Jam and Coconut Meringue Cutouts

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/12/2016 (3525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

These cookies start out crispy and crunchy, but their texture improves significantly by the next day; the time in the refrigerator causes them to soften and crack (which is a good thing).

In testing, we found that a more tart fruit filling worked better against the sweetness of the base crust and meringue, so this might be a good way to use leftover homemade cranberry sauce.

You’ll need a 22.5×32.5 centimetre (9×13 inch) baking pan.

Make ahead: After they’ve been refrigerated, the cutouts can be stored between layers of wax paper in an airtight container for up to five days.

Adapted from Traditional Jewish Baking: Retro Recipes Your Grandma Would Make … If She Had a Mixer, by Carine Goren (Page Street Publishing, 2016).

Jam and Coconut Meringue Cutouts

Makes 70 triangles or 35 squares

Ingredients
For the base:
240 g (500 ml or 2 cups) flour
6 g (10 ml or 2 tsp) baking powder
100 g (125 ml or ½ cup) sugar
200 g (210 ml or 14 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, diced
4 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites (reserve the latter for the meringue)

For the jam:
240 g (250 ml or 1 cup) raspberry jam or preserves (see headnote)
For the meringue:
150 g (180 ml or ¾ cup) sugar
100 g (250 ml or 1 cup) desiccated (dried, unsweetened) coconut
20 g (30 ml or 2 tbsp) vanilla-flavoured instant pudding mix

For the base:

Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). Line the baking pan with parchment paper that’s long enough to hang over two sides.

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and butter pieces in a food processor; pulse to a crumbly consistency. Add the egg yolks and process just until a ball of dough forms.

Use your hands to press the dough into the lined pan; bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool for a bit, and leave the oven on.

For the jam:

Heat the jam in a microwave on low for 20 seconds, until runny and smooth. Spread it over the par-baked base.

For the meringue:

Place the reserved egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a balloon-whisk attachment, or use a handheld electric mixer; beat for about 30 seconds at medium speed, until they become frothy. Gradually add the sugar; beat (medium speed) to form a meringue that is firm and shiny.

Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the desiccated coconut and the pudding mix, then beat for five more seconds or just until incorporated. The meringue will lose some of its volume and that’s OK.

Spread the meringue evenly over the jam layer, making sure to cover the jam completely; bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden on top.

Let cool completely, then use the parchment to transfer the slab to a cutting board. Cut into triangles (or squares). Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours (and preferably up to one day) before serving or storing.

— The Washington Post