Description
These spooky spider cookies combine creamy peanut butter cookies with a fun Halloween twist. Decorated with melted dark chocolate, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, mini marshmallows for cobwebs, and candy eyes, they make a delightful and festive treat perfect for Halloween parties or any spooky celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 ¼ cup (282 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- 1 cup (280 g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups (400 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Decorations
- 10 ounces (285 g) dark chocolate melting wafers
- 2 cups mini marshmallows, divided
- 40 Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups, chilled
- small candy eyes for decorating
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter, light brown sugar, and sugar. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the creamy peanut butter and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Add Eggs and Flavoring: Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time, pausing to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture, mixing well and scraping the bowl to ensure all ingredients are fully combined.
- Chill Dough: Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up. If still too sticky or cookies spread too much when baked, chill an additional 30 minutes.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pour ½ cup granulated sugar into a small bowl for rolling the dough balls.
- Shape and Roll Cookies: Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll dough into 1½ tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar, then place on the prepared cookie sheets spaced at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake Cookies: Bake cookies at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. While still warm, gently press a chilled Reese’s miniature peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie to create an indent. Allow cookies to cool completely on the sheet before decorating.
- Create Marshmallow Cobwebs: Place about ¼ cup of mini marshmallows in a small microwave-safe dish and microwave for about 10 seconds until puffed. Stir gently to deflate slightly. Using your fingers, pinch and stretch the marshmallow filling and drape it over the cooled cookies to create cobweb effects. Repeat with additional marshmallows as needed, allowing each batch to set before proceeding.
- Prepare Chocolate for Decorating: Melt the dark chocolate wafers according to package instructions. Allow melted chocolate to cool for 5 minutes so it is easier to pipe.
- Decorate Spiders: Pour the cooled melted chocolate into a small zip-lock bag and snip a tiny corner off to create a piping bag. Pipe a small amount of chocolate onto the indent on each cookie where the Reese’s cup was pressed. Place the Reese’s cup, larger surface side down, onto the melted chocolate. Pipe four chocolate lines on each side of the Reese’s cup as spider legs. Dab a small amount of melted chocolate on the back of the candy eyes and attach two eyes onto each Reese’s cup to complete the spooky spider decoration.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is important to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking and helps achieve the right texture.
- Use chilled Reese’s peanut butter cups to prevent melting when pressing into warm cookies.
- If the marshmallow cobwebs become too firm, just microwave a fresh batch of marshmallows to continue decorating.
- Let the cookies cool completely before adding marshmallow and chocolate decorations for better results.
- You can substitute candy eyes with small dots of melted white and dark chocolate if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
