Halloween Furry Spiders (Tarantulas)

MarySC's Note:

I made these for a preschool party and the kids loved them. They do NOT contain peanut butter, unlike some other recipes. They are a great mix of sweet and salty. Prep time includes post-baking assembly time. You can use the pretzel stick "legs" full size or break them off in graduating lengths.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 30 cookies

• 10 tablespoons butter , softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces pretzel sticks
• 11 -12 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 2 -3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• chocolate sprinkles
• red cinnamon candies , small

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.
3. Add the cocoa, baking powder, and salt, then add the flour and beat to form a smooth dough.
4. Roll out tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Thirty balls are the perfect size, and I then make the spiders in batches of six.
5. Press the ends of eight pretzel sticks firmly into the dough to make legs, and place each spider on a cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until the cookies are firm, about 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.
7. Melt the chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons oil in the microwave or a double boiler; add additional oil if needed to make the chocolate thin enough. Put a cookie sheet under the wire rack and pour the melted chocolate over each cookie. (I usually hold the spider over the chocolate and either dip the legs in the chocolate or pour chocolate over the legs then shake to remove the excess chocolate so the excess chocolate drips back into the pot. Then I put the spider on the rack and spoon chocolate over the body.) You can scrape off the chocolate on the cookie sheet and return it to the pan periodically.
8. While chocolate is still wet, coat each cookie with chocolate sprinkles.
9. Press in two red candy eyes on the front of each head.
10. Allow chocolate to harden before storing.