Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

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These peanut butter spider cookies are creepy, crawly Halloween treats that are easy to make. We top delicious, tender, peanut butter cookies with Lindt Lindor chocolate truffles. They’re the bodies of our spooky spiders. We add candy eyes and pipe on 8 chocolate legs.

📌 Pin Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

🕷Why We Love These Spider Cookies

• Like peanut butter blossoms, they’re quick and easy to make. All you need are some truffles and candy eyes, plus basic pantry staples.
• These spooky spider cookies are super adorable. Everyone will want to grab one! If you take them to a party, you’re guaranteed to leave with an empty dish.
• This is a fun Halloween recipe to make with teens. They love prepping and scooping the cookie dough, and helping to assemble spiders on top of the cookies.
• These Halloween desserts are easy to transport to parties. Just arrange them inside deep plastic containers with lids (but do not stack).
• These hand-held treats are ideal for booing the neighbors. And for taking to the office to share in the break room. Just make sure to clearly label these treats as “peanut butter” cookies in case someone is allergic to nuts.
• You don’t need plates or forks to enjoy these little desserts. All you need are napkins.

🛒 Ingredients

For Peanut Butter Cookies

• Granulated Sugar: Adds delicious sweetness to our peanut butter cookies. It helps them spread as they bake. And a pinch on top of the cookies provides a bit of crunch.
• Light Brown Sugar: Provides a bit of moisture and sweetness with a hint of caramel. It helps produce a thicker more tender cookie, and adds to the depth of flavor.
• Butter: Contributes richness and a fabulous buttery taste.
• Creamy Peanut Butter: My brand of choice is Skippy, but feel free to use Jif or your favorite brand. However, do not use a “natural peanut butter” for these cookies. It does not work well in this recipe. And do not use crunchy peanut butter as it will produce an overly crumbly cookie. For tender cookies that stay intact, use creamy peanut butter.
• Large Egg: Provides structure for the cookie dough, helping to bind it together, while also adding richness and moisture.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients while providing a delicious bakery aroma.
• All-Purpose Flour: Provides strength and structure for the cookie dough.
• Baking Soda: A leavening agent for giving the cookies a bit of rise.
• Baking Powder: Works together with baking soda for the perfect leavening power.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.

For Assembling Spider Cookies

• Lindt Lindor Chocolate Truffles: Either caramel, milk or dark – your choice.
• Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels: We melt the chocolate and use it as “edible glue” to adhere the truffles to the cookies, adhere candy eyes to the truffles, and to pipe 8 legs onto the spiders. Semi-sweet chocolate can be used, but the color will be lighter.
• Small Candy Eyeballs: We attach them them to the body of the spiders (the truffles), so the spiders have eyes. You can order them on Amazon, or look for them in the cake decorating aisle of large supermarkets.
• Cooking Tweezers (optional): This kitchen tool is really helpful for attaching the spiders’ eyes. I also use them for these Halloween Rice Krispie Treats, to easily attach eyes onto the monsters. I highly recommend investing in a pair.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• This is important: It’s worth sharing it twice – once here and again in the recipe. The peanut butter cookies must be completely cool before adding the truffles on top. Even barely-warm cookies have enough residual heat to melt the truffles.
• To help the chocolate set quickly: After assembling the spider cookies, stick the trays of treats into the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to speed up the setting process.
• Complete your spooky spider theme at this year’s Halloween party with spiderweb chocolate bark, spiderweb Halloween cupcakes, and PB and J spiders. For more spider fun, make this DIY spider pinata.

Fun Fact: This Halloween recipe was inspired by A Spicy Perspective and her spider cookies.

📖 Recipe Steps

Peanut Butter Cookies

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 trays with parchment paper and set them aside. Unwrap the truffles.

1. Gather the ingredients together. Make sure the butter is softened and the egg is at room temperature.
2. In the bowl of stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat until well blended.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Blend just until incorporated. Don’t overmix, or the cookies will be heavy and dense instead of light and tender.
4. With a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop balls of cookie dough onto the prepared baking trays, placing them 2-inches apart.

1. Dust the top of the cookie dough pucks with a pinch of granulated sugar. Gently and lightly flatten them out a bit with a pestle or your thumb. This will help them spread out in the oven.
2. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, or until the edges are light golden blonde. The centers will be soft – which is perfect. Immediately create a shallow round well or depression in the middle of each warm cookie with your thumb.
3. Let the cookies cool completely. Then place the tray of cookies into the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to make double sure they’re cool all the way through. If we add truffles to slightly warm cookies, the chocolate will melt due to residual heat.
4. Melt dark chocolate morsels according to the directions below. Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag with a small round metal tip. Use the chocolate to adhere the truffles to the cookies. Each truffle has a round indent at the bottom. Position the truffle on each cookie with that indent facing forward and slightly downward as the “mouth.” Use melted chocolate to stick candy eyes onto the truffles. Pipe 8 legs onto each peanut butter spider cookie (4 on each side of the body). Let the chocolate set before serving.

👉🏻 HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE MORSELS: Add chocolate morsels to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave 30 seconds more, and stir again. Then microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between sessions, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST peanut butter spider cookies for Halloween, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🎃 More Halloween Treats

Add these fun, festive treats to your Halloween dessert table. Make them to boo the neighbors. Save your favorite recipes for later – so you’ll have them on hand when needed.

• Witch Finger Cookies
• Candy Corn Fudge
• Halloween Sugar Cookies
• Halloween Mummy & Monster Rice Krispie Treats
• Candy Corn Cupcakes
• Halloween Pumpkin Macarons
• Halloween Mummy Hot Cocoa Bombs

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated this the BEST recipe for peanut butter spider cookies. They said these desserts are irresistible. The loved the adorable/spooky look of these treats, and the yummy taste of the tender cookies with rich, decadent chocolate truffles. Over-the-top delicious.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

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Peanut Butter Spider Cookies 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Are you excited to make these fun Halloween cookies? Will you take them to a party, boo the neighbors, or enjoy them with family and friends at home? Share your thoughts on these spider cookies in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.