Not all Halloween treats need to be gross. These adorable spider cookies are made with peanut butter cups, melted chocolate, candy eyeballs, and a perfectly soft peanut butter cookie base.
I love Halloween, but I prefer the cute side of it—costumes like princesses, doctors, and Disney characters. I’m not into foods that mimic brains or worms, so these spider cookies are perfect: festive and fun without being too creepy.
Full disclosure: I dislike real spiders. If one appears in the house, I make my kids handle it or I vacuum it up and leave the vacuum running for a while to be sure it’s gone. These cookie spiders, though, are perfectly harmless and much easier to tolerate.
If you’ve made “blossom” or “kiss” cookies before, these will be familiar. The method is simple: bake peanut butter cookie rounds, press a miniature Reese’s peanut butter cup into each warm cookie so it softens, add two candy eyes, chill to set, then pipe chocolate legs. The result is a cute little spider that’s as tasty as it is festive.
If you’re a fan of the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination, these cookies are a must-make this Halloween. They’re quick, kid-friendly, and store well for several days—perfect for parties or school treats. Enjoy!
Spider Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, gently packed
- ½ cup (132 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon & level)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 30 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped
- ½ cup (85 g) chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
- ¼ tsp coconut oil or shortening (to thin chocolate)
- 0.88 oz (25 g) package Wilton candy eyeballs
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated.
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Scoop dough into balls (recipe yields about 30). Place on silicone-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart—up to 12 cookies per sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are just set. Let cookies cool on the tray for 2 minutes.
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Gently press one miniature peanut butter cup into the center of each warm cookie. The peanut butter cup should soften slightly. As soon as it’s soft, place two candy eyeballs on the edge of the peanut butter cup for eyes. When all cookies on the tray are topped, transfer the tray to the freezer to firm up the chocolate.
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Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil or shortening in 10–20 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between bursts, until smooth. Spoon the melted chocolate into a small zip-top bag and snip a tiny corner. Pipe eight legs per cookie in an “L” shape to create a bent leg appearance.
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Return the cookies to the freezer briefly to set the piped chocolate. Store cookies covered at room temperature or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
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