If you’re looking for creative ideas for the Halloween party, monstrously delicious yet still in line with your idea of healthy and genuine, you’re in the right place! This year as well, I didn’t want to back down from preparing themed desserts because, although this holiday imported from distant America is not particularly to my liking, I love decorating each of my preparations and setting up my sets with photographic props, like small pumpkins and candles! Having revealed my true motivations, this tart is monstrously good and crumbly, with an oil-based shortcrust that makes it lighter and easier to digest and perfect for those with lactose intolerance since it is free of butter and milk! Also, it is very quick to prepare, as it requires no rest in the fridge, so once the dough is made, you can roll it out immediately! The rest is a piece of cake: you can have fun cutting the leftover shortcrust into strips and arranging them randomly to simulate mummy bandages, and decorate it with whatever your imagination suggests for a horror-style scenic effect! The choice of jam should naturally evoke blood, but if you’re not a fan of fruit preserves, you can always opt for any spread! Beyond Halloween, it will be ideal for your wholesome breakfasts or genuine snacks.
Below, I suggest some other themed sweet ideas that might interest you:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: Mold Ø 23
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it costs you nothing extra!
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup peanut oil
- 1 packet vanilla (powdered or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1 cherry jam (or cherry)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- as needed Baking spray
- 1 pinch salt
- sugar eyes (Halloween themed)
- sugar eyes (the larger ones are from Lidl Italy)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Tart pan
- 1 Pastry wheel
- 1 Ruler
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Fork
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, the whole egg, and the yolk.
Add the pinch of salt and the oil, then mix with a ladle.
Gradually incorporate the vanilla powder, the flour with the sifted baking powder until the dough starts to form.
Move to a work surface and incorporate the remaining flour little by little, working the dough by hand.
You should obtain a smooth dough that no longer sticks to your hands.
With the help of a rolling pin, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/6 inch.
Line the tart pan* with the shortcrust, previously sprayed with baking spray or, alternatively, buttered and floured.
Remove the edge and prick the bottom with the tines of a fork.
Fill with jam of sour cherries or cherries and spread evenly with the help of a spoon. Store in the fridge.
In the meantime, re-roll the remaining shortcrust and cut out strips with a non-serrated pastry wheel to place on the tart.
Retrieve the tart and arrange the strips on top without a precise order, they should simulate mummy bandages, and trim the excess.
Decorate with sugar eyes always in random order.
Cover with a disc of parchment paper and put back in the fridge while the oven preheats. Bake at 356°F for about 25 minutes, removing the parchment paper disc 10 minutes before the end of baking**.
Take out of the oven and let cool completely before removing the mold!
And there you have it…the Halloween tart with oil is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
The Halloween tart with oil can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, but you can freeze it in containers suitable for freezing for up to 3 months.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣* The mold: my advice is to choose a mold with a removable and perforated bottom to ensure that the heat circulates evenly, resulting in a crispier base and drier fillings. In the tools section, you’ll find the link to purchase the same mold I used!
🟣** Baking times can vary based on your oven’s power, so generally, the rule is that the shortcrust should only become golden and not darken.
🟣Add flour little by little because its absorption may slightly vary depending on the weight of the eggs. If you wish to substitute a portion of the flour with whole grain or type 1 flour, you might need less than the recipe amount. It will be ready when it no longer sticks to your hands.
🟣You can substitute peanut oil with sunflower oil, rice oil, or any oil with a delicate and neutral flavor.
🟣For the filling: if the tart is meant for Halloween, a sour cherry or cherry jam is a must because the red of these preserves will simulate the “blood” effect. In this regard, I recommend adding a bit more at the end of baking around the eyes to make it even scarier. Alternatively, beyond Halloween, you can naturally opt for other jams or marmalades of your choice or spreads like chocolate or pistachio.
