South African Strawberry Tart Hertzoggies Recipe

South African classic tea time dessert, strawberry tart hertzoggies were named after J.B.M. Hertzog who served as South Africa's prime minister. Hertzoggies were his favorite teatime dessert and his supporters baked and served strawberry hertzoggies at every function J.B.M. Hertzog attended.

 

Hertzoggies are sweet and delicious tartlets filled with strawberry jam and decadent coconut topped with baked meringue.

Food of Africa.

Prep time: 45 min Cook time: 10 min Total time: 55 min

Classic South African Strawberry Tart Hertzoggies Recipe.

Ingredients

For the Dough

2 cups self-rising flour

¼ cup castor sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

3 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Filling

1/2 cup strawberry jam

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

For the Meringue

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

 

Directions

For the dough, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined. Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes.

For the filling, beat together all ingredients until well combined.

To assemble tartlet, take a golf ball sized chunk of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc between your hands and place into prepared muffin pans. Place a teaspoonful of filling into the center of each.

For the meringue, in large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks. Top each stuffed cookie with a dollop of meringue. Bake tartlets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until the lightly golden.

Growing strawberries

In South Africa, April is the best time to plant strawberries.
In South Africa strawberries were introduced in 1656.
Strawberries were cultivated by the Romans as early as 234 BC and in mediaeval times strawberries were regarded as an aphrodisiac