, add whipped cream/lime circles just before serving.

    • Hi lynn! We’re a little worried as well, that they might get soggy, but we haven’t tried making them a day in advance, so we can’t say for sure. We’re sorry we can’t be more helpful!

  42. Will the shells get soggy if made day ahead?

    • Hi Cathy! Yes, we’re afraid they would be soggy, so we wouldn’t advise that. We hope you enjoy these though!

  43. I had never even attempted key lime ANYTHING!  i made these for my sister’s wedding reception. It actually made 75!  It was a small gathering, but all but 12 of them were eaten!!
    I give this recipe 5 stars PLUS. Easy to prepare and I shared this website for the guests that were savoring them. Lol. 
    The toughest part of the recipe was zesting the limes. So that tells you how easy the rest was. 
    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

    • Wow, thank you for your stellar review, Annette! We’re so happy these were a hit! :)

  44. Hi! These look brilliant! However when it says to whisk the egg yolks until ‘blended’ does it mean just lightly until they start to foam or properly until peaks form? 

    • Thank you, Kim, we hope you enjoy them! And yes, just whisk the egg yolks lightly.

  45. These are great! I just made one for hubby and myself. YUM YOU rock!

  46. i like the recipe