Description
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun and festive Halloween treat featuring soft peanut butter-flavored cookies topped with chilled mini peanut butter cups, decorated with chocolate legs and candy eyes to resemble spooky spiders. These kid-friendly cookies are perfect for parties and make an adorable addition to any Halloween dessert spread.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Decoration
- 24 mini peanut butter cups (unwrapped and chilled)
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (for spider legs)
- 48 candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter, Peanut Butter, and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes a few minutes using an electric mixer.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until fully combined to help bind the dough and add flavor.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and salt.
- Mix Dry Ingredients into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms without overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Shape and Bake: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet to allow spreading. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden.
- Add Peanut Butter Cups: Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press one chilled mini peanut butter cup into the center of each warm cookie so it sticks without melting excessively.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating further.
- Melt Chocolate and Decorate Legs: Melt the semisweet chocolate chips using a microwave or double boiler, then transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag or a zip-top plastic bag with a tiny corner snipped off to pipe 3 small spider legs on each side of the peanut butter cup on every cookie.
- Attach Candy Eyes: Use a small dab of melted chocolate as ‘glue’ to attach two candy eyeballs on each peanut butter cup, completing the spider look. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Notes
- Chill the mini peanut butter cups before pressing into the warm cookies to prevent them from melting too much and losing shape.
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- These cookies are perfect for Halloween parties and add a fun, spooky touch to festive gatherings.
