The original Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies – Creepy yet delightful and frightfully delicious, this recipe makes the perfect Halloween Cookies!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies - The Original Online Recipe

Spider Cookies

Eeeeeeeeeeek! That’s what some of you may be thinking at first glance, but don’t worry. These spiders are more afraid of you than you are of them.

Especially after you find out they’re made of chewy peanut butter cookie dough and chocolate truffles. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies should make a break for it because once you get your hands on one, the rest are in trouble.

Sommer headshot.

Sommer’s Recipe Notes

Today I’m offering a twist on one of my favorite cookie combos, chocolate peanut butter cookies, in a way that will fill your heart with fright.

But these cookies are kind of cute, aren’t they? I don’t know whether to hug them, squash them… or eat them. I think I’ll go with option three.

P.S. This post was shared many years back, and now these Spider Cookies with chocolate truffles are all over the web! (See what I did there?) However, this is the original recipe that has been copied again and again, online and in printed publications.

Once you taste them, I think you’ll understand why.

  • Unsalted butter – For the perfect cookie flavor and texture. I always use unsalted butter to better control the salt content in baked goods.
  • Creamy peanut butter – The distinct flavor of the cookie recipe. 
  • Brown sugar – For depth of flavor and sweetness. 
  • Granulated sugar – For sweetness and crunch. 
  • Vanilla extract – To round out the cookie flavor.
  • Egg – To bind the dough together.
  • All-purpose flour – The perfect platform for soft, chewy cookies. 
  • Baking powder and baking soda – To create lift while baking.
  • Salt – All baked goods need a little salt.
  • Chocolate truffles – I used Lindt Truffles. Howeve,r you can use any type of chocolate truffles you like. 
  • Semisweet chocolate chips – To pipe the spider legs.
  • Candy eyes – Find these in the cake decoration section of most grocery chains.
Easy Spider Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies Notes

The center of each Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie is a Lindt (Lindor) chocolate truffle. I love the soft creamy centers, however, you can use whatever store-bought chocolate truffle candy you like best. Just make sure they measure about 1 inch across.

I make a simple peanut butter cookie dough and roll it into balls. Then I bake the balls for 10 minutes, until they form domes, and quickly pressed a cavity in each cooking before baking the rest of the way. This creates a unique round-crackly shape that’s perfect for Halloween.

Once the cookies have baked and almost cooled all the way, add a truffle to each cavity. Make sure the cookies are just barely above room temperature so the chocolate coating melts just enough to glue to the cookie. You don’t want it the melt all the way.

Then pipe chocolate legs on the Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies to make them look like spiders. Now all they need are eyes.

If we were being exact, we’d add eight eyes… but I think they look better with two. These cute Halloween Cookies are fun and festive. Plus they are so easy the kids can make them!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies?

Absolutely! Use a 1-to-1 gluten free baking mix instead of wheat flour. If the truffles are pure chocolate, this whole recipe will be gluten free!

Can I Freeze These Spider Cookies?

Yes. However, as with all cookies, if you freeze them and place them in a container stacked together, they may not look as nice when you thaw them out.

I Can’t Find Chocolate Truffles…

You can also use mini peanut butter cups, or old-fashioned Russel Stover-style chocolates.

I Can’t Find Candy Eyeballs…

You can use red hot candies for eyes, or pipe little dots for eyes with colored frosting.

Simple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - SPIDERS! #halloween #spiders
Creepy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies - SPIDERS! #halloween #spiders
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Spider Cookies Recipe

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 58 minutes
Spider Cookies – Creepy yet delightful and frightfully delicious this recipe is perfect for Halloween cookies!
Servings: 24 cookies

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Place the softened butter and peanut butter in the mixer and beat until fluffy. Then add both sugar and beat again until fluffy. Scrape the bowl and beat in the vanilla and egg.
  • In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Turn the mixer on low to slowly incorporate the flour mixture.
  • Roll the cookie dough into twenty-four 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and spread 12 out on each cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Quickly use a pestle to press a cavity in the middle of each cookie. Then place back in the oven and bake another 6-10 minutes, until golden.
  • Meanwhile, unwrap all the chocolate truffles. Once the cookies are out of the oven, cool until almost at room temperature (but not very warm) and place a truffle in the cavity of each cookie. If the cookies are too warm, the truffle will melt. If the cookies are cool, the truffle won’t stick. (You can also wait until the cookies are completely cool, then glue the truffles in with chocolate to be safe.)
  • Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate in a zip bag. Close the bag and snip off a small portion of one corner to create a hole. Pipe 8 legs on each cookie, starting from the truffle body down.
  • Then use the remaining melted chocolate to glue 2 eyes onto each truffle spider. Cool until the chocolate is firm and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 191kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 154mg, Potassium: 110mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 130IU, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 0.9mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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