Description
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are a fun, festive treat perfect for Halloween or any spooky-themed party. These soft, chewy cookies feature a rich peanut butter flavor topped with miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, decorated to look like spiders with candy eyes and black icing spider legs. Easy to prepare and bake, these cookies are a delightful combination of sweet and nutty flavors with a playful presentation that kids and adults alike will enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Decorations
- 25 miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups
- 1 tube black cookie icing
- 25 pairs of candy eyes
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the peanut butter and continue mixing on medium speed until fully combined.
- Add Egg, Vanilla, and Dry Ingredients: Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined. Next, add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix again on low speed until the dough forms.
- Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for one hour to chill and firm up for easier handling.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: While chilling the dough, place the miniature Reese’s cups in the refrigerator to keep them cool. After the hour, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Form and Bake Cookies: Roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies begin to crack on the surface.
- Add Reese’s Cups: While baking, unwrap the miniature Reese’s cups and keep them chilled in the refrigerator. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, gently press one Reese’s cup into the center of each cookie. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Decorate the Spider Cookies: Once the cookies have cooled, use black cookie icing to pipe eight spider legs—four lines extending outward and down from each side of the Reese’s cup. Use dabs of icing to attach two candy eyes onto each peanut butter cup body, completing the spider look.
Notes
- Keep the peanut butter cups chilled until just before decorating to prevent melting.
- If black cookie icing is unavailable, you can substitute with black decorating gel or melted chocolate piped through a fine tip.
- Use parchment paper on baking sheets for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- For a crunchy texture, bake cookies 1-2 minutes longer, but be careful not to overbake.
- You can prepare the dough a day in advance and keep it refrigerated until ready to bake.