Spider Infested Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Halloween is the perfect time to make and serve spider-filled cookies, but they would also be fun to bring on a camping trip, to serve at a bug-themed birthday party, or to scare someone on April Fool's Day.

I'll probably stick to putting spiders in my cookies for our Halloween parties like I did last year when I made Spider Infested Chocolate Chip Cookies. for our Creepy Crawler Carnival party.

My original chocolate spiders looked pretty cool but they weren't all that realistic-looking.

See what I mean?

I figured my Halloween party guests would be happier if the spiders didn't look too real. I was wrong! Everyone loved the creep-out factor of the sweet Halloween treats.

So this year I decided it would be fun to make cookies with more realistic-looking spiders on them. Instead of chocolate, I chose to make my spiders using raisins.

A plump raisin makes the perfect spider body and head. To make the legs, I cut thin strips out of a raisin. Once cut, they became somewhat translucent and scraggly around the edges. They looked so real, it was scary!

It only seemed natural to put the raisin spiders into oatmeal raisin cookies. I used my favorite recipe so the cookies would taste delicious even if they looked gross.

So, let's make some cookies.

Ingredients

• plump raisins - You'll use raisins to make your spiders and you'll also mix them into the cookies. If your raisins are too dry, you can soak them in hot water for 10 minutes. Be sure to drain them and pat them dry with paper towels.
• unsalted butter
• light brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• vanilla
• all-purpose flour
• nutmeg
• cinnamon
• salt
• baking powder
• old-fashioned rolled oats

Supplies

• sharp knife
• mixing bowl
• silicone spatula or wooden spoon
• baking sheets lined with parchment paper

Instructions

Make raisin spiders.

• Select 16 large plump and juicy raisins for the spider bodies and 16 very small raisins for the spider heads. if you can't find really small raisins then cut larger ones in half and roll them into balls.
• Flatten the larger raisins out to create a nice-sized spider body.
• Flatten the remaining raisins as thin as you can.
• Using a sharp knife, cut thin long strips out of the raisins for the spider legs.
• Create enough legs for all 16 of your spiders.

Make the oatmeal cookie dough.

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time mixing to combine. Then add vanilla.
• Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients and stir just to combine.
• Stir in the oats and 1 ½ cups of raisins.

Add raisin spiders to the cookie dough balls.

• Scoop out two-thirds of a cup of cookie dough, roll it into a ball, and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat creating a total of 16 cookies. Flatten the cookies slightly. These cookies are really big, which helps keep them moist and chewy on the inside.
• Arrange your raisin spiders on top. Start by placing the eight legs on the cookie then put the large raisin body over top and add a head.
• Bake for 18 to 22 min. until the edges turn golden brown.
• Allow the cookies to cool and then go have fun creeping out your friends and family.

Tips

As the cookies bake they will spread and the parts of the spiders may move away from each other. As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, fix your spiders. I had to move a few heads back to the bodies and even used tweezers to move a few of the legs.

The trick to keeping the legs close to the raisin bodies is to have them touch in the middle underneath the raisin.

When the cookies spread, the legs will move, but won't separate from the body.

Storage

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

Related Recipes

Be sure to check out these other creepy spider-themed recipes. For more cute or creepy recipe ideas, check out my Halloween recipe page.

OREO Cookie Ball Spiders

Spider Cake

Candy Spiders