Healthy Peanut Butter Date Halloween Spider Cookies
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These Healthy Halloween Spider Cookies are a healthier Halloween treat alternative! The base cookie is sweetened naturally with dates, is dairy-free, and can be made vegan! They’re a great Halloween treat for toddlers and they’re a spooky and fun treat for a Halloween party!
The base cookie is an adaptation of my Peanut Butter Date Cookies, but of course, some chocolate always makes things just a little more delicious. 😉
*This post was originally published on October 13, 2022 and updated on October 18, 2023.
Why You’ll Love These Peanut Butter Date Spider Cookies
- Low sugar. The base of these cookies is naturally sweetened by dates! The chocolate spiders are the only added sugar.
- Dairy-free. These cookies are dairy-free, unlike many cookies! Be sure to use chocolate chips that are dairy-free as well, like Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips.
- Easy to make. These cookies are so easy and quick to make! Just blend everything in a food processor and bake! Creating the little spiders on top is surprisingly easy as well.
- 30 minutes. This Halloween cookie recipe only takes 30 minutes to make leaving you with more time for fun Halloween activities. 😉
- Easily change them to vegan peanut butter date cookies. To turn the cookies into vegan cookies, you can replace the egg with a chia egg! See instructions for doing so below.
Healthy Halloween Spider Cookie Ingredients
- Pitted dates: these are used to lightly sweeten the cookies, plus they add fiber, iron, potassium, as well as other nutrients to the cookies!
- Hot water: used to soak the dates and to help mix the dough.
- Peanut butter: the peanut butter flavor mixed with the chocolate spiders is so delicious!
- Coconut oil: this acts as another binder for the cookies and helps keep them from getting dried out.
- Vanilla extract: for a yummy flavor!
- Egg: if needed, you can make the recipe vegan by replacing the egg with a “chia egg” (see recipe notes below).
- Baking soda: to help with the structure of the cookies.
- Chocolate chips: if you need the recipe to be dairy-free, make sure that you are using dairy-free chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips.
How to Make Healthy Halloween Spider Cookies
STEP 1 – Soak the dates
In a small bowl, cover dates in hot water and let soak for 2 minutes to soften them.
STEP 2 – Make the cookie dough
Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to a food processor. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the date hot water out and add it to the food processor. Drain the dates and add them to the food processor. Process until fully mixed and a ball/dough forms.
STEP 3 – Bake
Scoop 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough (depending on how large you like your cookies) into your hand and roll it into a ball. Using the palm of your hand, press the dough down to create a cookie shape (your hands will get oily here from the coconut oil!). Place on a lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 13 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
STEP 4 – Create the cute little spiders!
While the cookies are baking, prep the melted chocolate by heating the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute or so, until the chocolate chips are melted. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then transfer it to a small Ziploc bag.
When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, use scissors to cut a small section of the corner of the bag. Squeeze the chocolate out in a dollop for the spider’s belly and then create eight thin spider legs by making straight lines coming out of the spider’s belly. Repeat for all of the spiders. (Optional) Add candied eyes to each spider cookie!
**If using candied eyes: Please be careful if you include the candied eyes on your spider cookies and are serving them to small children! These can be a choking hazard. You can omit these and just include the chocolate spider bodies on top of the cookies (they’ll look like spider webs, especially if you use a toothpick to spread each “leg” out).
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies FAQs
You sure can! You can replace the egg with a “chia egg”, making the recipe vegan. To do this, combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 2.5 tablespoons water in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes. It has become a “chia egg” when it’s turned into a gel-like, thick consistency. You can add this to the food processor along with the other ingredients.
Yes! Just be sure to check that the chocolate chips and candied eyes (if using) are gluten-free. The cookie itself is gluten-free.
Yes! You can use a different type of nut butter. Or, if you need the recipe to be nut-free, you can use sunflower butter (tahini might even work!). Just note that when sunflower butter combines with baking soda, it typically turns the cookies green! This might be a welcomed spooky element to these Halloween Spider Cookies though! 😉
Store them in an air-tight container on the counter or in the fridge (we keep ours in the fridge!) for up to 3 days.
More (Healthier) Cookie Recipes!
Vegan Thumbprint Cookies With Raspberry Chia Jam
Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
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If you tried these Healthy Peanut Butter Date Halloween Spider Cookies or any other recipe on the blog, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Thank you so much!
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Peanut Butter Date Halloween Spider Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
- Hot water, (to soak the dates – reserve 1 tablespoon)
- 1 cup peanut butter, (I like using creamy salted peanut butter for these cookies!)
- 1/8 cup coconut oil , at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg, (or chia egg*)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chocolate chips, (be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips, if needed)
- (Optional) 32 candied eyes, (Please note that these could be a choking hazard for small kids, so be sure to only serve them if it's age appropriate.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, cover dates in hot water and let soak for 2 minutes. This helps them soften a little.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to a food processor. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the date hot water out and add it to the food processor.
- Drain dates and add them to the food processor.
- Process until fully mixed and a ball/dough forms.
- Scoop 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough into your hand and roll it into a ball. Using the palm of your hand, press the dough down to create a cookie shape. Place on the baking sheet. Your hands will get quite oily here due to the coconut oil!
- Bake cookies in the oven for 13 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips by heating them in a small bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or so, until they're melted. Allow the chocolate to cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer the chocolate to a sandwich-size Ziploc bag.
- When you're ready to decorate the cookies, cut a small section of the corner of the bag. Squeeze the chocolate out in a dollop for the spider's belly and then create eight thin spider legs by making straight lines coming out of the spider's belly. Repeat for all of the spiders. (Optional) Add candied eyes to each spider cookie!