This post may contain affiliate links.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies are a fun, delicious treat that every Halloween fan will love! Whether you’re hosting a neighborhood party, making treats for school, or serving these little sweet spiders to your family, they are sure to disappear fast.
If you are someone who loves Halloween, then these cookies are for you! They are cute, yummy, and easy to make. They taste just like your favorite peanut butter cookie with added flavors from chocolate, caramel, and pretzels.
One of the things that is so special about these cookies is that they add a little drama to any Autumn party without being scary. Now, that’s a Halloween win!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Spider Cookies are great to make with kids, too. They are so much fun to make and to eat that you may want to make a double batch!
Make This Recipe For…
- Halloween Parties
- Family Dessert
- Graduation Parties
- Cooking With The Kids
- School Lunches
- Goody Bags for Parties
Ingredients For These Cookies
- Butter – make sure it’s a room temperature
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown
- Granulated Sugar
- Peanut Butter – I recommend smooth, but you can use crunchy
- Egg – large
- Vanilla – I use pure vanilla extract, not imitation flavor
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Large Pretzels
- Rolo Candies
Substitutions For Peanut Butter
If you can’t have peanut butter, you can substitute almond butter. You’ll get the same texture with a hint of nuttiness. You can also use a recipe for your favorite sugar cookie if you want to leave the nut butter out altogether.
Helpful Tips To Make Peanut Butter Pretzel Spider Cookies
- Make sure that the butter and eggs are at room temperature. This helps with the blending of the ingredients.
- To chill the dough, leave it in the mixing bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until chilled.
- While the cookie dough chills, prep the Rolo candies by taking off the foil wrappers and break the pretzels into “spider legs.” This will make building the spiders easy when the cookies come out of the oven.
PRO-TIP: use tweezers, LIKE THESE for cooking and baking, to place the eyes on the spiders.
How To Store These Cookies
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The pretzels may soften, but you can replace “the legs” with fresh pretzels .
If You Like These Cookies, Make Sure To Try These Treats:
Peanut Butter Pretzel Spider Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 2/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter I like to use smooth, but chunky will also work
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 2/3 cup All purpose Flour
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 bag Thin Jumbo Pretzels
- 24 unwrapped Rolos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using either a hand mixer or a standing mixer, beat softened butter and both types of sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Switch mixer to a medium high speed and add peanut butter until well combined. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating to incorporate well.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. With the mixer set on low, gradually add dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture. Beat for 1 minute or until dough is just combined.
- Leave dough in the mixing bowl, and cover. Then place dough in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes and let chill.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Working in batches, bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately place a Rolo in the center of each cookie, then add pretzel pieces around the Rolo to resemble spider legs. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet, then remove and place on a cooling rack. Serve or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Caroline Richter says
What are the eyes made of?
Donya says
Hey there Caroline!
Thanks for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! The eyes are a candy made from crystalized sugar, you can find them at your local grocery store or you can order them online. I hope this helps, let me know what you think of the recipe if you end up giving it a try, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Emma Sheeler says
I love these!! Is there a gluten free substitute? What a great recipe, perfect for kiddos!!
Donya says
Hey there Emma!
It is lovely to hear from you, thank you so much for your fantastic rating and kind words! That’s a great question, and the answer is yes, you can absolutely make these Gluten Free. This recipe is actually super easy to make Gluten Free, I would just substitute the All-Purpose flour for your favorite Gluten Free flour and add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of Baking Powder (3/4 of a teaspoon total) so the cookies will rise the same way. I hope this is helpful, thank you so much for your support, if you ever have any other questions about a recipe, feel free to reach out!
~Donya