Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)

Recipe for Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)! A buttery, delicate crust is filled with apricot jam, topped with a sweet coconut meringue, and baked until golden.

Baking Bloggers

Created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, #BakingBloggers get together monthly to vote on a different baking project.

For February, we are featuring Bite Sized Baking and I am joining in with a recipe for Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)!

Check out more of my #BakingBloggers recipes: Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns), Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns), and Broyé du Poitou (Shortbread from Poitiers).

Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)

Hertzoggies are small tarts or cookies developed by the Cape Malay community in South Africa in the 1920s. They were named after J. B. M. Hertzog, the Prime Minister from 1924 to 1939.

These little tarts have a buttery crust is filled with a layer of apricot jam. They are topped with a piping of coconut meringue, then baked until set and golden.

They are especially delicious paired with tea and are a popular treat during Eid.

I made the Hertzoggies or Hertzogkoekies as tartlets, but have also seen them shaped more similarly to flower-like cookies with the coconut filling baked on one side and the jam added after baking to the other side.

Hertzoggie Tips

After forming the pastry crust, allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. The dough will be very delicate and this will make it easier to roll out and cut.

Try to only add as much flour as necessary to help keep the light, tender texture. I like to roll the pastry out between sheets of wax paper to make it easier to handle without tearing.

When transferring to the greased tartlet pans, press well into the sides and bottom in an even layer. If the pastry does tear, gently press it back together with your fingertips. 

Be careful to not overfill the Hertzoggies with the apricot jam. I added about 2 teaspoons to each pastry. Too much and the jam will bubble out during baking.

You can either spoon or pipe the coconut meringue over the jam. I went with piping to help create a more even look. Avoid using a small tip or the coconut flakes will get stuck.

Allow the Hertzoggies to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Be careful if taking a bite shortly after baking! The apricot jam will be very hot.

Once the tartlets have cooled to room temperature, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

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Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets) Recipe

Adapted from Fake Food Free

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5 from 2 votes

Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)

Recipe for Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets)! A buttery, delicate crust is filled with apricot jam, topped with a sweet coconut meringue, and baked until golden. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine South African

Keyword coconut, dessert, jam, South Africa, South African, tartlet

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12 -14 Tartlets

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 2 cups (260 grams) cake flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter cold and diced
• 3 large egg yolks save the egg whites for the meringue
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 milliliters) cold water

Filling:

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups (260 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (150 grams) unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract halal or 1 vanilla bean if avoiding alcohol
• 1/2 cup (160 grams) apricot jam

Instructions

To make the pastry:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
• Quickly cut in the cold butter using a dough blender, two forks, or your fingers until blended and no pieces are larger than a pea and the dough has a crumbly texture.
• Mix in the egg yolks, followed by just enough water to bring the dough together until smooth.
• Form the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

To form the Hertzoggies:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease a tartlet pan with butter.
• On a sheet of wax paper or a lightly floured surface, gently roll the chilled pastry until it is 1/4 inch (0.5 centimeter) thick. Cut out circles of dough 2 1/2 inches (6.3 centimeters) wide.
• Carefully transfer the circles to the prepared tartlet pan, gently pressing into the bottom and sides of the pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the meringue.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites to form soft peaks. While beating, slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the coconut flakes, followed by the vanilla extract.
• Remove the pan from the refrigerator and place about 2 teaspoons of jam across the bottom of each tartlet.
• Transfer the coconut meringue to a piping bag or a large ziploc bag with about 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeter) corner snipped off. Pipe the batter or spoon over the apricot jam to fully cover.
• Bake the Hertzoggies in the preheated oven until the pastry is set and the meringue is crisp and golden, about 20-25 minutes.
• Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
• These pastries are best the day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.