These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are sure to win hearts for Halloween. They are as easy to make as they are delicious - and such a perfectly spooky treat to serve!
These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are sure to win hearts for Halloween. They are as easy to make as they are delicious – and such a perfectly spooky treat to serve!
Bring them to a Halloween party or just share with your family. Either way, you’re sure to create thrills and chills with these darling cookies.
Even if you’re not a fan of the scary parts of Halloween, it can be fun to participate with treats that are a little less spooky. These adorable peanut butter spider cookies are just the ticket!
They are a fresh spin on a classic peanut butter blossom cookie, with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the center, and charming little spider legs and eyes.
If you’re a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, these cookies are for you. It’s the best combination of salty and sweet, and one that will have everyone begging you for the recipe.
Don’t miss these darling Halloween Matcha Cookies, Halloween Skeleton Cookies, Copycat Crumbl Pumpkin Cake Cookies and Spider Oreos if you’re looking for more fall inspiration!
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Why You’ll Love these Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
- Pantry Ingredients (+ butter and egg)
- Easy to Make
- Salty + Sweet
- Great for Halloween Parties
Tools You’ll Need
- Large Cookie Scoop – It’s not required, but it makes consistent sized cookies, which display beautifully and bake evenly. 1¾ scoop is preferred.
- Mixer – Stand mixer or hand mixer (or combine by hand).
- Rubber Spatula – For folding in chocolate chips!
- Cookie Sheet or Flat Baking Sheet – A traditional cookie sheet has no sides, allowing you to slide cookies off without ruining their shape after baking. A flat baking sheet works as well! I prefer a light color sheet for a balanced and evenly baked cookie.
- Parchment Paper – Use parchment for easy clean-up.
- Cooling Rack – While not required, it’s nice to remove your cookies to a cooling rack so air can circulate and they won’t continue to cook on the sheet!
Ingredients
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Peanut Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Reese’s Peanut butter cups
- chocolate chips
- Butter
- Candy eyes
How to Make Spider Cookies in Five Easy Steps
The full printable recipe is below.
- Preheat oven to 350º. In a small mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a larger bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until well blended. Add peanut butter and beat again, then add egg and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Stir in flour mixture.
- Divide dough into 18 portions and roll into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar.
- Place on a cookie sheet with at least 2 inches between each cookie, and bake in center of oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove, and press an indentation into each cookie for the peanut butter cup to sit.
To Decorate as Spiders
- Melt chocolate chips and butter together as directed.
- Transfer to a condiment squeeze bottle or decorating bag.
- Place peanut butter cups, top down, on each cookie, using a dollop of chocolate to secure.
- Pipe chocolate as directed to make 8 “legs”. Fasten two (or more) edible eyes on to each. Let chocolate cool to harden.
Tips
- Parchment paper works well for these cookies, but a silpat works well too.
- Use frozen peanut butter cups for best results. You don’t want to leave the peanut butter cup there on the hot cookie, or it’ll melt and lose its shape, but you do want your peanut butter cups to be able to kind of sit down into the cookie, so the indentation is important.
- In a pinch, you can put the melted chocolate mixture (for the spider legs) in a small zip lock bag, and cut a very small hole in the corner to squeeze your chocolate out.
- Double or triple the recipe using the 1x2x3x tab in the printable recipe card.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my peanut butter blossoms dry?
If your your peanut butter cookies are dry, it might be because you’ve added too much flour or too little liquid ingredients.
Should peanut butter cookie dough be chilled before baking?
In some recipes, it can help prevent your peanut butter cookies from spreading out too much. Peanut butter blossoms do not require freezing, however!
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Store in a sealed container for up to three days.
- Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freeze – You can freeze these cookies for up to two months in an airtight container or sealed Ziploc freezer bag. Separate layers with parchment paper.
Halloween Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
These Peanut Butter Spider Cookies are sure to win hearts for Halloween. They are as easy to make as they are delicious – and such a perfectly spooky treat to serve!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ⅓ cup Peanut butter
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 18 mini Reese’s Peanut butter cups
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 36 candy eyes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a larger bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until well blended.
- Add peanut butter and beat again, then add egg and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated. Stir in flour mixture.
- Divide dough into 18 portions and roll into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar.
- Place on a cookie sheet with at least 2 inches between each cookie, and bake in center of oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove, and press an indentation into each cookie for the peanut butter cup to sit.
To Decorate:
- When cookies are cool, place chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of butter together in a microwave safe bowl, and melt, using ten second intervals in the microwave until completely melted.
- Stir together well, and transfer to a condiment squeeze bottle or decorating bag. In a pinch, you can put it it a small zip lock bag, and cut a very small hole in the corner to squeeze your chocolate out.
- Unwrap your peanut butter cups, and place one, top down, on each cookie, using a dollop of chocolate as glue between cookie and candy.
- Pipe chocolate from Reese’s cup to the side of the cookie, making 8 “legs”. Use a dollop of chocolate to fasten two eyes on to each. Let chocolate cool to harden, and you’re done!
Video
Notes
Notes:
- Use frozen peanut butter cups for best results. You don’t want to leave the peanut butter cup there on the hot cookie, or it’ll melt and lose its shape, but you do want your peanut butter cups to be able to kind of sit down into the cookie, so the indentation is important.
- Parchment paper works well for these cookies, but a silpat works well too.
- In a pinch, you can put the melted chocolate mixture (for the spider legs) in a small zip lock bag, and cut a very small hole in the corner to squeeze your chocolate out.
- Double or triple the recipe using the 1x2x3x tab in the printable recipe card.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 138mgPotassium: 62mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 115IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.4mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @EasyCookieRecipes and leave a rating
Carol Whitney says
I doubled recipe and used a 11/2 scoop and did not get near 36 cookies. Very disappointed in the total number. You did not specified the size of cookie scoop. Other wise I am excited about these cookies