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Spooky Halloween Spider Cookies: Fun & Easy Cookie Recipe

Halloween spider cookies turn peanut butter cookies into playful treats with peanut butter cup bodies, pretzel legs, and candy eyes. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the centers look just set, then decorate while the cookies are warm.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Cooling 10 minutes
Total Time 42 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 205
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cookies
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp fine salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.5 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the spiders
  • 24 peanut butter cups mini, unwrapped
  • 96 thin pretzel sticks
  • 1 tbsp semisweet chocolate chips
  • 48 candy eyes

Equipment

  • 2 rimmed baking sheets
  • 1 microwave

Method
 

Bake the cookies
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy.
  4. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
  5. Mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
  6. Divide the dough into 24 balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each.
  7. Place 12 dough balls on each baking sheet with 2 inches between them.
  8. Bake for 10–12 minutes, switching the sheets between racks halfway through, until the edges are lightly browned and the centers look just set.
Decorate the spiders
  1. Immediately press one peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie.
  2. Insert four pretzel sticks, broken in half, on each side of each cup.
  3. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between bursts until smooth.
  4. Dab two small dots of chocolate onto each peanut butter cup and attach two candy eyes to each.
  5. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let the chocolate set before serving.

Notes

For neat decorations, press the peanut butter cups into the cookies immediately after baking and attach the candy eyes while the chocolate is melted. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freezing is not recommended because the pretzel legs and candy decorations can lose their texture. For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free pretzel sticks.