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Close-up of a peanut butter spider cookie broken in half showing a soft, chewy interior

Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

Chewy peanut butter cookies topped with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, angled pretzel legs, and candy eyes — no chilling, ready in under an hour.
~210 kcal / ~11g fat / ~25g carbs / ~16g sugar / ~4g protein / ~210mg sodium
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Calories: 210
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • For the Cookies:
  • - 1/2 cup 113g unsalted butter, softened to 65-68°F (18-20°C)
  • - 3/4 cup 165g packed light brown sugar
  • - 1/4 cup 50g plain white granulated cane sugar
  • - 3/4 cup 195g creamy commercial peanut butter, such as Jif or Skippy
  • - 1 large egg about 50g, room temperature
  • - 1 tsp 5ml pure vanilla extract
  • - 1 1/2 cups 180g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • - 1 tsp 5g baking soda, checked for freshness
  • - 1/2 tsp 3g fine sea salt
  • For the Spiders:
  • - 24 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups unwrapped
  • - 10-12 thin pretzel sticks broken into 3/4-inch (2cm) pieces
  • - 48 candy eyes medium size
  • - Optional: 1 tsp melted chocolate for glue

Equipment

  • Kitchen scale (strongly recommended)
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • Silicone spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Light-colored aluminum baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Cookie scoop (2 tablespoon / 1.5 oz size)
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Optional: Oven thermometer (most home ovens run 15–25°F off)

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle position, and line a light-colored aluminum baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and peanut butter on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once halfway through, until pale and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed for 30 to 45 seconds until smooth with no streaks remaining.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together separately, then add to the wet mixture and mix on low speed for 30 to 40 seconds, stopping the moment the flour disappears.
  5. Scoop 2 level tablespoons (32g) of dough per cookie, roll into smooth balls, and space at least 2 inches (5cm) apart on the prepared pan without flattening.
  6. Bake one pan at a time for 9 to 10 minutes, until the edges look set and lightly golden and the centers still look soft and underdone.
  7. Working immediately on the hot pan, press one unwrapped mini Reese's Cup firmly into the center of each cookie within 30 to 60 seconds of pulling the pan from the oven.
  8. Immediately push 4 pretzel pieces into the dough on each side of the Reese's Cup per cookie, angling them downward and outward like spider legs.
  9. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes undisturbed, then transfer to a wire rack.
  10. About 2 to 3 minutes later, press 2 candy eyes onto each Reese's Cup while it is still slightly tacky, then let the cookies cool completely, about 15 more minutes, before serving.

Notes

- Peanut butter: use commercial creamy peanut butter like Jif or Skippy — natural peanut butter separates, producing a sandy dough that won't hold together.
- Butter: butter must be 65-68°F, not warmer — too-warm butter creams poorly and bakes into a greasy, flat cookie instead of a soft dome.
- Storage: store undecorated cookies airtight at room temperature up to 4 days; assemble spiders the day you plan to serve them.
- Freeze unbaked: freeze scooped, undecorated dough balls on a tray, then bag airtight up to 2 months; bake from frozen, adding 2 extra minutes.
- Make ahead: bake plain cookies up to 2 days ahead and store airtight; decorate with Reese's Cups, legs, and eyes the same day.
- Scaling: to double, use 1.5x the baking soda, not 2x, or cookies taste soapy; bake in separate batches, never one crowded pan.
- Altitude: above 3,500 ft, reduce baking soda by 1/4 tsp, add 1-2 tbsp flour, and start checking for doneness 1-2 minutes early.
- Allergens: contains gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and soy (chocolate coating); may contain tree nuts from shared processing facilities.
- Tip: unwrap all Reese's Cups and break all pretzel legs before baking — you'll have about 60 seconds per pan to decorate once it's out.