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Six golden Portuguese coconut tartlets dusted with icing sugar on a white plate, crisp shortcrust shells with brown coconut custard filling

Portuguese Coconut Tartlets (Queijadas de Coco)

Golden Portuguese coconut tartlets with a buttery shortcrust shell and a firm, chewy coconut custard filling. Ready in 40 minutes.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 12 tartlets
Calories: 265

Ingredients
  

Shortcrust Pastry
  • 200 g plain all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
  • 100 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 egg yolk large
  • 2-3 tbsp cold water add one tablespoon at a time
Coconut Filling
  • 397 g sweetened condensed milk 1 full tin
  • 100 g unsweetened desiccated coconut
  • 3 eggs large, room temperature
  • 30 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract optional
  • 1 pinch pinch of salt

Method
 

Make the Shortcrust Pastry
  1. Combine the flour and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the egg yolk and 2 tbsp of cold water. Mix with a fork until the dough just comes together. If it still crumbles, add the third tablespoon of water. Don't overwork it.
  3. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in cling film, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  4. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
  5. Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thickness. Cut out 12 rounds using a 7 cm cutter or a glass slightly wider than your muffin cups.
  6. Press each round into a muffin cup, pressing firmly up the sides to form a shell. Refrigerate the lined tin for 15 minutes.
Make the Coconut Filling
  1. Whisk the eggs lightly in a bowl until the yolks and whites are just combined.
  2. Add the condensed milk, melted butter, desiccated coconut, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir gently until the mixture is smooth and the coconut is evenly distributed. Don't beat air into it.
Fill and Bake
  1. Spoon the coconut filling into the chilled pastry shells, filling each one to about 3 mm below the rim. The filling will puff slightly as it bakes.
  2. Bake at 190 C / 375 F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 175 C / 350 F and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the filling is just set with a very slight wobble.
  3. Remove from the oven and immediately run a butter knife around the edge of each tartlet. Leave them in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  4. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

Notes

If your muffin tin has shallow cups, use a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin and increase the final bake time by 5 minutes - the deeper shells need a little longer for the filling to set through.