Here is a final recipe in my gluten free Halloween baking series and I have saved a real good’un for last. These decadent chocolate tartlets are a more mature take on traditional Halloween treats. The sweet chocolate almond filling is topped with dark chocolate ganache and encased in a gluten free pastry crust. The spider web piping takes a little practice, but once you have the right consistency you’ll be creating mini masterpieces in no time!

Gluten Free Halloween Recipe: Spider Web Chocolate Tartlets (Makes 10)

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 65g milk chocolate
  • 35g butter
  • 35g ground almonds
  • Half a tsp vanilla essence
  • 2 medium egg whites (keep the yolks as they can be used for the pastry egg wash)
  • 45g caster sugar
  • 25g gluten free plain flour

For the ganache

  • 150ml double cream
  • 100g good quality dark chocolate

For the icing

  • 100g royal icing sugar
  • Water

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  2. Roll out the pastry and place into small pre-greased tartlet cases. Prick the bases then bake them blind for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and eggwash the pastry. Finally bake uncovered for a further 5 minutes until golden.
  3. Turn the oven down to 160C.
  4. Time to make the filling! In a small pan, melt the milk chocolate and butter over a low heat. Once completely smooth, remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and vanilla extract.
  5. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk for 2 minutes then add the caster sugar. Continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened to form stiff peaks.
  6. Carefully fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Try not to overwork it as you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. 
  7. Now fold the flour into the mixture until everything is totally combined.
  8. Spoon the filling into the tartlet pastry cases until they are 3/4 full. Pop them in the oven to bake for 5 minutes, which will firm up the filling. Set them aside to cool while you make ganache.
  9. For the ganache, heat the cream in a pan over a very low heat. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave for a few minutes until the chocolate has melted. Then stir well to achieve a nice, silky consistency and you can now top the tartlets with a layer of ganache. Smooth the ganache with a palate knife and then leave them aside to set.
  10. Once the tartlets have set, you can pipe on your cobwebs! Mix the icing sugar with a little water to achieve a toothpaste-like consistency. Transfer the icing to a piping bag with a very small nozzle (or alternatively cut the end of a disposable piping bag) and then pipe on your spooky patterns.

These tartlets are great both hot or cold. Warm them in the oven for 5 minutes at 160C and serve with ice-cream for a reeeeally delicious gluten free Halloween dessert. They also keep well for a few days, stored in an airtight container in a cool place. Happy gluten free Halloween!

Looking for more gluten free Halloween ideas? Try one of these:

Happy Halloween! x