Description
These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun and festive Halloween treat featuring soft peanut butter cookies topped with mini peanut butter cups, decorated with melted chocolate legs and candy eyes to look like spiders. Perfect for spooky parties or a kid-friendly dessert, these cookies combine creamy peanut butter flavor and a playful presentation.
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
Topping
- 24 mini peanut butter cups (unwrapped and chilled)
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (for spider legs)
- 48 candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, creamy peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This ensures a tender cookie texture.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, which will help bind the dough together and add flavor.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agent and salt.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms that is ready to shape.
- Shape Cookies: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow spreading while baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookie edges turn lightly golden, indicating they are done.
- 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 to create the spider body.
- Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Melt Chocolate: Melt the semisweet chocolate chips until smooth and transfer to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a small corner cut off for precision.
- Decorate Spiders: Pipe three small chocolate legs on each side of the peanut butter cup on every cookie to mimic spider legs, then use melted chocolate as glue to attach two candy eyeballs on top of each peanut butter cup.
Notes
- Chilling the mini peanut butter cups before pressing them into the warm cookies prevents them from melting.
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- This recipe is ideal for Halloween parties and themed gatherings, offering a fun and spooky dessert option.
