Let me just start by saying that I don’t like spiders, like at all. And I like walking through spiderwebs even less. But I do like spider treats like these spider cookies and today’s pretzel spider webs! And the spider web cookies at Disneyland were one of my favorite Disneyland Halloween food items! It’s probably because I’m a boy mom and we end up playing in a lot of dirt and hanging out with a lot of spiders, not on purpose but it just happens when you’re chasing boys around. These spider web pretzels are one of my favorite Halloween party ideas because they don’t have to be perfect, in fact, they’re actually better messy! Then they’re more like an actual spiderweb that isn’t perfect but it just all over the place.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fun to make – you’ll be surprised by how fun it is to drip the white chocolate around to form your spiderweb, it’s almost therapeutic. Both myself and my boys had fun making these!Allergy friendly – unlike so many of the spider treats out there that use peanut butter, these just use pretzels, chocolate, and non-peanut M&Ms. That makes them great for classroom parties where nuts are an issue. Unique – you’ll likely see tons of Halloween rice krispie treats and monster cookies out there this Halloween but you’re probably not going to see too many of these spider webs. So if you want something more unique, try these!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
White chocolate chips – you can use either white chocolate chips or white chocolate melting wafers, either one works. I actually prefer the melting wafers because they harden quicker, but I know people are more likely to have chocolate chips on hand so included those in the recipe instead. Pretzels – make sure to get the stick pretzels, not the regular ones. Obviously other pretzels aren’t going to work for this. You could also try the pretzel rods if you want giant spider webs, but the white chocolate may not hold them! M&Ms – you can do either Halloween colored M&Ms or really any colored M&Ms, the Halloween ones are just the most fun! Black gel – I used the black gel for these but you could also melt some regular chocolate chips and just pipe on chocolate legs instead like I did with the facts on my ghost brownies instead.
Instructions
Okay so these aren’t too difficult, but there are some tips to help get them looking more like spiderwebs than just chocolate covered pretzels! Start by lining your cookie sheet with parchment paper. This will keep your pretzels and chocolate from sticking and totally breaking when you try to put them up. Lay out as many pretzel sticks as you would like in your web. I did 16 in each of my webs, but you could make them smaller if you want – just make sure there are at least 8 in each web. Form a circle with the pretzel sticks, making sure the end of each pretzel is touching in the center. This is where your web will be held together with the white chocolate. Next, place 1 cup white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and add about two teaspoons of coconut oil if you want the chocolate to have a nice glossy look to it. Otherwise, you can just add the chocolate. Place the bowl in the microwave and microwave for 20-30 seconds then stir. Continue this process until the chocolate is fully melted and super smooth. Fill a pastry bag with the melted chocolate and drizzle the chocolate in a circular motion on top of the pretzel sticks to form the web, adding extra in the center to keep the pretzel sticks together. Place M&Ms on the web where you want your spiders and use the black gel or the melted chocolate chips to draw on the legs. Put the pretzel spider webs in the refrigerator for at least two hours (or the freezer for an hour) to allow the white chocolate to harden completely before serving.
Expert Tips
Add coconut oil to the chocolate to give it a glossy look on the spider webs when melting your chocolate. Add 2-4 spiders to each depending on the size of your webs. Try to space them apart so they each get their own portion of the web. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature in an airtight container, as long as your room is fairly cool for up to five days before throwing away. If you keep your house, definitely keep them in the refrigerator so the chocolate doesn’t melt.
More Halloween Treats
Keep the Halloween party planning going with these yummy Halloween eats and treats!
Candy corn desserts – this yummy layered pudding dessert combines three layers of deliciousness to look like candy corn! Caramel apple dip – this dip tastes just like the candy apples you get at the store or make at home! And it’s so much easier to eat! Halloween punch – this fun Halloween punch combines green drinks, floating gummy eyeballs, and more in a punch that kids will go crazy for!Monster cookie sandwiches – take monster cookies to another level with these darling monster cookie sandwiches! Halloween rice krispy – rice krispy treats meet their match with these fun ones that look like witches!
