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Home » Recipes » Appetizers


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Tarticos (Mini Pies and 11 Fillings)

Tarticos (sweet and savory mini pies)

En Español Recipe ↆ

No Dominican party is complete without Tarticos. These mini pies are a very versatile and inexpensive appetizer. I'll show you how to make them with this simple recipe with video.

By Clara Gonzalez - Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026. Original: Nov 2, 2012

Dominican tarticos (mini pies).

Ask questions, or share your knowledge and experience.

💬 Write a comment.

JUMP TO: show ↓
1. Why we ❤️ it
2. Mini pie fillings
3. Serving suggestions
4. Top tips
5. About this recipe
6. Recipe

Why we ❤️ it

These crunchy mini pie crusts are filled with sweet and savory fillings and decorated simply or with a lot of flair. Learn how to make this Dominican recipe for tarticos, baking the shell at home, and ideas for sweet and savory fillings.

First of all, the most important part of this recipe is the tarticos, as they are known in our country. These can usually be bought ready-made at the supermarket, are a very versatile option for parties and gatherings, and can be completed with sweet and savory fillings.

Mini pie fillings

Tarticos are mini pie crusts served with sweet and savory fillings, hot or cold. They can usually be purchased at the supermarket in packets to fill at home.

There are many options for filling tarticos, the combinations are almost endless, but here are some fillings that are already in our recipe collection for you to experiment with. I recommend these in particular:

  • With lambí filling
  • With creamy chicken filling
  • With spicy chicken in tomato sauce filling
  • With vegan filling
  • With crabmeat filling
  • With guava filling
  • With pineapple jam filling
  • With dulce de leche filling
  • With ricotta and dulce en almíbar filling
  • With pizza filling (in recipe)
  • With Serrano ham filling (in the recipe)
Tarticos mini pies with sweet filling.
Tarticos mini pies with savory filling.

Dominican tarticos (mini pies).

Serving suggestions

Tarticos are perfect for a simple picadera, or something more sophisticated. You can make them in one flavor, or in a variety of flavors. You can make them sweet or savory to serve with coffee or in a picadera.

Other options that go well with mini pies are Sanduchon (savory sandwich cake), another spectacular party food. Pastelitos or empanaditas also go very well. Croquetas (croquettes) and ripe plantain and cheese balls are great choices too.

And don't forget to check out our Dominican drinks to see what to pair them with.

Top tips

Storing shells: If you want to save the shells for longer than a day, keep them in the fridge and reheat shortly before serving since the shells get a bit soft in the fridge.

About this recipe

For a long time I have been receiving emails and messages from our readers asking about how to prepare the tarts. After a couple of trials, the third time I found the recipe that worked and tastes the best.

Make your party or juntadera a total success with our fabulous Dominican mini pies for every taste and budget. I'll show you how to make tarticos at home.

I can already imagine making these more often.

Enjoy!

Tia Clara

Recipe

This awesome free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, we receive a small commission from any purchase you make at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Dominican tarticos (sweet and savory mini pies)

Tarticos (Sweet and Savory Mini Pies)

By: Clara Gonzalez
Learn how to prepare Dominican tarticos (mini pies), with this easy recipe for the shell, and several sweet and savory fillings for all tastes and budgets.
Save for Later Send by Email Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 6 servings
Calories 205 kcal

Ingredients

For the mini pie shells

  • ¼ stick salted butter, [28 grams] at room temperature
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, [120 grams]
  • 6 tablespoons milk, (whole or skim)

For the pizza filling

  • ½ cup pizza sauce, from a jar or can
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 24 slices pepperoni, (optional)

For the ham filling

  • 6 tablespoons cream cheese, [84 gr] at room temperature
  • 6 ounces Serrano ham, [170 gr] thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
  • 6 leaves fresh basil, for decoration

Instructions
 

1. Preheat

  • Preheating oven.
    Preheat the oven to 150 ºC [300 ºF].

2. Knead

  • Cutting dough.
    Using your fingertips, mix the butter with the flour and the milk until crumbs form. Press and knead lightly to form a ball. Do not knead more than is strictly necessary.
    Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.
    Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough and cut into 3.5-inch [9-centimeter] circles.

3. Bake the tartlets

  • Mini pie shells on muffin tin.
    Place the circles on the upside-down side of a mini-cake pan.
    Place a baking sheet on the tartlets (to keep the bottoms of the tartlets flat).
    Bake for 10 minutes until they are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

4. To store the tartlets

  • Store in an airtight plastic bag in a dry place. Use within one day, or refrigerate for up to one week.
    To fill and serve, see below

5. Filling

  • Tarticos rellenos.
    a) Filling with pizza sauce
    Fill each tartlet with one tablespoon of mozzarella, followed by one tablespoon of pizza sauce, and another tablespoon of mozzarella, then pepperoni on top. Top with a slice of pepperoni (optional).
    Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 150 ºC [300 ºF] until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
    b) Filling with ham mixture
    Mix the cream cheese with the ham (set aside three slices for later) and pepper. Blend in a food processor until it becomes a thick paste.
    Fill the tartlets with the ham mixture and garnish with strips of the reserved ham and basil leaves.

6. Serving

  • Tarticos mini pies with savory filling.
    Cover the dish with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Nutrition

Serving: 2gCalories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 44mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 285IUVitamin C: 1.3mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 1.4mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

READERS SEARCHED FOR how to make mini pies, mini fruit pies, mini meat pies, muffin tin mini pies

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Tia Clara.
¡Hola 👋! Thanks for visiting.I'm Tía Clara, your Internet 🇩🇴 Auntie and hostess.

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More Dominican Appetizers Recipes (Picadera)

  • Plantain breakfast bites.
    Plantain Bites for Brunch or Parties
  • Casabe.
    Casabe (Cassava Bread Recipe and History)
  • Tostones de guineo verde (fried green banana).
    Tostones de Guineo Verde (Fried Green Banana)
  • Sanduchitos or sandwichitos (mini-sandwiches).
    Sanduchitos or Sandwichitos (Quick Mini Sandwiches)
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