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Perfect Chocolate Spider Web Sugar Cookies – Easy Halloween Treats

chocolate spider web sugar cookies - featured image
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These rich, fudgy chocolate sugar cookies are topped with a delicate royal icing spider web, making them the perfect last-minute Halloween treat. Quick to make and impressive to serve, they’re a crowd-pleaser for any spooky gathering.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks / 226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk or water
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or clear almond extract
  • Optional: Black gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  2. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light, fluffy, and pale (2-3 minutes).
  3. Beat in room-temperature egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
  5. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
  6. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll dough to about ¼-inch (6mm) thickness.
  7. Use a round cookie cutter (2.5-3 inches) to cut out cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Re-roll scraps and repeat.
  8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set and centers are slightly soft. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. For the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk or water, and vanilla extract until thick but pipeable (toothpaste consistency). Add more liquid if needed.
  10. Spoon icing into a piping bag or zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off. On a cooled cookie, pipe a solid circle of icing in the center.
  11. From the center circle, pipe thin lines of icing radiating outward to the edge (4-8 spokes).
  12. While icing is still wet, use a toothpick to gently drag from one spoke to the next in a curved line, creating a web pattern. Work quickly.
  13. Optional: Tint a small amount of remaining icing black with gel food coloring. Pipe a small spider body on the edge of the web, then add 8 tiny legs.
  14. Let iced cookies sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until icing is completely hard and dry.

Notes

For best results, chill the dough for 30 minutes if time allows. Work in batches when icing to keep the icing wet for the web pattern. Do not overbake; cookies should be slightly soft in the center when removed from the oven.

Nutrition

Keywords: chocolate spider web cookies, Halloween cookies, sugar cookies, easy Halloween treats, chocolate sugar cookies, royal icing cookies

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