Peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate balls and decorated to look like a spooky spider! You can use malted milk balls, chocolate caramel balls, solid foil-colored chocolate balls, or even mini peanut butter cups! You can’t go wrong with the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
Ingredients
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
additional granulated sugar
96 small round chocolate spheres such as malted milk balls, chocolate caramel-filled balls, foil-wrapped chocolate balls (pictured). If you use mini peanut-butter cups or larger spheres such as Lindor balls, you only need 48. See note *
1/2 cup chocolate frosting or melted chocolate
96 small candy eyeballs. See note *
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 375F. Remove candy wrappers (if there are any) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended. Add the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well.
- In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the additional granulated sugar; place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and immediately dimple the cookie with the back of a teaspoon or the handle of a wooden spoon. You want to create a place for your spider to sit, so if you are using two small candies you will make a longer indentation two hold two chocolates side-by-side, and if you are using one candy you will create a well in the center. Keep in mind that the two small balls will represent the head and thorax of the spider, and if you use a larger candy it will just be the whole body of the spider. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Place chocolate frosting (or melted chocolate) in a piping bag with a small round tip, or else put it in a zip-lock baggie and cut a very small tip off a corner. Place a dab of frosting where your spider’s body will be, and draw 8 legs as shown in photo. Place two small chocolate balls (pictured) (or one mini peanut butter cup or larger ball) on top of each cookie, making sure that the frosting is holding the chocolate secure. (If you are working with melted chocolate, be sure to work quickly or do only a few spiders at a time so that your chocolate doesn’t harden before you can glue the chocolate balls on.)
- On the spider’s head where the eyes will go, place two dots of frosting and use that to “glue” the candy eyeballs on.
Notes
- * A theater-sized 5-ounce (141 g) box of Whoppers Malted Milk Balls contains about 58 pieces.
* A theater-sized 5-ounce (141 g) box of Milk Duds contains about 45 pieces.
* A 0.88-ounce (25 g) package of Wilton Candy Eyeballs contains from 48 to 72 eyeballs.
* A 10-ounce (297g) bag of Reese’s Miniature Cups contains about 33 pieces.
BEWARE that these amounts are subject to fluctuation over the years.