Jalapeno Eyeball Tarts (Easy Halloween Appetizers)

Jalapeno eye ball appetizers arranged on a plate.

Jalapeno Eyeball Tarts (Easy Halloween Appetizers)

Course: Appetizer, Party Food, Tapas

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Prep Time: 1 40

Cook Time: 25

Inactive resting / Chilling time: 15

Servings: mini tarts

Calories: 96kcal

Author: Dini Kodippili

These fun, easy jalapeno eyeball tarts are the perfect Halloween party food! Creamy, cheesy, spicy, in a buttery, crisp tart base, and topped with sweet chili sauce. These mini savory tarts are so versatile and can be made ahead of time.

EASY - Very easy recipe, and can be made ahead of time as well! Can be served as Halloween party appetizers or just regular party appetizers too.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For puff pastry tarts

450 g puff pastry sheets 2 sheets
115 g unsalted butter softened

For cream cheese filling

455 g cream cheese blocks 2 blocks (softened to room temperature)
150 g grated cheddar cheese 1 ¼ cups
50 g pickled jalapeno approximately scant ¼ cup (adjust to your heat tolerance levels)
3 tbsp bacon crumbles store-bought or 2 - 3 bacon strips cooked and crumbled (optional)
3 tbsp chopped chives or finely chopped green onions

For topping

15 fresh jalapenos
1 cup sweet chili sauce or red pepper jelly

Instructions

Puff pastry tart base

The 2 sheets of puff pastry will weigh around 1 lb or about 450 g, and each will be a 9 - 10 inch square. Place these 2 sheets on a lightly floured work surface.
Brush the end of one puff pastry sheet (about ¼ - ½ cm) with a little water. Place the second pastry sheet below it, with one end overlapping this brushed end of the first sheet. Press down to seal the two sheets together to form one long puff pastry sheet that's about 9 - 10 inches wide and about 18 - 21 inches long. See pictures in the post for reference.
Roll the dough lightly to make the width about 12 inches.
ALTERNATIVELY - If you can make you own puff pastry dough, or buy premade dough, roll it out to form a rectangle that's about 12 inches wide, and at least 22 inches long.
Make sure one of the short sides of the pastry is facing you.
Take the softened, spreadable butter, and spread a very thin layer of butter all over the surface of the pastry, only leaving a 1 - 1.5 inch strip along the shorter end that's away from you.
115 g unsalted butter
Roll the pastry sheet, starting from the short end close to you. Make sure that it's rolled tightly, with no gaps in the spiral.
Roll the pastry sheet towards the end with no butter. Once you reach that end, brush a little bit of water on the bare dough strip and pinch to seal the dough together and form a pastry log. The edge will not be even and straight, but that will be fixed later. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
Once the log is chilled, take it out of the fridge and plastic wrap. Place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it as evenly as possible to make it into a 2 inch diameter log throughout.
Now cut the uneven edges to make the ends straight and even.
Slice portions that are about 1 cm / ⅜ inch thick from this pastry log, using a very sharp knife to get clean edges.

Shape the tart base

Take each spiraled dough slice and flour each sides. With floured hands, gently press the middle of the disc with your thumb. Continue to do this 3 - 4 times while rotating the disc with the other hand to create a concave / cup shape (without creating a hole in the pastry). See short video clip in the post for reference.
Move the pressure from the middle to the sides of the pastry while rotating the disc. This will start to thin out the sides of the tart, while creating a larger concave shape. The edge of the pastry disc should still be thick.
Next, transfer this into a cavity in a mini muffin pan. You do not need to butter the pan, since the pastry has enough butter to keep it from sticking to the pan.
Use your floured fingers to flatten the pastry into the bottom and sides of the muffin pan cavity. The top edge might be sticking out of the pan and be a little thicker. This is completely OK.
Repeat with the other disc portions until the all the cavities in the mini muffin pans are lined with pastry bases. This recipe should make about 48 tart shells, which will need 2 mini muffin pans.
Keep the tray and any other unshaped pastry portions in the fridge until you’re ready to fill them.

Make the cream cheese filling

Make the cream cheese filling while the puff pastry log is chilling in the fridge.
Finely chop the pickled jalapeno, chives / spring onions, and bacon (if using).
50 g pickled jalapeno, 3 tbsp chopped chives, 3 tbsp bacon crumbles
Place the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and all the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
455 g cream cheese blocks, 150 g grated cheddar cheese, 50 g pickled jalapeno, 3 tbsp bacon crumbles, 3 tbsp chopped chives
Mix well with a spatula or a hand mixer. Taste and add seasoning if needed. I do not need to add any salt, but black pepper might be a nice addition.
Set aside in the bowl, or place the filling in a piping bag and set aside.

Topping

Wash and pat dry the jalapenos.
15 fresh jalapenos
Cut the jalapenos into ½ inch thick slices to get circles. Depending on the size of your jalapenos, you may get 4 slices or up to 7 slices. Make sure you have enough to top all the tarts.
Use a sharp knife or a very small circle cutter to remove the white pith and seeds in the middle of each jalapeno slice. Set aside to top the tarts during the last few minutes of baking OR after baking.

Filling the tarts

Preheat a conventional oven to 425°F / 218°C.
Take the mini muffin pan with the puff pastry tarts and fill each tart with the cream cheese filling. About 10 - 12 g per tart, which is roughly about 1 tbsp or slightly less. Do not fill the tarts to the top, it should only be about ⅔ - ¾ way full.
Once the cheese filling is added, bake the tarts in the preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the tarts turn deep golden brown in color.
During the last 5 minutes of baking, place a slice of jalapeno on top of the filling to allow the jalapeno to slightly soften. Alternatively, you can place the jalapeno slice on top AFTER the tart has baked as well. This will keep the jalapeno slice fresh and crisp.
15 fresh jalapenos
Remove the tarts from the oven when the pastry turns deep golden brown, and then let them cool down. The cheesy middle will be melted, so let it cool down slightly before the final step.
When the tarts have cooled down slightly, fill each jalapeno slice with a dollop of red sweet chili sauce.
1 cup sweet chili sauce
If the jalapeno slice has moved, use a toothpick to adjust it to lay flat before filling with sweet chili sauce.
Serve while tarts are still warm, with the remaining sweet chili sauce on the side.

Nutrition