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    Home » Recipes » Halloween

    Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Modified: Oct 26, '23 · Published: Sep 22, '19 · By: Beth Klosterboer · Commission earned on paid or sponsored links.

    Jump to Recipe

    This Halloween, bake up a batch of these gruesome Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies for your party guests. Each large cookie is loaded with chocolate chips. Some even look like spiders with chocolate legs.

    This recipe was originally published on September 26, 2013.

    Spider chocolate chip cookies infested with chocolate spiders.

    Spiders have infested my chocolate chip cookies. Gross, right?

    Why would I do this to a perfectly innocent, thick, and chewy cookie?

    Well, the other day I came across a picture of a cookie that had images of spiders superimposed on it. It really looked like the spiders were in the cookie. It was just a bit of Photoshop magic, but I knew baking up a batch of chocolate chip arachnids would be as easy as waving a wizard's wand.

    spider chocolate chip cookies.

    I figured if I was going to infest any cookies with spiders, I would use my absolute favorite recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It makes the biggest, thickest, chewiest cookies bursting with caramel and chocolate flavors.

    I'm sure you will love the flavor of these cookies and you'll have fun seeing how your friends and family react to them too!

    So, let's make Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies.

    Chocolate Chip Spider Cookies

    Ingredients

    • unsalted butter
    • brown sugar - You can use light or dark brown sugar. If you like a more pronounced molasses flavor, use the dark brown sugar.
    • granulated sugar
    • egg
    • egg yolk - The extra egg yolk will allow the cookies to be nice and chewy on the inside.
    • pure vanilla extract
    • all-purpose flour - unbleached is best
    • table salt
    • baking soda
    • semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (2 ounces for spiders, 10 ounces for in and on top of the cookies)

    Supplies

    electric mixer
    baking sheets lined with parchment paper
    optional: #16 ice cream scoop
    squeeze-it mold painter bottles, or a disposable pastry bag or zip-top bag

    Instructions

    Make chocolate chip cookie dough.

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Melt butter in a mixing bowl.
    • Allow it to cool slightly.
    • Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium speed for about a minute until well blended.
    • Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
    • Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together then incorporate it into the wet ingredients.
    • If using a hand-held mixer, it probably won't be strong enough to mix this completely, so switch over to a spoon or spatula.
    • Fold about 9 ounces (1 ½ cups) of chips into the batter.

    Scoop cookie dough onto a pan.

    • Scoop out 18 cookies, about ¼ cup of dough for each.
      • I used a #16 ice cream scoop.
    • Place cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet with plenty of room to spread.
    • Place some of the reserved chocolate chips on top of each cookie just to be sure you have chips with which you can make your spiders.
      • Remember to keep about 2 ounces (⅓ cup) of the chips for the spiders.
    • Bake cookies one tray at a time, for 14-18 minutes.
    • The cookies should begin to set around the edges, be light golden brown, yet still be soft in the center.

    Add spider legs to chocolate chips.

    • Allow your cookies to cool completely.
    • Place the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl.
    • Heat for 20 seconds, stir, then for 15 seconds, stir.
    • Allow the chocolate to sit for 1 minute, then stir again.
      • If you need to, heat it for 10 more seconds, then repeat until melted.
      • Pour into a squeeze-it mold painter bottle fitted with a #2 round pastry tip, or a disposable pastry bag or zip-top bag with the tip snipped off.
    • Pipe on spider heads and legs around some of the larger chocolate chips.
    • Allow the chocolate spiders to dry.
    Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies are gross Halloween treat that taste amazing!

    Serve with a glass of milk.

    Storage

    Store your chocolate chip spider cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

    If you wrap the cookies in wax paper and place them in a zip-top bag, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies in the bag for several hours before opening to avoid condensation forming on the chocolate chip spiders. 

    Variations

    If you prefer oatmeal raisin cookies over chocolate chip cookies, check out my tutorial to add raisin spiders to crispy and chewy oatmeal cookies.

    Oatmeal Raisin Spider Cookies

    Spider Infested Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoy making these spider chocolate chip cookies, you might also like making these other spider-themed recipes.

    OREO spiders with OREO Cookie ball bodies and chocolate legs.

    OREO Ball Spiders

    spider cake with chocolate legs.

    Spider Cake

    black caramel spider

    Candy Spiders

    Be sure to check out my Bug-Themed Recipes and other Halloween recipes here on Hungry Happenings.

    This Halloween leave these gruesome Spider Infested Chocolate Chip Cookies for your guests to find. No one can resist these homemade festive treats, but trust me they will freak out every time.

    Recipe

    5 from 2 votes
    Spider chocolate chip cookies infested with chocolate spiders.
    Print
    Spider Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Prep Time
    30 mins
    Cook Time
    20 mins
    Total Time
    50 mins
     
    Chocolate Chip Cookies infested with chocolate spiders
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gross halloween food, halloween cookies, halloween desserts, spider cookies
    Servings: 18
    Calories: 242 kcal
    Author: Beth Klosterboer
    Ingredients
    • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 2 ⅛ cup all purpose flour (unbleached is best)
    • ½ teaspoon table salt
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • 12 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (2 ounces for spiders, 10 ounces for in and on top of the cookies)
    Supplies:
    • electric mixer
    • baking sheets lined with parchment paper
    • optional: #16 ice cream scoop
    • squeezeit mold painter bottles or a disposable pastry bag or zip top bag
    Instructions
    1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Allow it to cool slightly.
    3. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat on medium speed for about a minute until well blended.
    4. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.
    5. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together then incorporate it into the wet ingredients.
    6. Fold about 9 ounces (1 ½ cups) of chips into the batter.
    7. Scoop out 18 cookies, about ¼ cup of dough for each.
    8. Place some of the reserved chocolate chips on top of each cookie.
    9. Remember to keep about 2 ounces (⅓ cup) of the chips for the spiders.
    10. Bake cookies one tray at a time, for 14-18 minutes.
    11. Allow cookies to cool completely.
    12. Place the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl.
    13. Heat for 20 seconds, stir, then for 15 seconds, stir.
    14. Allow the chocolate to sit for 1 minute, then stir again.
    15. If you need to, heat it for 10 more seconds, then repeat until melted.
    16. Pour into a squeeze-it mold painter bottle fitted with a #2 round pastry tip, or a disposable pastry bag or zip top bag with the tip snipped off.
    17. Pipe on spider heads and legs around some of the larger chocolate chips.
    18. Allow to dry.
    19. Serve and enjoy watching your family and friend's reactions!

    Recipe Notes

    Store your chocolate chip spider cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you wrap the cookies in wax paper and place them in a zip-top bag, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies in the bag for several hours before opening to avoid condensation forming on the chocolate chip spiders. 

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth Klosterboer
    Beth Klosterboer
    Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth Klosterboer
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    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Mayme Chilcote says

      December 18, 2023 at 2:51 am

      You ought to take part in a contest for one of the greatest sites on the net. I'm going to recommend this site!

      Reply
      • Beth Klosterboer says

        December 18, 2023 at 9:29 am

        Thanks! That's so nice of you to say. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Cheryl Hammer says

      October 31, 2020 at 3:09 am

      These cookies are delicious! One of the best CC cookies I've made in years. Thanks for sharing! (And 'concur' took me a minute. Should be conquer.)

      Reply
      • Beth says

        October 31, 2020 at 9:18 pm

        I am so happy to hear you loved the chocolate chips cookie recipe. It is my favorite! I fixed my typo. Thanks. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Megan says

      September 24, 2018 at 7:42 pm

      I used 1/4 a cup, and got only 12 they're huge. But I dont care, why?! Because these are the VERY first batch of cookies I made that FINALLY came out! Mine have always tasted like play dough or were rock hard lol I wish I could pin this recipe! But I'll just subscribe (: Ioveeeee Halloween so i know I'll be making these again soon and slightly smaller, thanos for the awesome recipe!!

      Reply
      • Beth says

        September 25, 2018 at 12:32 pm

        I'm so glad you found success with this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is my absolute favorite cookie recipe. The cookies are huge, that's for sure, but I've made them smaller and even little bite size cookies too. It's definitely a recipe to keep on file. Enjoy!!!

        Reply
    4. Max says

      October 30, 2016 at 5:13 pm

      Thank you for the recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Beth says

        October 31, 2016 at 12:35 am

        You are welcome! Enjoy. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Dara says

      October 26, 2015 at 4:20 pm

      These are SO cute! I love them. Perfect for kids 🙂

      Dara
      www.peoniesandhoneybees.com

      Reply
    6. River says

      October 27, 2014 at 9:18 pm

      Hi Beth! Just wanted to let you know that I am still having fun with your spidery chocolate chip cookies. This time I made them shaped like gingerbread men with spiders crawling all over them. Thank you again for sharing this brilliant idea! Here are my gingerbread (or shortbread, really) men cookies: http://www.wingitvegan.com/2014/10/arachnophobia-cookies.htmlI also wanted to let you know that I saw this today and it looks like they forgot to credit your original idea: http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/1052531/spider-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe

      Reply
      • beth says

        October 27, 2014 at 9:58 pm

        Hi River, your cookies are so much fun. I do appreciate you crediting my original cookies. Many other's have not and the cookies have now been duplicated so many times that it's impossible for me to ask all of them to do so. Oh, the life of a blogger!

        Reply
    7. River says

      October 28, 2014 at 12:43 am

      Why do people do that? It must make them feel special, even if it's not real. Very strange!

      Reply
      • beth says

        October 28, 2014 at 1:26 am

        I do believe that some people don't really think they need to give credit, while other's just want to capitalize on the work of others. Either way, it's frustrating.

        Reply
    8. Anonymous says

      October 26, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      I love that you made a great looking halloween dessert without adding any flavouring, gelatin, coloring... just a bright idea ! Thanks!

      Reply
    9. Julie says

      October 15, 2014 at 4:20 pm

      I just love those little spiders! Not a lot of work, but you can really see the TLC in them.

      Reply
    10. Michelle @ The Gathering of Friends says

      October 14, 2014 at 4:31 pm

      Such a great idea, they turned out so cute! We featured this recipe in our Featured Friday blog post this past week for Halloween Desserts, hope you can visit! http://returntothetable.net/recipes/sweet-endings/halloween-desserts/

      Reply
    11. Mari Corona says

      September 29, 2014 at 2:52 pm

      Love it!:)

      Reply
    12. Monu Teena says

      December 16, 2013 at 5:54 am

      wow wonderful idea 🙂

      Reply
    13. kimberlyy kahari says

      November 13, 2013 at 1:20 am

      I made these for my classmates, they loved them. May I say best cookies I've ever tasted!

      Reply
      • beth says

        November 13, 2013 at 3:38 am

        Hi Kimberlyy, I'm so happy to hear you made these and really enjoyed them. I've made so many chocolate chip cookie recipes in my life, and these are my absolute favorite!

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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