Crunchy Chocolate Spiders (Halloween)

I've went a little crazy this year. There are too many things on my "to-bake" list. With family visiting earlier in the month and 2 days away from Halloween, it's a mad rush! Too ambitious I say, but I'll try. Halloween is the most interesting celebration in my opinion, I get to create some gruesome looking food (hopefully) to disgust family and friends.

When I first saw the idea on earthydelightsblog, I knew I can't pass on it. Chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels?! Yums! Sweet and savoury, my favorite combination. I did think the recipe sounds too teeth-decaying sweet, and the spiders look so cute! So here's my rendition.

Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Spiders (makes 6 x 10cm dia spiders)

For body

100g     Dark chocolate

  50g     Peanut butter, crunchy or smooth

  50g     Pretzels, roughly chopped

Pinch of salt

For legs

    20     Pretzel twists, for the spiders' legs

  75g     Dark chocolate

1. With a sharp knife, cut the curved sides of the pretzel twists. Cut more than what is needed, so there's a good selection of shapes and sizes. Also in case of breakage along the way.

2. Melt dark chocolate, peanut butter and a pinch of salt over bain marie (or microwave it in short bursts). Stir to combine till mixture is smooth and lump-free.

3. Mix in the chopped pretzels, coating as even as possible.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With 2 spoons, shape rounded mounds and drop them onto the lined baking sheet. They don't have to be perfect, as long as the shape is there. Chill slightly till set.

5. Melt the 75g dark chocolate in bain marie or microwave. Dip the curved pretzels into melted chocolate and stick it onto the spider's body. Keep the melted chocolate warm by setting it in a bowl of hot water while working. Chill the spiders again to set the legs.

6. When the legs are set, continue coating the rest of the legs in melted chocolate. Chill to set again and they're ready to serve. 

Thoughts and Tips: I'm lazy to add eyes onto the spiders, but I think they look pretty good as they are. You may add silver sugar balls as earthydelightsblog did for the eyes. Sure they'll look even better. 

When sticking the legs, I did it in 2 steps instead of 1 -- sticking them on with chocolate, making sure they have set before coating the whole thing in more chocolate. I was apprehensive that I'll have a hard time positioning the legs if I coat the whole thing altogether. Probably end up making a big mess! You may choose to dip the whole leg and stick it onto the body to save a little time, but I wouldn't take the risk.

This recipe will yield more spiders if you make them smaller. You will then have to "trim" the pretzels curves shorter to fit the body, so they appear proportionate. A lot more legs, a lot more work but they'll be bite sized for your guests. And because it's chocolate peanut butter covered pretzels (so sinfully good), I suggest you prepare a whole army of spiders! *belches* The good thing is that since all the ingredients have long shelf life, you can prepare a mega huge batch of these creepy crawlies in advanced, and they will freeze well for a month or more! They will also serve as a great "emergency dessert" when you have unexpected guests, just thaw them slightly before serving. 

I thought the finished spiders resemble a hairless tarantula, albeit an ugly and uneven one. But my sister thought they look like dung-covered spiders. Eww.... oh wait, even better, that will amp up the gross factor. "Dung-covered Spiders" they are then!

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