Description
Peanut Butter Cup Spider Cookies are a fun and festive treat perfect for Halloween or any occasion where you want a playful dessert. These soft and chewy peanut butter cookies are stacked, indented, and topped with a full-size peanut butter cup surrounded by piped melted chocolate spider legs, making them as delightful to look at as they are to eat.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup butter (1 stick, room temperature)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Decoration
- ¼ cup milk chocolate, melted (for spider legs)
- 8 full-size peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which will help create a soft texture.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the creamy peanut butter, egg, and vanilla bean paste to the creamed mixture and mix until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Incorporate Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing gently just until combined to avoid overworking the dough.
- Form Double-Stuffed Dough Balls: Scoop two ice cream scoop-sized balls of dough and stack them on top of each other. Use the back of the ice cream scoop to press an indentation into each stacked cookie, creating a well for the peanut butter cup.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerate the baking sheets with the prepared dough balls for 30 minutes to firm them up for better shape retention during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden. Once baked, let cookies cool on the sheet for one minute.
- Create Cookie Indentation: Using a ½ cup measuring cup, gently press down the center of each cookie again to deepen the well while still warm, then allow cookies to cool for another 5 minutes.
- Prepare Chocolate for Decoration: Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between until smooth and fully melted.
- Assemble Cookies: Place one full-size peanut butter cup into the indentation of each cooled cookie. Using melted chocolate, pipe 8 spider legs around the peanut butter cup to complete the spider design.
- Optional Enhancement: For added flavor, spread a thin layer of raspberry or strawberry jam in the indentation before placing the peanut butter cup.
Notes
- Pressing the cookie centers both before and after baking helps maintain shape and better holds the peanut butter cup.
- Chilling the dough before baking is essential to prevent spreading and to keep the stacked shape intact.
- You can substitute vanilla bean paste with pure vanilla extract if unavailable.
- To make the spider legs neater, use a piping bag with a small round tip or a plastic bag with a tiny hole cut at the corner.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.