These spooktacular Spider Cookies are the perfect Halloween treat that combines chocolatey goodness with creepy-crawly fun. Ready in just 30 minutes, these festive cookies strike the perfect balance between playful decoration and delicious taste.
With their rich, buttery texture and the right amount of sweetness (30g sugar per serving), they’ll cast a delightful spell on both kids and adults at your next Halloween party. The best part? You don’t need to be a baking wizard to create these crawly confections!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour (2 cups + 2 Tbsp): Room temperature, properly measured
- Baking soda (½ tsp): Essential for proper cookie rise
- Salt (½ tsp): Enhances overall flavor
- Butter (12 Tbsp): Melted and slightly cooled
- Light brown sugar (1 cup): Creates chewy texture
- Granulated sugar (½ cup): Adds sweetness and structure
- Eggs: 1 whole egg + 1 yolk, room temperature
- Vanilla extract (2 tsp): Pure vanilla recommended
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups): Divided for dough and decoration
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep: Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl
- Cream Base: Beat butter and both sugars until well combined
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in egg, extra yolk, and vanilla until smooth
- Combine: Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, then add ¾ cup chocolate chips
- Shape & Bake: Form dough balls and bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set
- Decorate: Press 3-4 chocolate chips on top of warm cookies
- Create Spider Design: Melt remaining chips, transfer to plastic bag, snip tiny corner, and pipe 8 legs from chocolate chips
Chocolate Tips
Getting the perfect melted chocolate for your spider legs is super easy! Keep your microwave at 50% power and heat in short 30-second bursts, stirring each time. This gentle method stops the chocolate from burning and keeps it smooth.
If your chocolate seems too thick, add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil and stir well – this makes it flow better for drawing those cute spider legs!
Kid-Friendly Fun
These spider cookies are perfect for getting kids involved in the kitchen! Little bakers can help place the chocolate chips for spider heads and watch you pipe the legs. For extra giggles, try making different sized spiders or silly faces with the chocolate chips. Just remember to help younger kids with the hot baking sheets and melted chocolate.
Storage Tips
Your spider cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place wax paper between layers to keep those spider designs looking perfect. If you want to make them ahead, you can freeze the plain baked cookies for up to 3 months – just add the spider decorations after thawing!
Holiday Magic
While these cookies are amazing for Halloween, you can switch up the design for other occasions! Try hearts for Valentine’s Day, flowers for spring, or simple zigzags for everyday treats. The basic cookie recipe makes a wonderful base for any decoration you dream up.
Spider Cookies
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment paper
- Cookie Sheet
- Ziplock bag
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter melted and cooled until warm
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
- In a separate large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently stir in ¾ cup chocolate chips. The dough will be soft.
- Scoop dough into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place 3-4 chocolate chips into the tops of each cookie, point side up.
- Add remaining chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and microwave, on low power, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.
- Spoon the melted chocolate into a ziplock bag. Use scissors to cut the smallest slit from one of the corners (you want the hole to be very small to make your spider legs).
- Squeeze the melted chocolate through the small hole, next to the chocolate chips on top of the cookie, to make 8 spider legs.
