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Lightened-Up Spider Cookies with Easy Chocolate Legs

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These lightened-up spider cookies are rich, chocolatey, and fun to make for Halloween. With a soft, cakey texture and cute chocolate legs, they’re a crowd-pleaser that doesn’t taste like a ‘healthy’ treat.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup (45g) unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably dark)
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon (1.5g) salt
  • 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup (60g) mini chocolate chips (optional)
  • 24 chocolate wafer cookies (for legs, broken in half to make 48)
  • 24 pairs candy eyes
  • ¼ cup (60g) melted dark chocolate (for attaching legs and eyes)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  4. Beat in the egg, applesauce, and vanilla extract until well combined. The mixture may look slightly separated; this is normal.
  5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or folding with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. If using mini chocolate chips, fold them in now.
  6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes. This prevents excessive spreading.
  7. Using a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You should get about 24 cookies. Gently press each dough ball down slightly with your palm.
  8. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should look set around the edges but still soft in the center. For softer cookies, bake for 8 minutes; for firmer, 10 minutes.
  9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
  10. While the cookies cool, carefully break each chocolate wafer cookie in half to create 48 legs.
  11. Melt the dark chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.
  12. Working with one cookie at a time, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on the back of the cookie where the legs will go. Press two chocolate wafer halves into the chocolate on each side. Add a small dot of melted chocolate for each candy eye and press into place. Hold gently for a few seconds until set.
  13. Place the assembled spider cookies on a parchment-lined tray and let the chocolate set for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature, or 5 to 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

Notes

Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes to prevent spreading. Let cookies cool completely before decorating to avoid melting the chocolate. For best results, use room temperature ingredients. Cookies taste even better the day after baking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze undecorated cookies for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: spider cookies, Halloween cookies, lightened-up cookies, chocolate cookies, healthy Halloween treats, whole wheat cookies, spider cookies with chocolate legs

Find it online: https://sunnysavory.com/lightened-up-spider-cookies-with-easy-chocolate-legs/