Pass Out the Spookiest Spider Cookies on Halloween
It's almost time to start planning the perfect Halloween party, and these spooky spider cookies definitely need to be on the menu. Once you've picked the perfect Halloween songs, costumes, and scary appetizers, next comes choosing the best Halloween desserts to share with all the trick-or-treaters in the neigh-BOO-hood! Fans of classic Halloween candy like Reese's will love these peanut butter and chocolate delights—plus, they're so easy to make! The base is a tender, moist peanut butter cookie. The spiders are made from chocolate-covered peanut or raisins, mini peanut butter cups, and store-bought black icing. With just a little handy work, these creepy, crawly Halloween cookies become simply spook-tacular
Why are my spider cookies dry?
The base of these spooky treats is a luscious peanut butter cookie, which happens to be a cookie that's somewhat easy to overcook. You see, sometimes peanut butter cookies don't look done, when, in fact, they are! Be sure not to cook them longer than the recipe calls for. About 8 to 10 minutes is all they need.
Can you make spider cookies with crunchy peanut butter?
Stick with creamy peanut butter for this recipe. Swapping in crunchy peanut butter in this recipe can produce a cookie that's a bit too crumbly.
What happens if you don't flatten peanut butter cookie dough?
The dough of peanut butter cookies is denser than other cookie recipes, so the dough balls need to be slightly flattened before baking. Otherwise, they'll remain in balls as they bake and won't cook evenly. The thumb print creates the perfect sized divot for the mini chocolate peanut butter cup to melt into.
How do you make spider cookies?
The beauty of spider cookies is that they're so much fun to make in a batch! Start with a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie base. Vegetable shortening is a key ingredient that helps these cookies stay tender, but also holds their thick, ball shape when baked. Roll balls of dough then flatten them with the palm of your hand. Next, press your thumb in the center of each cookie to create an indentation.
How do you decorate spider cookies?
The real decorating happens after the cookies come out of the oven. While the dough is still very warm, place one mini peanut butter cup (or another small, round chocolate candy) just below the center of each cookie to create the "body" of the spiders. You don't really have to press these in, as the heat of the warm cookies will melt the candy into place. Next, very gently press one chocolate-covered peanut or raisin right above to create a "head." After the spider cookies have cooled fully on a wire rack, add "legs" with store-bought gel icing.
How do you store spider cookies?
Store these cute cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Yields: 20 servings
Prep Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 2 hours 25 mins
Ingredients
1 c.
creamy peanut butter
1/2 c.
vegetable shortening
1/4 c.
butter, softened
1/2 c.
granulated sugar
1/2 c.
packed light brown sugar
1
large egg
1 tsp.
vanilla extract
2 c.
all-purpose flour
1 tsp.
baking soda
1/2 tsp.
salt
20
miniature peanut butter cups, such as Reese's Mini's
20
chocolate covered peanuts or raisins
Black or brown writing gel icing
Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the peanut butter, shortening, butter, and both sugars until fluffy and combined, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until well mixed.
Scoop the dough into 20 even portions (about 2 packed tablespoons each) and roll into balls. Flatten each ball slightly and arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press the center of each cookie with your thumb. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through.
As you pull the cookies out of the oven, gently place 1 miniature peanut butter cup just barely below the center of each cookie, allowing the warm cookie to melt the chocolate "body" into place. Then, very gently press 1 chocolate covered raisin or peanut "head" right above the peanut butter cup on each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cool, use the gel writing icing to draw 8 legs from the body of each spider. Allow the icing to set and enjoy!
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