These spider cookies are classic peanut butter blossom cookies with a festive Halloween twist! Charming whopper spiders sit on top of the soft, chewy cookie topped with chocolate ganache legs and spooky eyes.
As adorable as they are, they never last long!
Traditions are a big part of our holiday celebrations each year, and we always love to make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Doughnuts with Cinnamon Sugar, and of course, Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake. The month of October is a delicious one!
This easy Halloween treat takes just a few minutes per batch to decorate and is the perfect dessert for kids and adults alike. These spider cookies will become an instant favorite around your house and are cute and delicious enough to become a new tradition.
I'm always looking for fun and easy recipes to make with my kids, and these spider cookies are just that! I love involving my children in the process of designing these little guys. We have so much fun as we work together to create each spider.
Why You’ll Love these Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
- Easy and fun - One you can make with your kids
- Perfect dessert for entertaining
- Best kid cookie recipe
- Great for Halloween parties
- Few Ingredients - mostly pantry staples
- Cute gift to share with family, friends, and neighbors
- Adorable in the kids' lunches during October!
What's not to love about peanut butter, chocolate, and candy? Made with whoppers and chocolate ganache for the legs (no frosting here!), these cookies are decorated to look like cute, creepy, crawly spiders. They are the perfect treat for your kids, fun to make for Halloween parties, and the cutest cookies to give to family, friends and neighbors.
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies Ingredients
- Eggs – We always use large eggs.
- Pure Vanilla extract – I always buy the best vanilla extract I can find, or make my own. It makes such a huge difference to use a good quality vanilla in baked goods!
- White granulated sugar- This recipe calls for plain white granulated sugar.
- Brown Sugar
- Butter – Salted works best in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, be sure to add an extra pinch of salt to the recipe.
- Flour – (all purpose) I always use the spoon and level method
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Creamy Peanut Butter - For this recipe, do not use natural peanut butter.
- Whoppers or other malted milk balls
- Semi sweet chocolate chips- you can substitute other kinds of chocolate chips
- White cake decorating gel
- Black Nonpareil Sprinkles (optional)- for the center of the eyeballs. You can also use a little smidge of the chocolate, but the sprinkles are much easier.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of using whoppers, try mini Reese's peanut butter cups or Rolo's.
- You can omit rolling in the sugar if you wish. It does add a nice texture to the cookies, however.
How to Make Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
- Preheat Oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together baking powder, baking soda and flour and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream butter. Add sugars and peanut butter and mix until well combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully combined.
- Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop out batter and roll into balls. Roll them in sugar and then place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 -10 minutes.
Add the Spiders
- While the cookies are in the oven, open your package of malted milk balls and make a pile of 22 large and 22 small whoppers. The large ones will be the bodies of the spiders and the small ones will be the heads.
- Remove cookies from the oven and immediately press the malted milk balls into the tops of cookies, one next to the other.
- Let the cookies cool in the fridge for a few minutes until cool to the touch.
- In the meantime, pour chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments until melted, stirring in between each time. Once it starts to look melty, heat in 15 second increments, stirring in between. Do not overcook. (Heating in a double boiler is an alternative to the microwave for this step)
- Remove from microwave and allow it to cool for a couple minutes. Pour into a piping bag and use to make the spider legs. Tip: It is easier to pipe the legs on if you think go them as Vs. The upper right is a V, the lower right is a V and so on. All points of the Vs go in the middle of the Whoppers.
- Add little dots with the white cake decorating gel for the eyes and add a little black nonpareil sprinkle to the middle of each one. If you get the very tip of your finger just barely damp, then use it to pick up the tiny sprinkle, you can place it that way. Alternatively, a tiny little dot of chocolate in the middle with either the piping bag or a toothpick would work as well. I tried both and the sprinkles were much easier.
- You can let the cookies set up on the counter or I usually just pop them back in the fridge for a little bit to speed things along.
The full printable recipe is below.
Tips
- If your chocolate begins to seize up, instead of emptying your piping bag to reheat in the microwave, place your piping bag into a ziploc (to seal it) and place it in a cup of hot tap water for a minute or so.
- Have your whoppers unboxed and sorted while your cookies bake. This is a great job for the little ones! Once your cookies are out of the oven, you'll want to work quickly to press each whopper right into the warm cookies.
- For the black nonpareil sprinkles- I just have a container in my stash that is orange and black Halloween nonpareils and I just pick out the black ones to use for this recipe. It is easier to find the mix this time of year than it is to buy just black.
- It's not necessary to chill the cookies again after applying your whoppers, but I find it easier (and faster) to add the spider legs after the cookies are completely cooled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze peanut butter spider cookies?
Yes! There's a couple different options when it comes to freezing. You can either freeze the dough after you've rolled it into balls, or you can freeze the entire cookie upon completion. If you're planning on freezing the dough balls, skip rolling them in sugar. You'll want to freeze them on a flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, you can then transfer them into a freezer zip-lock bag. The dough will last you about three months. If you're planning on freezing the entire completed cookie, wait until they are cooled. You'll then want to lay flat on a cookie sheet and wait till all the chocolate is hard and then it will be safe to transfer your cookies to a freezer zip-lock bag.
Please note- if you freeze these cookies, the chocolate becomes very easy to break in the freezer, so I only recommend doing this if they will not be touched at all.
Why are my peanut butter spider cookies crumbly?
One of the worse things as a baker is when your cookies are done, only to discover they are crumbly and not as expected. One way to avoid this is to make sure you don't add too much flour to your dough (use the spoon and level method). Another way is to make sure not to bake your cookies for too long. they should just appear dry on the outside and slightly begin to golden at the base.
What is it used for?
- Halloween parties or get togethers
- Gifts for friends, family and neighbors
- perfect for school lunches
How to Store
Refrigerator- Cookies can last in the refrigerator for 1 week, but eating them sooner is better. Make sure to store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag.
Room Temperature- If stored properly in an airtight container, cookies will last for 4-5 days.
Freezer- They'll be good in the freezer for up to 3 months as long as they are in a freezer zip-lock bag or airtight container and are not touched. I don't really recommend this because the legs get so fragile in the freezer.
More Fall Recipes You're Sure to Love!
- Pumpkin Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Maple Butter Twists Bread
- Slab Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce
- Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Nutritional Considerations
- These cookies contain peanut butter and dairy products.
If you make this recipe, please rate it below- and I would love to see! Tag me on Instagram @ellaclaireblog
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are the classic peanut butter blossom cookie with a festive twist. Add whoppers, chocolate ganache legs and eyes for the perfect Halloween treat!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 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
- 44 whoppers
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
- 1 small tube white cake decorating gel
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
For the Cookies
-
Preheat Oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
-
In a medium bowl, mix together baking powder, baking soda and flour and set aside.
-
In a separate bowl, cream butter. Add sugars and peanut butter and mix until well combined.Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
-
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully combined.
-
Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop out batter and roll into balls. Roll them in sugar and then place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 -10 minutes.
-
While the cookies are in the oven, open your package of malted milk balls and make a pile of 22 large and 22 small whoppers. The large ones will be the bodies of the spiders and the small ones will be the heads.
-
Remove cookies from the oven and immediately press the malted milk balls into the tops of cookies, one next to the other. Let the cookies cool in the fridge for a few minutes until cool to the touch.
-
In the meantime, pour chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments until melted, stirring in between each time. Once it starts to look melty, heat in 15 second increments, stirring in between. Do not overcook. (Heating in a double boiler is an alternative to the microwave for this step)Remove from microwave and allow it to cool for a couple minutes. Pour into a piping bag and use to make the spider legs.*
-
Add little dots with the white cake decorating gel for the eyes and add a little black nonpareil sprinkle to the middle of each one.**
-
Cool completely before serving.
Recipe Notes
Tips:
*It is easier to pipe the legs on if you think go them as Vs. The upper right is a V, the lower right is a V and so on. All points of the Vs go in the middle of the Whoppers.
**If you get the very tip of your finger just barely damp, then use it to pick up the tiny sprinkle, you can place it onto the center of the white eyeball that way. Alternatively, a tiny little dot of chocolate in the middle with either the piping bag or a toothpick would work as well. I have tried both and the sprinkles were much easier.
***You can let the cookies set up on the counter or I usually just pop them back in the fridge for a little bit to speed things along.
Here are some more fun Halloween recipes that I know you will love!
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies by Ella Claire & Co. | Harry Potter Inspired Cocktail by Freutcake | Jack-O'-Lantern Chocolate Covered Apple Slices by Zevy Joy
Halloween Gingerbread Cookies by Inspired by Charm | Easy Halloween Brownies 3 Ways by Handmade Farmhouse | Easy Halloween Charcuterie Board by French Country Cottage
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