Description
Delightfully festive and fun, Peanut Butter Spider Cookies combine a rich peanut butter cookie base with whimsical spider designs made from malted milk balls, melted chocolate, and white decorating gel. Perfect for Halloween or any spooky-themed party, these cookies are crispy on the edges and chewy in the center, topped with adorable spider legs and eyes for a playful treat.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Decoration and Finishing
- 44 Whoppers malted milk balls (22 large and 22 small)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
- 1 small tube white cake decorating gel
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling the cookie dough balls)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside for easy cleanup.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder thoroughly and set aside.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter together until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Incorporate the egg and vanilla extract into the wet mixture, mixing until fully blended.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir until all flour is fully incorporated and you have a uniform cookie dough.
- Shape and Sugar Coat: Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, form cookie dough into balls. Roll each ball in the ¼ cup granulated sugar to coat evenly, then place them spaced apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are lightly golden but centers remain soft.
- Prepare Spider Components: While cookies bake, separate your Whoppers into 22 large pieces for spider bodies and 22 smaller pieces for spider heads.
- Attach Malted Milk Balls: Remove cookies from the oven and immediately press one large and one small Whopper next to each other on top of each warm cookie to form the spider’s body and head. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes until they are cool to the touch, helping set the candies.
- Melt Chocolate: Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring between each, then switch to 15-second increments to avoid overheating, until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Alternatively, melt using a double boiler. Let the chocolate cool slightly before using.
- Pipe Spider Legs: Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag or small plastic bag with a tiny tip. Pipe spider legs coming out from the bodies on each cookie to mimic spider legs.
- Add Eyes: Dot the white cake decorating gel onto the small Whopper heads to create eyes. Top each white dot with a tiny black nonpareil sprinkle for pupils to bring your spider cookies to life.
- Cool Completely: Allow the decorated cookies to cool fully before serving to let all decorations set perfectly.
Notes
- Use standard creamy peanut butter, not natural, for better texture and flavor balance in cookies.
- Rolling cookies in sugar before baking adds a subtle sweet crust and sparkle.
- If you don’t have white cake decorating gel, white icing or white chocolate with a black icing dot can make great substitute eyes.
- Chilling cookies after applying malted milk balls helps prevent candy from sliding off.
- Melt chocolate carefully to avoid burning; use a double boiler if preferred for more control.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days for best freshness.
