Description
These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun and festive treat perfect for Halloween or any spooky-themed occasion. Soft and chewy peanut butter cookies topped with chilled mini Reese’s peanut butter cups create the spider body, while melted chocolate chips are piped on to form spider legs and candy eyeballs complete the creepy-cute look. Easy to make and irresistibly delicious, these cookies combine classic peanut butter flavor with creative decoration for a delightful dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Extra granulated sugar (for rolling dough balls)
Decorations
- 24 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped and chilled
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (for spider legs)
- Candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Freeze Reese’s Cups and Preheat Oven: Unwrap the mini Reese’s peanut butter cups and place them in the freezer to chill. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat together the room temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender texture in the cookies.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the creamy peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth, ensuring an even flavor throughout the dough.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually stir in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until the cookie dough just comes together, being careful not to overmix to keep the cookies soft.
- Shape and Sugar Coat Cookies: Roll tablespoon-sized portions of dough into balls, then roll each ball in extra granulated sugar to add a slight crunch and sparkle to the cookie exterior. Place the coated dough balls evenly spaced on a baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8-11 minutes or until the edges begin to crack slightly, indicating they are set but still chewy inside.
- Add Reese’s Cups: Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, press a chilled mini Reese’s peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie while they are still warm, helping them adhere properly.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes so they set perfectly with the peanut butter cup in place.
- Melt Chocolate: Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent burning until smooth and glossy.
- Pipe Spider Legs: Transfer the melted chocolate to a squeeze bottle or a zip-top bag with a small corner cut off. Pipe four legs on each side of the Reese’s cup to create the spider’s legs, making a total of eight legs per cookie.
- Attach Candy Eyeballs: Use a small dab of melted chocolate as glue to attach candy eyeballs onto the Reese’s peanut butter cup body, giving your spider cookies a fun and spooky personality.
Notes
- Use creamy peanut butter instead of natural for the best texture and flavor.
- Keep mini Reese’s cups chilled before pressing them into the warm cookies to prevent melting.
- Be careful not to overbake to maintain chewy cookie centers.
- If you don’t have a squeeze bottle, piping chocolate using a zip-top bag with a small cut corner works well.
- Let the chocolate set completely before storing the cookies to avoid smudging.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
