Lemon meringue mini pies with stevia

Lemon meringue mini pies, made with stevia

Every mom deserves something yummy, delicious and slightly decadent for Mother's Day. Moms with highly restricted diets, especially, need something special.

I've always loved lemon meringue pie but wondered how that treat could fit into my restricted diet. I saw mini-lemon meringue pies, featured as part of a wedding meal and knew I had to try making my own version that would fit my diet needs. If you are on a restricted diet like me, but still can eat eggs, try these lemon meringue mini pies.

Many individuals, like myself, with autoimmune diseases/leaky gut are sensitive to the whites more than yolks. I made a few mini pies with the traditional meringue topping and left it off the others. I used a fruit topping on the ones without the meringue topping. Another idea would be to use whipped topping made from full-fat coconut milk. Find out how to make it here: http://ohsheglows.com/2012/08/30/coconut-whipped-cream-a-step-by-step-photo-tutorial/

Lemon Meringue Mini Pies
(Makes 12)

Here's what you need:

For crust:

1/2 cup almond flour or other nut or seed flour
1 tsp. stevia or other sweetener
1/4 cup melted coconut oil


For Filling:

4 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T. grassfed gelatin
1 T. lemon zest
1 cup plain yogurt (lactose-free for SIBO or anti-candida diet) or sub full-fat coconut milk for paleo diet
2 tsp. powdered stevia or other sweetener (honey for paleo or SCD diet)
1 T. melted coconut oil
dash of sea salt
1/2 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla

For meringue topping:

4 egg whites (at room temperature)

pinch of cream of tartar

3-5 tsp. stevia powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon juice

Here's what you do:

Line 12-cell muffin/cupcake pan with foil cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For crust:

Mix ingredients and press into bottoms of cupcake liners. (Note: I wanted just a hint of crust because seeds/nuts have high fermentation potential. If you want a thicker crust, possibly going up sides, double crust recipe.

Bake mini-pie crusts for 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven and set aside. 

Adjust oven temperature to 425 degrees.

For filling:

Place lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle on gelatin. Allow to set for 1-2 minutes. Heat mixture and whisk to dissolve.

Whisk egg yolks with stevia or other sweetener in a bowl. Add egg mixture gradually into hot lemon juice mixture. Continue whisking and heat one more minute. 

Remove from heat and add in coconut oil, vanilla, yogurt and salt.

Pour mixture into cupcake pans.

For the meringue:

Beat the egg whites at room temperature in a stand mixer until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the whites form stiff peaks. Add the stevia, vanilla and lemon juice and beat one more minute.

Spread meringue on top of each mini-pie.

Bake completed mini meringues at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until meringue is set.

Kids with paws wish you "Happy Mother's Day!"

 Recipe submitted to:
http://laurasglutenfreepantry.com/2014/05/allergy-free-wednesdays-blog-hop-116.html