Looking for an easy Halloween appetizer. These Ghost Crackers with Swamp Dip (black bean dip) fill the bill. The ghosts are made with flour tortillas and baked until crisp. The smooth swamp dip flavors black beans with onions, jalapeños, garlic, Salsa Verde, fresh lime juice, cumin, and salt.
The key to keeping the crackers flat and crunchy is baking them beneath a second sheet pan and the dark dip creates the perfect "swamp" backdrop for the pale golden ghosts.
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Quick Look at the Recipe
- What it is: Crisp flour tortilla ghost crackers served with a smooth black bean "Swamp Dip"
- Why it works: The crackers bake between parchment and a second sheet pan, which keeps them flat and crisp
- Dip flavor: Savory black beans with sautéed onion, jalapeño, Salsa Verde, garlic, and cumin
- Prep time: About 20 minutes, plus chilling
- Bake time: 15 to 20 minutes
- Yield: About 36 to 40 ghost crackers and 1½ cups dip
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make-ahead: The dip can be chilled in advance, and the crackers can be baked ahead and stored airtight
Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need for the Swamp Dip and Ghost Crackers
Make the Swamp Dip - Step-by-Step
- Sauté veggies: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeños; cook until tender, about 7 minutes.
- Garlic: Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Process: Add the rinsed and drained black beans, onion mixture, Salsa Verde, lime juice, cumin, and salt to the food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. If necessary, scrape down the sides.
- Chill: Transfer the Swamp Dip to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together.
Make the Ghost Crackers
These Ghost Crackers only take one ingredient - flour tortillas. The Master Taste Tester says that they taste like Carr's Water Crackers. I agree!
- Ghost shapes: Use 2 ½ ghost cookie cutters to cut the ghost shapes from the flour tortillas.
- Eyes and mouth: Use a #5 round pastry tip to make two eyes on each ghost, and a #18 round pastry tip to make the mouth.
- Arrange: Place the ghost cutouts on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Cover the ghosts with another sheet of parchment paper.
- Bake: Place a second half-sheet pan on top of the ghosts. Bake the ghosts in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned around the edges.
- Cool: Remove the Ghost Crackers from the oven. Remove the top sheet pan and top sheet of parchment paper, and let the crackers cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Serve: When ready to serve, transfer the Swamp Dip to a dish, and add the Ghost Crackers.
These Ghost Crackers with Swamp Dip are a simple way to add some spooky fun to a Halloween spread without a lot of fuss. The crisp tortilla ghosts are easy to make in advance, and the smooth Swamp Dip brings just enough heat and savory flavor for a perfect appetizer. Serve them for a Halloween party, movie night, or casual get-together, and watch the little ghosts disappear. Yum!
PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
Use broader ghost shapes. Initially, I tried smaller ghost shapes. While they worked, I thought that the larger ghosts held their form well and gave enough room for the facial features.
Use back-and-forth motions. To get a clean cut with my ghost cutters, I had to use firm pressure on the flour tortilla and a back-and-forth motion.
Keep the facial cutouts clean and centered. The #5 tip is small enough for the eyes, while the #18 tip gives the mouth enough expression without removing too much of the tortilla. This is important because you want the Ghost Crackers to hold up when dipped.
Do not skip the second sheet pan. If you've ever tried baking flour tortillas, you've probably seen them puff up, curl, and sometimes separate. That initially happened to me! To solve this, I decided that I needed to use a weight on the Ghost Crackers. The added piece of parchment paper topped with a second sheet pan did the job!
Start checking at 15 minutes. As you probably know, not all ovens are the same. Depending on the size of your Ghost Crackers, I would recommend checking them at around 15 minutes, especially if you use smaller ghost cookie cutters and/or thinner flour tortillas. For reference, I used Walmart brand 10-inch flour tortillas.
Let them cool completely. The crackers continue to crisp as they cool.
In Case You Were Wondering
If covered and refrigerated, it should last for least three days.
I used two different ghost cutters, each about 2 ½ inches high. At first, I worried they would be too large, but they turned out to be the perfect size.
The sheet ghost cutter made 10; the Casper the ghost cutter made 9. The actual number, however, will depend on the specific ghost cutters used.
Other Spooky Halloween Savory Treats
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Ghost Crackers with Swamp Dip
Equipment
- 2 half sheet pans
- Parchment paper
- 2 ½-inch ghost cookie cutters
- #5 round piping tip
- #18 round piping tip
Ingredients
Swamp Dip
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion (½ medium onion)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and well drained
- 2 Tablespoons Salsa Verde
- Juice of one lime, about 1 ½ tablespoons
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt salt
Ghost Crackers
- 4 10-inch flour tortillas (See Tip 1)
- 2 ½ inch ghost cookie cutters (See Tip 2)
- #5 round pastry tip for the ghosts' eyes
- #18 round pastry tip for the ghosts' mouth
Instructions
Swamp Dip
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeño peppers; cook until they soften, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the black beans, onion mixture, Salsa Verde, lime juice, cumin, and salt to a food processor with a steel blade. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary, for about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ghost Crackewr
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper
- Cut ghost shapes from the flour tortillas. Use the #5 round tip to cut two eyes and the #18 round tip to cut the mouth for each ghost.
- Place the ghosts on the prepared sheet pan. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and another half sheet pan (to serve as a weight on the ghosts). (See Tip 3)
- Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned around the edges.
- Yield: 36 to 40 ghost crackers.
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used 10-inch Walmart Brand flour tortillas. Feel free to use smaller flour tortillas.
- The ghost cookie cutters should produce ghost crackers that are substantial enough to work with the Swamp Dip.
- Don't skip this step - it keeps the Ghost Crackers from puffing up and curling.
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