These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun and festive treat, perfect for Halloween or any time you want to add a spooky touch to your baking. The soft, chewy peanut butter cookie base pairs beautifully with chocolate toppings, including Whopper candy balls and candy eyes that turn these into adorable spiders. Each cookie is decorated with melted chocolate to create spider legs, making these treats both delicious and delightfully eerie.
Why You’ll Love This: You’ll love these cookies for their perfect blend of creamy peanut butter and sweet chocolate. Not only are they easy to make, but the creative decorating will be a hit with kids and adults alike. The combination of the peanut butter cookie with the crunch of the Whopper “spider body” and the candy eyes make these cookies fun to eat and share. They’re not only spooky but incredibly tasty!
Perfect Occasion: These cookies are perfect for Halloween parties, school events, or simply as a fun baking activity with your family. They make for an exciting dessert or snack that adds a whimsical and festive touch to any Halloween celebration. Plus, they’re a hit at cookie swaps or as edible gifts during the spooky season.
Decoration Tips: For a more dramatic effect, use black or dark chocolate to pipe the spider legs and create a spooky contrast. You can also sprinkle crushed chocolate cookie crumbs or black sprinkles around the spider cookies to resemble dirt or cobwebs. If you want to make the spiders even scarier, add some red candy gel for glowing eyes.
Recipe:
For the Cookies:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Extra granulated sugar (for rolling)
For the Cookie Toppings:
- 72 chocolate Whopper balls (or similar round chocolate candies)
- 72 candy eyes
- Melted chocolate (for piping spider legs and attaching eyes)
Instructions:
- Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased if using a non-stick surface.
- Prepare the Cookie Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, softened butter, and egg. Use an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix by hand with a spoon, until everything is well blended and creamy.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until a dough forms. The dough should be soft but firm enough to roll into balls.
- Shape the Dough:
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the extra granulated sugar to coat them. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake the Cookies:
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the tops are slightly cracked.
- While the cookies are still warm, use the back of a spoon or your thumb to gently press a small indentation in the center of each cookie. This will be where the chocolate “spider body” will go later.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Assemble the Spider Cookies:
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring in between until smooth.
- Pipe a small dot of melted chocolate into the indentation in the center of each cookie. Place one Whopper candy ball into each dot of chocolate to form the spider’s body.
- Decorate the Spiders:
- Use the melted chocolate to attach two candy eyes to the Whopper “spider body.” You can use a toothpick or a piping bag with a small tip to dab a little chocolate onto the back of the candy eyes and place them on the spider.
- For the spider legs, pipe 8 thin lines of melted chocolate radiating out from the body on each cookie. Make the legs curve slightly for a realistic effect.
- Let the Chocolate Set:
- Allow the chocolate decorations to harden completely before serving. You can speed up the process by placing the cookies in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Storage:
- Store these spider cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also refrigerate them to keep the chocolate decorations firm.
Enjoy!
