Description
Whip up peanut butter spider cookies for a spooky Halloween treat that’ll have your guests buzzing with excitement. Creepy-cute chocolate legs and candy eyes turn classic cookies into a playful dessert perfect for festive gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Cookie Ingredients:
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
Leavening and Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration Ingredients:
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar
- Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cup
- Candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Crank your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cookie removal.
- Grab a large mixing bowl and cream ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, and ⅓ cup granulated sugar until they become fluffy and light.
- Mix in ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until everything blends smoothly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Gradually combine dry ingredients into your wet mixture, stirring until your dough comes together without overmixing.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and coat each one in granulated sugar for a sweet, crackly exterior.
- Arrange cookie balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one.
- Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes until the edges turn a delicate golden brown.
- Immediately after removing from the oven, press a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup into the center of each warm cookie.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet to help them set properly.
- Melt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds to prevent burning.
- Transfer melted chocolate to a small piping bag or plastic bag with a tiny corner snipped off.
- Carefully pipe chocolate spider legs radiating from each Reese’s cup.
- Attach candy eyeballs using a tiny dot of melted chocolate as glue.
- Allow chocolate to set at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving your spooky treats.
Notes
- Swap out peanut butter for sunflower seed butter to make these cookies allergy-friendly and safe for nut-free households.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking to prevent spreading and create a more compact cookie shape.
- Use a small offset spatula for gentle indentation of Reese’s cups to keep the cookie’s surface smooth and prevent cracking.
- For a cleaner chocolate spider web design, let melted chocolate cool slightly before piping to create more defined leg lines.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 137
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 93 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 14 mg