Easy Red Velvet Halloween Spider Cookies

It’s that time of year to make these Spooky Halloween Spider Cookies! They’re perfect for a Halloween party and a great way to add a spider body to the top of your favorite cookie recipes. In my house, these are at the top of our list of Halloween favorites to make and bake!

If you’re looking for a fun Halloween treat, these easy Halloween spider cookies are the best! Once the Halloween season rolls around, it’s time to make these fun treats! Combining this homemade cookie recipe with the icing spider’s body is so much fun!

If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy these Sugar Ice Cream Cone Witch Hat Cupcakes (Dipped in Chocolate)! You can never have too many Halloween desserts and snacks!

What are Red Velvet Halloween Spider Cookies?

These Red Velvet Halloween Spider Cookies are absolutely delightful and spooky! They bring together the velvety richness of a red velvet cookie with a creative Halloween-inspired design. Not only are they visually appealing, but they’re also incredibly delicious. 

Imagine sinking your teeth into a soft, chewy, and irresistibly sweet deep-red cookie. And to top it off, there’s a cleverly fashioned spider made from icing that adds a playful and spooky twist. These cookies are all about creating Halloween fun and are sure to be a hit at any gathering.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Halloween Cookies

• Everyone will love the taste of these chocolate chip spider cookies
• They’re so much fun to take and bake for Halloween class parties as well
• Everyone will love your creativity when it comes to making Halloween recipes

Ingredients Needed

• Unsalted Butter – Cubed and at room temperature, unsalted butter blends seamlessly into your cookie dough, ensuring a uniform, creamy texture.
• Sugar – The white sugar not only sweetens these cookies but also contributes to their attractive golden-brown color.
• Eggs – Key to creating a moist, tender crumb, the eggs also provide structure and help bind the ingredients together.
• Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract infuses the dough with a warm, rich aroma and depth of flavor that artificial substitutes simply can’t match.
• Red Food Coloring – A dash of food coloring (gel or regular) transforms the dough into a vibrant red, adding a festive, Halloween-inspired touch.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder imparts a deep, chocolatey flavor that perfectly complements the sweetness of the sugar.
• Baking Soda – A crucial leavening agent, baking soda ensures your cookies are soft, chewy, and perfectly risen.
• Cornstarch – By absorbing moisture, cornstarch gives these cookies a light, cake-like texture that’s simply irresistible.
• Kosher Salt – A pinch of kosher salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients and balances out the sweetness of the sugar.
• Cake Flour – Cake flour keeps the cookies light and fluffy, but all-purpose flour works as a great substitute if you’re in a pinch.
• All-Purpose Flour – A pantry staple, all-purpose flour provides structure to the cookies while keeping them tender and delicious.
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – Scattered throughout the dough, semi-sweet chocolate chips add pockets of rich, melty goodness that make these cookies truly special.
• White Cookie Icing with Small Round Tip – Crucial for creating the spider web design, this icing is both decorative and delicious.
• Black Cookie Icing with Small Round Tip – This icing is used to draw the spiders, adding a spooky touch to your festive cookies.
• Red Cookie Icing with Small Round Tip – This adds an extra pop of color to your cookies, reinforcing the Halloween theme.

Substitutions and Variations

Change up the flavor of the cookies – You could easily turn these into delicious peanut butter cookies or sugar cookies. Chewy peanut butter cookies are always a favorite option and work perfect as the body of the spider.

Add candy eyes – Go to the next level and give these cookies some character, and add fun candy eyeballs or chocolate candy on top! You could also use chocolate drizzle or melt some chocolate truffles for more chocolate flavored Halloween treats.

See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.

How To Make Spider Cookies

Step One: Preheat the oven to 410 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners. Set aside. 

Step Two: Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a paddle attachment on your electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Start creaming the dry ingredients together at low speed for 30 seconds. (Photo 1)

Increase speed to medium for an additional 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high for 30 more seconds. The butter/sugar mixture will appear light in color and fluffy. 

Step Three: Add one egg at a time, beating directly after adding. After adding each egg, blend the vanilla into the mixture. 

Step Four: Add in the red food coloring and cocoa powder, beating at low speed until mixed. Add both types of flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to mix. (Photo 2)

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture while the mixer is on low speed. Continue beating the mixture until a soft dough is made. With the mixer on low, beat in the chocolate chips until mixed. 

Step Five: Put in the refrigerator, uncovered until chilled for about 20 minutes. Weight out each ball of cookie dough until it weighs 6 oz. (Photo 3)

Using your hands, form the dough into a tall ball. Place 4 dough balls on the baking sheet, staggering each one. Press in additional chocolate chips. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator until ready to be baked. 

Step Six: Bake one baking sheet at a time. Bake at 410 degrees for 8-11 minutes. Check to make sure they are gooey in the center of each cookie. (Photo 4)

Take out of the oven. Set aside to cool on the baking sheet or a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Don’t be tempted to try to to add icing to a warm cookie. 

Step Seven: Using the white cookie icing, pipe a spider web coming off on the corner of the cookies.

Using the black cookie icing, pipe lines on the sides of the chocolate chips on top of each cookie to create spider legs. 

Using a small amount of red cookie icing, pipe an hourglass shape in the center of the chocolate chip to make it look like a black widow. 

Allow the icing to harden before enjoying!

Storing Tips

The key to keeping spooky spider cookies fresh is to store them in an airtight container. Don’t add hot cookies to the container – be sure to let them cool first before storing by leaving them on a cooling rack.

These delicious cookies can be stored at room temperature and are best eaten within 2-3 days.

Recipe FAQs

More Halloween Recipes You’ll Love

• Large Halloween Marshmallow Pops with Candy Melts and Sprinkles
• Chocolate Swiss Roll Bat Cake
• See all our Halloween desserts!

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