Spooky & Sweet: Halloween Spider Cookies Recipe for All

Crafting delightful halloween spider cookies brings pure magic to your autumn baking adventure.

Spooky decorations transform ordinary treats into playful creations that spark joy.

Chocolate lovers will adore these eight-legged delights with their clever design.

Crispy edges and soft centers make these cookies irresistible to kids and adults alike.

Dark cookie bases become perfect canvases for adorable edible spider decorations.

Whimsical legs crafted from delicate icing create charming creatures that seem almost too cute to eat.

Gather your ingredients and unleash your inner pastry artist – these cookies promise to be the star of any halloween gathering.

Halloween Spider Cookies What Goes In

• Shortening: Provides rich, tender texture to the cookie base.
• Peanut Butter: Adds creamy, nutty flavor to the dough.
• Brown Sugar, Sugar: Contribute sweetness and help with cookie structure.
• Egg: Binds ingredients and adds moisture.
• Vanilla: Enhances overall flavor profile.
• Milk: Helps create smooth, consistent dough.

• Flour: Provides structure for the cookie.
• Baking Soda: Helps cookies rise and spread.
• Salt: Balances and enhances sweet flavors.

• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Candy Eyes: Create the spider's body and face.
• Chocolate Chips: Used for piping spider legs.
• Granulated Sugar: Helps coat cookie dough and adds slight crunch.

Halloween Spider Cookies Spooky and Tasty Baking Instructions

Step 1: Warm Up the Oven

Preheat your oven to a toasty 375°F. Get your baking space ready for some spooky cookie magic.

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

• Shortening
• Peanut butter
• Brown sugar
• White sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• Milk

Whip these ingredients together until they become a smooth, creamy mixture.

Step 3: Blend Dry Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt

Ensure all dry ingredients are well combined.

Step 4: Create Cookie Dough

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix until you have a perfect, consistent dough that’s ready to become spooky treats.

Step 5: Shape Spider Cookie Bases

Roll the dough into small balls, each about 1 inch in size. Roll these balls in sugar to give them a sparkly, sweet coating.

Step 6: Bake Cookie Bases

Place the sugar-coated dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until they turn a beautiful golden brown.

Step 7: Add Spider Bodies

Right after removing from the oven, gently press a frozen Reese’s cup upside down into the center of each warm cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Step 8: Create Spider Faces

While the cookies are still warm, carefully place two candy eyes on each Reese’s cup to transform them into adorable spider faces.

Step 9: Spin Chocolate Legs

Melt chocolate chips in a ziplock bag by microwaving in short 20-second bursts. Snip a tiny corner of the bag and carefully pipe 8 spindly legs onto each spider cookie.

Step 10: Set and Chill

Pop the completed spider cookies into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. This helps the chocolate legs set and makes your creepy-crawly treats look perfect.

Halloween Cookie Prep for Spooky Spider Bites

• Smooth Out the Dough: Mix wet and dry ingredients thoroughly to prevent lumpy cookies and ensure a consistent texture.
• Perfect Sugar Coating: Roll dough balls completely in sugar for a crisp, sweet exterior that adds crunch and visual appeal.
• Nail the Timing: Remove cookies from the oven when edges are golden brown to maintain a soft, chewy center.
• Master Chocolate Piping: Use a steady hand when drawing spider legs, keeping lines thin and even for a professional look.
• Chill for Stability: Refrigerate cookies briefly to help chocolate set quickly and keep spider design intact.

Storing Halloween Spider Cookies So They Stay Spooky

• Store cooled Halloween spider cookies in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper for up to 5 days. Keep them in the refrigerator to maintain chocolate leg stability.
• Wrap individual cookies tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
• Warm individual cookies on a microwave-safe plate for 8-10 seconds to restore softness. Check temperature to prevent chocolate from melting completely.
• Remove frozen or refrigerated cookies 15-20 minutes before serving. Let them sit at room temperature to regain original texture and softness.

Spider Cookies Tasty Companions

• Pair Spooky Sips with Chocolate Milk: Creamy chocolate milk complements the rich peanut butter and chocolate flavors, creating a classic Halloween treat pairing that kids and adults will love.
• Enhance with Caramel Apple Cider: Warm, spiced apple cider with a caramel twist adds a festive autumn touch that balances the sweet and chocolatey spider cookies perfectly.
• Serve with Dark Roast Coffee: Bold, slightly bitter coffee cuts through the sweetness of the cookies, offering a sophisticated adult beverage option for Halloween gatherings.
• Create a Candy Corn Milkshake: Blend vanilla ice cream with candy corn for a festive, sweet drink that matches the playful Halloween theme of the spider cookies.

Halloween Design Ideas for Spider Cookies

• Gluten-Free Spider Cookies: Swap regular flour with a gluten-free blend for those with wheat sensitivities, ensuring everyone can enjoy these spooky treats.
• Vegan Halloween Cookies: Replace shortening with coconut oil, use almond butter instead of peanut butter, and substitute egg with a flax egg to create a plant-based version.
• Nut-Free Spider Cookies: Use sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter and ensure all decorative candies are nut-free for those with allergies.
• Low-Sugar Spider Cookies: Reduce sugar content by using monk fruit sweetener and dark chocolate with lower sugar content, perfect for those watching their sugar intake.

FAQs

• What makes these Halloween spider cookies unique?

These cookies transform classic peanut butter cookies into spooky treats using Reese’s cups and candy eyes, creating a fun Halloween dessert that kids and adults will love.

• Can I use different chocolate for the spider legs?

Yes, you can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate melted in a piping bag to create the spider legs, giving you flexibility in decorating.

• How do I ensure the Reese's cup sticks to the cookie?

Press the frozen Reese’s cup into the warm, freshly baked cookie immediately after removing from the oven. The heat helps the chocolate adhere to the cookie surface.

• Are these cookies kid-friendly to make?

Absolutely! Kids can help roll the dough balls, press the Reese’s cups, and add candy eyes, making it a fun and interactive baking activity for the whole family.

Spider Cookies That Are Cute, Sweet, and Spooky

• Whip Up Spooky Treats: Perfect for creating memorable Halloween desserts that kids and adults will absolutely love.
• Craft Quick Halloween Delights: Super easy recipe that requires minimal baking skills and delivers maximum fun with adorable spider-themed cookies.
• Design Playful Desserts: Offers a creative way to transform simple peanut butter cookies into festive Halloween treats that spark joy and excitement.
• Enjoy Family Baking Moments: Provides an engaging activity where family members can collaborate and decorate cookies together, making baking a fun seasonal experience.

Halloween Spider Cookies Recipe

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4.5 from 27 reviews

• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 24 1x

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Description

Sweet chocolate cookies morph into spooky Halloween spider treats with delicate chocolate legs and candy eyes. Cookie monsters and party guests will devour these creepy-cute desserts that blend playful design with rich chocolate flavor.

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Ingredients

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Cookies Base:

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) shortening
• 1/2 cup (128 grams) peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
• 1 egg

Liquid and Flavor Enhancers:

• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup (220 grams) flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) salt

Decoration and Topping:

• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar (for rolling)
• 48 miniature Reeses cups, unwrapped and frozen
• 96 candy eyes
• 1/2 cup (85 grams) chocolate chips (for piping the spider legs)

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Instructions

1. Craft a pristine work surface and calibrate the oven temperature to a precise 375°F (190°C), ensuring optimal baking conditions.
2. In a capacious mixing vessel, amalgamate the creamy shortening, velvety peanut butter, rich brown sugar, granulated sugar, farm-fresh egg, aromatic vanilla, and smooth milk until the mixture achieves a uniform, silky consistency.
3. Construct a separate culinary vessel and meticulously sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, creating a delicate dry foundation.
4. Gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the moist mixture, stirring with calculated movements until the dough becomes completely integrated and smooth.
5. Sculpt the dough into compact spheres approximately one inch in diameter, then gracefully tumble each ball within a generous coating of crystalline sugar.
6. Arrange the sugar-kissed dough balls with strategic spacing across an ungreased baking sheet, maintaining roughly two inches between each sphere.
7. Dispatch the cookie formation into the preheated oven, allowing them to transform into golden-hued delicacies over 10-12 minutes.
8. Swiftly after extraction, nestle a frozen Reese’s cup inverted into the center of each warm cookie, creating an immediate chocolate focal point.
9. While the cookies retain their residual warmth, delicately position two candy eyes onto each Reese’s cup, instantaneously morphing them into whimsical spider faces.
10. Melt chocolate chips within a sealed plastic bag through precise microwave intervals, then skillfully pipe eight articulated legs around each spider configuration.
11. Transfer the decorated cookies into the refrigerator’s cool embrace, permitting the chocolate appendages to solidify for approximately ten minutes before serving.

Notes

• Swap peanut butter with sunflower seed butter for nut-free version, perfect for school parties or allergic kids.
• Use gluten-free flour blend to make these spider cookies coeliac-friendly without compromising taste or texture.
• Ensure Reese’s cups are slightly frozen before pressing into warm cookies, preventing them from melting completely and maintaining their shape.
• Pipe chocolate legs carefully and slowly to create clean, precise spider legs that look professional and spooky.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Desserts, Snacks
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 24
• Calories: 200
• Sugar: 14 g
• Sodium: 150 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 24 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 10 mg