Hertzoggies - South African tarts

Hertzoggies is a popular South African dessert. These cookies consist of light, crusty tarts filled with a mushy apricot jam meringue. The outer crust is made with flour, butter, baking powder, egg yolks, salt, nutmeg and sugar. The filling usually consists of apricot jam, egg white, sugar and desiccated coconut.

The pastry is cut into circles, lined onto a muffin tray, apricot jam spooned on top of it and then topped with the meringue. The tarts are baked in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until golden, and voila!

Hertzoggies are traditionally served with a cup of English tea on the side.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Servings: 4 (12 tarts)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of self-raising flour

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

• 150 ml castor sugar

• A pinch of salt

• About ½ cup of cubed butter

• 3 egg yolks

• A splash of cold water

For the filling:

• 2 large egg whites

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

• 2 cups of desiccated coconut

• 150 ml apricot jam

Cooking Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C and grease a muffin baking tin.

2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, castor sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl.

3. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until crumbly.

4. Add the egg yolks and water, mix and put the dough on a clean, floured surface.

5. Knead the dough until smooth.

6. Pop it back into the mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and leave to rest for about 20 minutes. While the dough is sleeping, make the meringue.

7. Whisk the egg whites to form soft peaks, then slowly add the sugar and vanilla essence, whisking continuously.

8. Fold in the coconut and set aside.

9. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 5 mm thick.

10. Grab a cookie cutter if you have one (or a cup if you don’t) and cut out pastry circles.

11. One by one, line each hollow of the muffin tray.

12. Spoon apricot jam on top of the pastry, and top it with the meringue.

13. Pop the tarts into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.

14. Allow to cool slightly, then carefully lift them out the tray and onto a cooling rack.