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Light & Buttery Halloween Spider Cookies – Easy Recipe

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These tender, buttery spider cookies are light as air with a perfect salty crunch from pretzel legs and a rich chocolate body. A fun Halloween treat that stays soft for days.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Chocolate candy melts or chocolate chips (for spider bodies)
  • Pretzel sticks (for spider legs)
  • Candy eyes (optional, for decoration)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy, almost white. Scrape down sides halfway through.
  3. Add egg and vanilla; beat on medium speed until fully combined, about 30 seconds.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
  5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed just until flour disappears. Do not overmix.
  6. Scoop dough by tablespoonfuls and roll into smooth balls. Place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
  7. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are just barely golden brown. Centers will look slightly underdone.
  8. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  9. While cookies are still slightly warm, gently insert 8 pretzel pieces into each cookie (4 on each side), pushing them in about halfway.
  10. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Transfer to a small piping bag or zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off. Pipe a small circle in the center of each cookie, covering the points where pretzel legs meet the cookie.
  11. While chocolate is still wet, press two candy eyes into each spider body.
  12. Let chocolate set completely, about 20 minutes at room temperature or 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

Notes

The creaming method is crucial—beat butter and sugar until almost white. Don’t skip cream of tartar; it gives the cookies their tender texture. Insert pretzel legs while cookies are still slightly warm for best adhesion. Cookies taste even better the day after baking.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween cookies, spider cookies, sugar cookies, buttery cookies, pretzel cookies, easy Halloween treat

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