Spider Cookies for Halloween
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Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are dressed up for Halloween with a cute, not too spooky Reese’s Cup Spider on top. Kids of all ages will love these festive Spider Cookies for Halloween!
Halloween is lurking around the corner and these Spider Cookies are the homemade cookies to celebrate. I used my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cookie recipe and added candy eyes and chocolate legs to make them look like spiders.
Spider Cookies for Halloween
Chocolate and peanut butter come together for a rich, chewy cookie. Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie batter, Reese’s miniatures, eye candies, and chocolate drizzle create spider bodies for a fun Halloween treat. But there’s nothing scary about these cookies! They taste great.
If you love making Halloween-themed treats check out these other recipes I’ve created: Halloween Monster Burgers, Halloween Trash Snack Mix, or this Sweet and Savory Halloween Snack Board.
Spider Cookies
Spider Cookies are the ideal treat to serve at your Halloween party. Send a batch of these adorable peanut butter spider cookies with the kids to school, kids will absolutely love them! These spooky spider cookies will most definitely be the hit of the party.
My big kids loved them, too! Making them the perfect Halloween treats for all ages!
Spider Cookies without Peanut Butter
Can I use a different cookie recipe to make spider cookies? Technically any kind of cookie will work to make these spider cookies as long as the body and legs of the spider are easily discernable. Heck, you could even use store-bought cookie dough!
Can I decorate store-bought cookies to make spider cookies? You can try to decorate store-bought cookies but it may be difficult to get the peanut butter cup and eyes to stick to the cookie as the dough needs to be warm.
Ingredients Needed For Spider Cookies For Halloween
All-purpose flour – I always have a bag of all-purpose flour in the pantry to whip up this cookie recipe or do any baking whenever the mood hits. Baking soda – Baking soda helps these cookies rise just a touch.
- Salt – A touch of salt enhances the flavor of these cookies
- Butter – unsalted softened butter or salted butter are both fine
- Granulated sugar – White granulated sugar helps sweeten up these cookies
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds a nice caramel-like flavor to these cookies
- Vanilla extract – grab a bottle of pure vanilla extract, and you’ll taste the difference – but imitation works okay for this recipe, too
- Eggs – I use large eggs when I bake but any size egg will work in this spider cookie recipe.
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Minis – These mini Reese’s cups add peanut flavor to these cookies.
- Candy eyeballs- These give the cookies their spidery appearance.
- Chocolate chips – I used semi-sweet morsels but milk chocolate will work, too
How to make this Spider Cookie Recipe
There is a how-to video located here in this post with short video clips to guide you if you need them.
First, make the spiders by melting the chocolate chips for about a minute in the microwave. Stir until smooth, but not thin and runny.
Dip the backside of the eyeball into the melted chocolate and press two to the side of the miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Place on a sheet to set. (I put mine in the fridge for a little bit to set.)
Next, make your cookies. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
With an electric mixer, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and slowly incorporate them into the wet mixture. Mix in the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups baking minis.
Scoop with a one Tablespoon-sized cookie scoop onto the cookie sheet.
Bake for about 11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately press one of Reese’s cups with eyeballs into the center of each cookie.
Let the cookies set by leaving them on a wire cooling rack in a cool place. I actually placed mine in the fridge for a bit.
Finally, Melt the chocolate chip mixture once again, adding in more if needed, and place the melted chocolate in a small piping bag or a plastic baggie with the corner snipped off.
Pipe the spider legs onto your cookies with melted chocolate. Let the cookies set one more time on a wire rack.
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this recipe for easy spider cookies make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
FAQ
How to make spider cookies without peanut butter? If you are baking for someone with a peanut allergy you can easily swap out the Reese’s Peanut Butter cups for a Rolo or malted milk balls.
How do I store these spider cookies? These cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for a few days. They also freeze very well.
Can I make these cookies in advance? If you are planning a big Halloween celebration and you want to get these cookies off your long to-do list then know that they can be made in advance and frozen.
Can I make these cookies gluten-free? I have never baked with gluten-free flour but you can try using a 1-1 gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill.
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Make chocolate chip cookies and top with a Rolo or malted milk ball for the spider instead of the peanut butter cup.
- Use a chocolate-covered almond or a large chocolate-covered raisin for the spider’s body.
- Hershey’s dark chocolate kisses would also make perfect spider bodies, unwrap and place the point side down into the cookie.
- Any kind of light-colored cookie dough will work to make spider cookies.
Tips & Tricks
- Bring ingredients to room temperature before you start preparing the cookie dough.
- Make sure the butter is softened as it will make mixing the dough much easier.
- Make sure the cookies are all the same size so they bake at the same pace.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Welcome to 2022’s Halloween Treats Week event! #HalloweenTreatsWeek is a yearly Halloween blogging event that is hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife.
More HALLOWEEN RECIPES TO LOVE
- Bloody Dirty Shirley Cocktails (pictured above)
- Sweet & Savory Halloween Snack Board with Peanut Butter Dip
- RedRum RedRum Punch
- Ghostly Poptarts
Add these easy spider cookies to your Halloween to-do list. You won’t be disappointed by the great-tasting combination of chocolate and peanut butter and the spooky, spidery appearance. I guarantee your guests will be ‘crawling’ all over these cookies.
Spider Cookies for Halloween
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Minis
- 48 Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups unwrapped
- 96 candy eyeballs
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Make the spiders: Melt the chocolate chips for about a minute in the microwave. Stir until smooth, but not thin and runny. Dip the backside of the eyeball into the melted chocolate and press two to the side of the miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Place on a sheet to set. (I put mine in the fridge for a little bit.)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and slowly incorporate them into the wet mixture.
- Mix in the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups baking minis.
- Scoop with a cookie scoop (I use a 1 Tablespoon size) onto the cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately press one of Reese's cups with eyeballs into the top of each cookie.
- Let them set by leaving them on a wire rack in a cool place. I actually placed mine in the fridge for a bit.
- Reheat the chocolate and place it in a small piping bag or a baggie with the corner snipped off.
- Pipe the legs onto your spiders. Let them up one more time.
- Store in a cool place in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Check out all of these great #HalloweenTreatsWeek recipes for today
- Skull Chicken Pot Pie from Big Bear’s Wife
- Mushroom Skull Spaghetti from Semihomemade Recipes
- Mummy Cinnamon Rolls from Fresh April Flours
- Pumpkin Patch Focaccia from Sweet ReciPEAs
- Spider Cookies from An Affair from the Heart
- Frankenstein Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups from Best Cookie Recipes
- Witch Hat Crescent Roll from Devour Dinner
- Chocolate Pretzel Owls from Savory Moments
- Candy Corn Hot Chocolate from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Deathly Hallows Blondies from Simply Inspired Meals
- Oozing Mummy Baked Brie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Halloween Pimento Cheese Brain Dip from Pastry Chef Online
- Eyeball Zucchini Pizza Bites from Our Good Life
- Pumpkin Cheese Ball from Take Two Tapas
- Pretzel Ghosts from Sweet Beginnings
- Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats from Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Rice Krispy Treat Mummies from Jen Around the World
- Flying Purple People Eater Milkshakes from The Spiffy Cookie
Mini Reeses in the dough and another on top?! Sign me up! And I just love a good googly eye. They Halloween everything up. 🙂
These are perfect halloween cookies. My boys would love these. Thanks for sharing
I can’t wait to make these cookies with the kids! So fun and festive for Halloween!
These are just too cute! Can’t wait to try
Haha those are so funny and cute. They really made me smile, which I need as we are broken down at the side of the motorway.
oh no!! Hope you are all safe and sound!