Description

These Halloween Jack Skellington Ricotta Olive Tarts are a spooky, delicious treat perfect for festive gatherings. Featuring a gluten-free tart crust filled with a creamy ricotta mixture and decorated with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes to create a Jack Skellington face, this recipe combines savory flavors with a fun Halloween theme. These mini tarts are baked to golden perfection and make an impressive appetizer or snack for Halloween parties.

Ingredients

Scale

Gluten-Free Tart Crust

½ cup sweet rice flour
¼ cup millet flour
⅓ cup gluten-free oat flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour (or corn starch)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
5-7 tablespoons ice water

Filling and Topping

1 can black olives
3-4 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
2-3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1½ cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
3 egg whites
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

Prepare the crust dough: In a large bowl, whisk together sweet rice flour, millet flour, gluten-free oat flour, tapioca flour, and kosher salt. Add cold butter pieces and break them up with your hands until the largest pieces are pea-sized.
Add ice water gradually: Dribble in ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough comes together when pinched; use 5-7 tablespoons as needed.
Divide and chill dough: Split the dough into 6-8 pieces for mini tartlets. Roll each into a ball, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven and roll crusts: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll each dough piece between two sheets of parchment or wax paper dusted with millet flour to form a circle 1 inch larger than your tart pan.
Fit crusts into tart pans: Remove one parchment layer and flip crust into the pan with parchment side up, then remove the top parchment and press dough evenly into mini tart pans. Repeat for all dough pieces.
Prepare olive decorations: Thinly slice 6 black olives lengthwise into paper-thin strips for mouths and cut 12-14 small oval pieces for noses. Set aside for later decoration.
Add filling toppings and pre-bake crusts: Chop 3-4 tablespoons black olives and distribute among tarts. Place 3-5 julienned sun-dried tomato strips, sprinkle thyme, and parmesan cheese evenly atop each tart. Bake for 12 minutes until crust is lightly cooked.
Make ricotta filling: While crusts bake, whisk together ricotta, Greek yogurt, egg whites, minced garlic, and kosher salt until smooth.
Fill tarts and decorate faces: Remove pre-baked crusts from oven and fill each tart to the top with ricotta mixture. Place two whole black olives for eyes and two olive ovals for the nose on each tart. Use thin olive strips to create a criss-cross mouth pattern delicately, using chopsticks or tweezers for precision.
Bake filled tarts: Bake filled tarts for 25 minutes or until ricotta filling is set. Start checking doneness at 15 minutes depending on tart size. Serve warm.
Reheat instructions: To reheat, bake at 400ºF for 7 minutes until warmed through.

Notes

Use millet flour for rolling dough to prevent sticking without gluten.
Ensure all butter pieces are cold for a flaky crust texture.
If you don’t have millet flour, you can substitute with additional oat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Trim the olive slices carefully with a paring knife to get thin strips for detailed decorating.
Mini tart pans of about 3-4 inches diameter work best for this size; adjust dough portions accordingly.
Chilling the dough discs helps in easier rolling and prevents shrinkage during baking.
Use chopsticks or small tweezers for precise placement of olive decorations to mimic the Jack Skellington face.
Store leftover tarts in the refrigerator and reheat as instructed before serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 tart
Calories: 210 kcal
Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 180 mg
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 15 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 6 g
Cholesterol: 40 mg