Best Spider Spoons Recipes

PEANUT BUTTER SPIDER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup white sugar together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Beat egg into the creamy mixture until fully incorporated. Stir milk and vanilla extract into the mixture until smooth.
• Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl; add to the wet mixture in the large bowl and stir until completely incorporated into a dough. Divide and shape dough into 48 balls.
• Spread 1/4 cup white sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in sugar to coat and arrange about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and quickly press a dimple into the middle of each cookie using the blunt end of a wooden spoon. Cool cookies on sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
• Cut each chocolate sphere into two hemispheres. Put one piece atop each cookie with the rounded side facing upwards.
• Spoon frosting into a pastry bag with a small round tip or a plastic freezer bag with one end snipped off. Dab a small amount of frosting onto the back of each candy eyeball and stick two onto each chocolate candy to resemble eyes. Then pipe frosting in four thin lines, starting at the base of the candy, on each side atop the cookie to resemble spider legs.
• Let frosting harden at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container.

EDIBLE ARACHNIDS

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions, using a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Crumble cake into a large bowl to measure 7 cups., In a large bowl, beat butter, cocoa and vanilla until creamy. Beat in confectioners' sugar alternately with milk until smooth. Add cake crumbs; mix well. Shape into sixteen 1-1/2-in. balls and sixteen 3/4-in. balls., To assemble spiders, insert a wooden or metal skewer through one small cake ball and then halfway through one large cake ball; repeat with remaining balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; insert eight pretzel halves into each large ball to form legs. Freeze 2 hours or until firm., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip each spider in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets., Remove skewers and attach M&M's for eyes. Refrigerate until set.

DEEP-FRIED TARANTULA SPIDER

Steps:

• In a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer, heat the oil to 350°F.
• With a sharp knife, sever and discard the abdomens from the two tarantulas. Singe off any of the spider's body hairs with a crème brûlée torch or butane cigarette lighter.
• Dip each spider into the tempura batter to thoroughly coat. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to make sure each spider is spread-eagled (so to speak) and not clumped together before dropping it into the hot oil.
• Deep-fry the spiders, one at a time, until the batter is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove each spider from the oil and place it on paper towels to drain.
• Use a sharp knife to cut each spider in two lengthwise. Sprinkle with the paprika and serve. Encourage your guests to try the legs first and, if still hungry, to nibble on the meat-filled mesothorax, avoiding the spider's paired fangs, which are tucked away in the head region.

PECAN-CARAMEL SPIDERS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
• Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
• Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
• Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
• Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

SPIDER'S NEST DIP

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning with 1 cup of the sour cream (hold the rest of the sour cream to decorate). Set mixture aside.
• Spread a thin layer of refried beans in the bottom of a microwaveable serving dish. Add a layer of shredded cheese. Heat dish in microwave for 1 minute, until cheese is slightly melted.
• Drain the salsa and layer it over the cheese. Drain the olives and layer over the salsa. Add a layer of the sour cream mixture. Add a layer of guacamole.
• To decorate the top, spoon a medium sized dollop of sour cream in the center. This is the spider's "nest."
• Spoon the rest of the sour cream into an air-tight bag. Cut a very small piece out of 1 of the bottom corners of the bag and, starting at the outer edge of the dip, pipe a thin circle around the perimeter. Create another circle half way between the perimeter circle and the center dollop, creating 3 circles.
• Using a knife blade, toothpick or skewer, drag a thin line of the sour cream from the "nest" outward toward the edge of the dish. Continue making lines all around the "nest" to complete the spider web design. Position whole black beans onto the sour cream "web."
• Embellish with plastic decorative spiders. Serve with a bowl of blue tortilla chips, and watch your guests scurry to get a bite!