Spooky spider peanut cookies recipe for Halloween

Have them crumbling with fear (and joy) this Halloween with a batch of Kirsten Tibballs' spooktacular spider peanut cookies.

Spider peanut cookies

Peanut butter cookies

Makes 30-35 cookies

INGREDIENTS

240g unsalted butter

80g castor sugar

300g brown sugar

2 whole eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

130g crunchy peanut butter

400g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

200g Callebaut milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Mix the butter, castor sugar and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter and continue mixing. Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a bowl. Add the sieved dry ingredients to the mixture and lastly add the chopped chocolate chips. Remove from the stand mixer.

2. For each cookie, weigh out 40g of the dough and roll into balls. Place each ball onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space between each cookie to allow for spreading. Lightly press down on each ball. Bake at 170C for 10 minutes.

3. Remove the cookies from the oven and using a teaspoon, make a small dent in the middle of each cookie while they're still warm. This will allow the spider to sit on top of the cookie. Cool the cookies at room temperature.

Competent cooks will savour the challenge of making Kirsten's Milk Chocolate Honey Ganache truffles, but you might want to substitute with a shop bought version (for example, Lindt Balls) instead. (We won't tell anyone!)

Milk chocolate honey ganache

Makes 30 truffles

87g pure cream (Kirsten recommends Bulla)

20g honey

½ tsp vanilla bean paste

150g Callebaut milk couverture

300g Callebaut milk couverture, for dipping

Callebaut milk chocolate truffle shells

1. Place the cream and honey in a saucepan, add in the vanilla bean paste and bring to a boil. Place the milk couverture in a bowl and pour the boiling cream over it. Whisk by hand until all the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream to create a ganache. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache. Leave at room temperature until it cools. Transfer the prepared ganache into a piping bag and pipe it into each of the truffle shells, filling to the top.

2. Temper the milk chocolate and transfer to a paper piping cone. Pipe some of the chocolate on top of the truffle shells to seal them. Once the chocolate sets, place a toothpick into the base of each truffle and dip the shell into the tempered milk chocolate. Tap the shell on the surface of the chocolate to create surface tension and remove any excess chocolate. Wipe the base of the truffle on the side of the bowl and carefully place the shell onto a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray, twisting the toothpick to remove it. Allow to set.

If you don't have time to make spider eyes, Smarties make a good substitute.

Spider eyes

50g Callebaut dark couverture chocolate

50g Callebaut white chocolate

5g white oil-soluble colour (titanium dioxide)

1. Temper the dark couverture and add in the titanium dioxide, mixing together until fully incorporated. Transfer some of the dark chocolate to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate into a half sphere mould. Allow to set.

2. Temper the white chocolate and add in the titanium dioxide, mixing together until fully incorporated. Transfer some of the white chocolate to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate on top of the dark chocolate, covering it. Allow to set.

ASSEMBLY

100g Callebaut milk couverture chocolate

50g Callebaut white chocolate

5g red oil-soluble colour

10g Callebaut cocoa butter

1. Temper the milk couverture. Transfer to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate onto the middle of each cookie. Place a truffle shell on top of the cookie and pipe lines of chocolate on each side to create 8 spider legs (4 legs on each side). Remove the chocolate eyes from the moulds and secure them to the truffle using the tempered chocolate.

2. Temper the white chocolate. Create the blood by adding the titanium to the tempered chocolate. Mix together to combine then add the red colour and mix again to ensure it is fully incorporated. Melt the cocoa butter to 29-30C and add it to the red chocolate to make it more fluid. Use a paper piping cone to randomly place drops of the chocolate blood around the spiders and cookies. Allow to set fully before handling.

TIP: Callebaut chocolate, couverture and cocoa butter can be substituted with the best quality other brands you can afford.

Kirsten Tibballs, who MasterChef proclaims "the queen of chocolate", is one of Australia's most celebrated and internationally respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers. Find out about her creations and classes at Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School. Tibballs is a Bulla Dairy ambassador.