Lemon Marshmallow Meringue Pie

I know, I know, I’m supposed to be writing about pumpkin, apples, cinnamon—not lemon, the most summery of fruits. But this recipe was practically begging to be made, all because of a bag of lemon-flavored marshmallows. And a slice of pie I ate a year ago.

Let’s start with the mallows: I’m a sucker for novelty foods, especially those involving marshmallow. So, naturally, when I spotted Lemon Meringue Campfire Mallow Bursts (i.e. off-brand fruity marshmallows) at Wal-Mart, I HAD to buy them. Usually, flavored mallows disappoint me. Take Jet-Puffed Pumpkin Spice Mallows, for example, which taste like plain marshmallows that have been spritzed with pumpkin-scented room spray. 

But, WOW! These no-name marshmallows are amazing. The lemon flavor is intense and authentic, so good, in fact, that I nearly ate the entire bag in an evening. Which is why I melted them down into marshmallow crème to use as a topping for my lemon pie.

That brings me to the actual pie: I once had a piece of lemon meringue pie with marshmallow fluff instead of traditional meringue on top. I’ve gone back to the restaurant that served it, hoping for a second slice, but the place never had it again.

So, I’ve been forced to recreate it. I started with a basic graham cracker crust, then borrowed a lemony filling from a Bobby Flay dessert. Finally, I whipped up a batch of homemade Cool Whip, which I combined with my homemade marshmallow crème (these are the things I do when my husband is out of town).

The final result: a tart, beautiful pie, with just enough sweetness to bring me back for more. 

Lemon Marshmallow Meringue Pie

What you need

The crust

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup white sugar

6 Tbsp butter, melted

½ tsp cinnamon

The filling

1 ½ cups white sugar

6 Tbsp cornstarch

¼ tsp salt

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup cold water

3 egg yolks, well beaten

2 Tbsp butter

1 ½ cups boiling water

1 Tsp lemon extract

1 Tsp lemon zest (optional)

3 drops yellow food coloring

The topping

1 bag of marshmallows (I used lemon-flavored ones)

2 tsp light corn syrup

1 pint heavy whipping cream

½ cup powdered sugar

1 Tsp lemon extract

1 drop yellow food coloring

Put it all together

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar with the melted butter, and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Make the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, then slowly incorporate the lemon juice and cold water. Add the egg yolks, and mix until smooth. Next, add the butter; gradually stir in the boiling water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. After boiling for 2 minutes, remove from the burner, and stir in the lemon extract, zest, and food coloring. Allow to cool half an hour before pouring into the pie crust. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.
3. Make the topping: Place the marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl, and drizzle the corn syrup on top. Microwave for 30 seconds (no longer or the mallows could burn), and stir until the marshmallows are smooth and creamy. 
4. Whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add the lemon extract and food coloring. 
5. Use an electric mixer to combine the marshmallow creme and the whipped cream mixture. Spread evenly over the chilled pie. Chill for another 4 hours before serving.

Blueberry Pie Cupcakes

Let's be honest: Fruity desserts are kind of wimpy. If I'm investing in calories, I want to go rich: chocolate and peanut butter and caramel and so much sugar my tongue hurts. I don't want some delicate, flaky little pastry posing as dessert. I need decadence.

But, lately, I've been on a blueberry kick. It started with blueberry fro-yo, which I discovered is quite delicious when paired with graham cracker crumbs, fresh fruit, and marshallow creme. (Trust me. Try it.) Then it was blueberry pie. I had to eat it, really—I was, after all, at a blueberry festival. 

As much as it pains to me to say it, it was incredible. 

So I was proven wrong. Fine. I'm okay with that. But I'm not ready to give up on decadence just yet. My compromise: I flipped the typical filling-crust ratio, creating a pie-inspired treat with lots and lots of crust and just a little filling. That way, I don't have to be that obnoxious person who serves myself a giant piece of crust and leaves behind the fruit filling. (I have no problem doing this.)

The final product was incredible. I filled cupcake liners halfway with crust batter, baked it, then piled on homemade fruit filling and oatmeal crumble and baked it again. It had all the buttery, flaky goodness of pie crust packed into a handheld vessel, and just enough fruit to justify it as breakfast.

Blueberry Pie Cupcakes
Adapted from Cakespy 

What you need

The crust
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt 

The filling
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp cinnamon

The topping
½ cup walnuts
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats*
1 cup flour
 ¾ cup light brown sugar  
1 tsp cinnamon  
¼ tsp baking soda  
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened  

*I used 2 packets of Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal, plus ½ cup plain oats. I liked the extra maple note.   

Put it all together

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place liners in a cupcake pan.
2. To make the crust, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then add the flour, and mix on low speed until well-combined.
3. Spoon the dough into the cupcake liners, filling them about halfway. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool completely.
4. To make the filling, heat the butter and brown sugar in a skillet over high heat. Add the blueberries, stirring occasionally (making sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet) for about 8 minutes. You can add a little bit of water if necessary to prevent scorching.
5. To make the topping, toast the walnuts for about 8 minutes. Let them cool, then chop them up. Combine the walnuts, oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda, and use two knives to cut in the butter until a coarse mixture forms. (Hint: Use your hands to create ½" clumps, which will yield a crispy crumb, rather than a loose crumble.)
6. Place a tablespoon of blueberry filling in the center of each pie crust cup. Top it with a liberal portion of oat crumb. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crumb is lightly browned and crispy.

You may also enjoy...  
Cream Cheese Ice Cream with Butterscotch-Bourbon Sauce and Blackberries   
Fat Witch Bakery Lime Squares

Lemon Cream Butter Cake

As I've previously disclosed, I have a problem with lemon squares. My self-control is completely non-existent, which means I not only end up with powdered sugar all over my shirt, but may no longer fit into said shirt. Despite my reservations, I caved to the call of a lemon cream butter cake recipe I found on Pinterest. A few weeks ago, I made Momofuku's butter cake, but in a tragic turn of events, it collapsed. (I blame my ancient gas stove's lack of a thermometer.) Although it was too hideous to blog about, it was delicious enough for me to devour. I simply HAD to make the lemon version.

The lemon butter cake isn't quite as addictive as Momofuku's butter cake (probably a good thing), perhaps because it requires only about a quarter of the butter. Less intense than most butter cakes, it tastes like a cross between lemon cake and cheesecake. The texture is dense, but it doesn't weigh down the fresh citrus flavor. As my coworker described it, "Indulgent as cake, sinful-feeling as cheesecake, but lightened and brightened by the lemon." 

Lemon Cream Butter Cake
From Blackjack Bakehouse

Cake 
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Zest of two lemons


Filling
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup powdered sugar


Put it all together

1. Preheat the oven to  325°F. Grease a 9" springform pan. 
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the melted butter, eggs, lemon juice, and zest, and stir until just combined. (Do not overmix.)
3. Pour the batter into the springform pan. Set aside.
4. Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese on medium-high until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, and beat until combined. Add the butter, lemon extract, and vanilla, and beat until combined.
5. Pour the cream-cheese filling over the cake batter, leaving about ½" of the cake batter exposed around the edges. 
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are puffed up and a toothpick poked into the edge comes out clean. 
7. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool for an hour. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.