Spider Web Cookies
Annnnnd I’m back! I’ve been in a crazy whirlwind of driving back and forth to school and various activities for the kids for the past month and it has been absolute mayhem around here. We’re finally settling into a groove and I’ve had some time to work on the blog! My other project is also well underway and I’m excited to share about that, too. But first, the Spider Web Cookies. If you’re looking for a Halloween themed treat to take to an upcoming party – look no further.
These Spider Web Cookies look pretty impressive but are really easy to make and don’t require much in the decorating department. Let’s start with the cookie dough recipe, which has become by go-to recipe for the past couple of years because my boys absolutely love it. To me, it tastes like a really good homemade version of Keebler’s Soft Batch Cookie, which was my childhood favorite. When they’re fresh out of the oven they’re crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. The next day, after being stored in an airtight container, they’re no longer crisp but are thick, soft, chewy cookies. So good. You could mix the M&Ms into the batter as well, but I opted to just stick them in right after I pulled them from the oven to get the best look (if you bake them inside the cookies, they will probably bleed into the dough and crack open).
I made the Spider Web Cookies fairly large so they’d be easier to decorate (I used a standard ice cream scooper to make the dough balls all the same size). Placing the M&Ms into the dough right when the cookies come out of the oven allows them to settle into the cookie without cracking or the color bleeding into the dough. Once the cookies have completely cooled, they’re ready to decorate with black icing. I used Wilton’s Black Decorating Icing with a small round icing tip to pipe the spider web.
So, the side project I’m working on is something I’ve always wanted to do and it will bring Deliciously Declassified to life through the adorable characters in a children’s book! This is a pretty involved process and although it’s well underway, I’m not sure I’m going to make my Christmas deadline. And it’s a Christmas story… sooooo, we might just be well ahead of schedule for next year or maybe I can push and get it done this year – fingers crossed!
Anyway, back to your plans for the weekend. Nobody will be disappointed with these Spider Web Cookies – so do yourself a favor and make a double batch. Happy baking!
Spider Web Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Autumn M&Ms for decorating
- Wilton's Black Decorating Icing for decorating
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper - set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt - set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and both sugars. Beat on medium-high for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and beat on high for about 5 minutes (scraping down the sides periodically), until everything is well combined.
- Add in the vanilla and molasses and beat until they are well incorporated.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients.
- Lastly, add in the chocolate chips and incorporate by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Using a standard ice cream scooper, scoop out each ball of cookie dough (approximately 1/4 cup).
- Bake at the cookies for approximately 15 minutes (cookies should be golden around the edges and the middle should be set and not wet looking). Bake no more than 8 cookies on the baking sheet (I usually split them into two batches of 4-5 cookies at a time).
- Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, press the M&Ms into the surface - allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, decorate with the black icing.