Recipe for Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets) for #BakingBlogger’s Bite Sized Baking event! 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 here: 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 and named after J. B. M. Hertzog (prime minister from 1924 to 1939). 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.
After forming the pastry crust, allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. The dough will be very delicate. 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 room temperature, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Bite Sized Baking
- Baked Tater Tots from Magical Ingredients
- Breakfast Toast Cups from Making Miracles
- Chocolate Bouchons from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Eggless Pineapple Cupcakes from Sneha’s Recipe
- Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets) from Tara’s Multicultural Table
- Honey-Kissed Savory Shortbread Crackers from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Muffin Pizzas from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pizza Bombs from Palatable Pastime
- Potato Salad Bites from Food Lust People Love
- Prickly Pear Tartlets from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut Tartlets) Recipe
Adapted from Fake Food Free
Hertzoggies (South African Jam and Coconut 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 cm) thick. Cut out circles of dough 2 1/2 inches (6.3 cm) 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 cm) 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.
Wendy Klik
Love the look of that jam oozing out. The flavor profile on these grabbed my attention right away.
Rebekah Hills
Oh my goodness! That meringue topping and jammy filling – these are beautiful!
Sue Lau
Those are gorgeous. And yet another great recipe for me to use with half empty jars of jam in a fridge clean out. Tons of flavors!
Karen
I love hearing about the history of various dishes. These sound so good it’s amazing they haven’t spread beyond South Africa! Now maybe they will =)
Shelley
I just love the idea of a whole “bite sized baking event” – little bite-sized treats are such a sweet dessert, with portion control factored in, too – total win! And speaking of winning … oh my goodness, these look so amazing! I adore coconut-flavored things, so I’m totally loving that you flavored the meringue with coconut – a perfect companion to the apricot!
Chris Collins
Anything jam and coconut and I’m sold! I’ll definitely be giving these a go on the weekend 🙂
Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious
I love all of your unique dessert recipes! These looks delicious!
Beth Sachs
I’ve never heard of these before but I LOVE apricot jam so will be giving them a try soon. I think my kids will love them.
Jessica Formicola
I have never tried hertzoggies, but these look amazing! I will definitely be trying these soon!
Radha
These look addictive and delicious! I love anything with coconut. I am thinking to grab one right from the picture. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
So many great flavors all together! I bet these taste amazing! I love apricot jam!
Stacy
My husband isn’t a fan of dessicated coconut but I’m thinking I could top these with almond meringue for a less traditional version. Yours are beautiful!