Description
These Halloween Jack Skellington Ricotta Olive Tarts are a spooky and savory treat that combines a gluten-free, crisp tart crust with a creamy ricotta and Greek yogurt filling, flavored with garlic, thyme, and parmesan. Decorated with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes to create Jack Skellington’s signature face, these tarts are perfect for festive Halloween gatherings and are baked until the filling is perfectly set.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Gluten-Free Tart Crust
- 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/4 cup millet flour
- 1/3 cup gluten-free oat flour (made by grinding whole oats)
- 3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour or corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
- 5–7 tablespoons ice water
Filling and Toppings
- 1 can black olives
- 3–4 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes (from jar packed in oil)
- 2–3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 3 egg whites
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the crust dough. In a large bowl, whisk together sweet rice flour, millet flour, gluten-free oat flour, tapioca starch, and kosher salt. Add the cold butter pieces and use your hands to mix and break the butter until the largest pieces are about pea-sized. Gradually add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing each time, until the dough holds together when pinched.
- Chill the dough. Divide the dough into 6-8 portions depending on tart size. Shape each into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Preheat oven and roll out dough. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll each chilled dough disc between two sheets of parchment or wax paper dusted with millet flour, making a circle about 1 inch larger than your tart pans.
- Fit dough into tart pans. Peel off one piece of parchment and flip the dough into each tart pan with parchment side up. Remove second parchment and gently press dough into tart pan shape. Work in batches if needed.
- Prepare olive decorations and filling base. Thinly slice 6 black olives into paper-thin strips for the mouth. Cut 12-14 small olive ovals for the nose. Chop remaining olives for the filling. Set all aside.
- Assemble tart shells with initial toppings. Evenly distribute chopped olives into each tart shell. Top each with 3-5 strips of sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves and divide parmesan cheese evenly among tarts.
- Bake tart shells partially. Bake tarts for 12 minutes until crust is lightly cooked but not browned.
- Mix ricotta filling. While crusts bake, whisk together ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt, egg whites, minced garlic, and kosher salt until smooth and combined.
- Fill tarts and decorate. Remove tart shells from oven and evenly divide ricotta filling among them, filling to the top. Place two whole black olives as eyes and two small olive ovals for the nose on each tart. Using the thin olive strips, create Jack Skellington’s criss-cross mouth patterns carefully.
- Bake filled tarts until set. Bake for 20-25 minutes, starting to check at 15 minutes, until the ricotta filling is fully set and slightly golden around edges.
- Serve and reheat. Serve warm. To reheat, bake at 400°F for 7 minutes.
Notes
- You can make your own gluten-free oat flour by grinding whole oats in a food processor.
- Work in batches if your tart pans only hold 4 at a time to avoid crust drying out while shaping.
- Use chopsticks to help place delicate olive pieces when creating Jack Skellington’s face for easier precision.
- If you prefer, substitute Greek yogurt with sour cream for a tangier filling.
- Store leftover tarts in refrigerator and reheat as directed to maintain texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini tart (based on 8 tarts)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
