Chocolate Spiders Recipes

Steps:

• For the filling: Place the tapioca in a pot of water and bring to a boil; cook at a boil until clear, then drain the tapioca. Add the coconut puree to desired consistency.
• For the shell: Melt the chocolate and pour it into the chocolate molds, and then knock them carefully on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Pour the excess chocolate back into the bowl of warmed chocolate. Scrape the flat portion of the mold to clean off the molds. Cool the shells to harden completely.
• Pour the tapioca into the chocolate molds. Pour more chocolate over the filling, and scrape the excess again, then place the molds in the refrigerator to cool and set up completely.
• To make the chocolate legs, drizzle some melted chocolate on wax paper in long strands, then freeze. Break the chocolate strands into pieces and stick them on the sides of the spiders using some melted chocolate as the glue.

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Alternatively, you can do this in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring at each interval.)
• To assemble the spiders: Using the tip of a paring knife, make 3 holes on each side of the truffles, big enough to inset a pretzel into. Break off the curved portions of the pretzels (so you have shapes that look like the letter "J"). You should have 6 J-shaped pretzel pieces per truffle; these will be the legs. (The legs do not have to perfectly even, but try to get them close to the same size.)
• Line a plate with parchment paper. Dip the curved end of a pretzel piece into the melted chocolate and then insert into a hole in a truffle with the curve going down towards the bottom of the truffle; repeat with 5 more pretzel pieces and the melted chocolate. Lay the spider on the prepared plate with the legs up. Repeat with the remaining truffles, melted chocolate and pretzels. Refrigerate or freeze until set, about 10 minutes.
• Flip the spiders over so they are standing on their pretzel legs. Using the melted chocolate, make 2 dots on each truffle for eyes. Stick the desired candies on the melted chocolate. Serve the spiders arranged on a bed of cotton candy.

Steps:

• Chop the chocolate confectioners' coating and place into a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the chow mein noodles so they are evenly distributed. Spoon out to desired size onto waxed paper. Let cool completely before storing or serving.

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
• Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
• Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
• Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
• Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

Steps:

• Prepare pudding with milk according to package directions. Spoon into crusts; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Push eight licorice pieces into the pudding of each tartlet to form legs (curved pieces work best). Press M&M's in place for eyes. Refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate for 1-1/2 minutes at 50% power, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until melted; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in marshmallows. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cut licorice into 2-in. pieces; press eight pieces into each mound for legs. Press two chocolate balls into each for eyes. , Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and butter. Microwave until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth. Pour chocolate into a sealable plastic bag and set aside.
• Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Stick 4 chow mein noodles into each side of marshmallow for legs, and arrange on wax paper. Using scissors, cut one corner off the bag of melted chocolate. Drizzle over the marshmallow spiders. Attach 2 candies to each marshmallow for eyes. Chill until chocolate hardens.

Steps:

• Microwave chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave safe mixing bowl for about 30 seconds on high.
• If not melted and then microwave again in 5 second intervals.
• Mix well until it is a smooth paste.
• Add noodles and coat them well.
• Spoon the mixture in dessertspoon sized blobs onto greaseproof paper or into patty papers.
• Place in fridge until the chocolate sets.
• You can also give these spiders eyes by sticking chocolate chips onto them.

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate for 2 minutes at 50% power, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until melted; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in marshmallows. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cut licorice into 2-in. pieces; press eight pieces into each mound for legs. Press two chocolate balls into each for eyes. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Microwave chocolate and peanut butter in a microwave safe mixing bowl for about 60 seconds on high. If not melted then microwave again in 5 second intervals.
• Mix well until it is a smooth paste.
• Add noodles and coat them well.
• Spoon the mixture onto greaseproof paper, or into individual paper patty pans. Refrigerate til set.

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans and line each bottom with a round of wax paper. Grease paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess flour.
• In a bowl whisk boiling water into cocoa until smooth and whisk in milk and vanilla.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Into another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to egg mixture in batches alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating well after each addition.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops, and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, 20 to 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and layers begin to pull away from sides of pans.
• Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes and turn out onto racks to cool completely. Cake layers may be made ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room teperature 2 days or frozen 1 week.
• Make chocolate web and spider:
• On a sheet of parchment paper draw an 11-inch circle with a pen or pencil and draw a spider web on it, extending some of ends beyond circle (see drawing). Tear off a large corner of the paper and on it draw a spider (see drawing). Turn drawings over onto a large baking sheet.
• In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water melt chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip (slightly smaller than 3/4 inch). (Alternatively, form a makeshift pastry bag: Transfer chocolate to a small sealable plastic bag and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Squeeze chocolate to one corner of bag and snip off about 1/8 inch from corner, making a small hole.)
• Pipe chocolate on web, beginning with spokes, and on spider. Freeze web and spider on baking sheet until very firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Make coffee meringue frosting:
• In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water beat frosting ingredients with a hand-held electric mixer on low speed until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. Beat frosting on high speed 7 minutes, or until thick and fluffy. Remove bowl from heat and beat frosting until slightly cooled.
• Assemble cake:
• Put a cake layer on a serving plate and spread top with some frosting. Top with another cake layer and spread top with more frosting. Top with remaining cake layer and frost cake with remaining frosting.
• Working quickly, invert paper with frozen web onto another sheet of parchment or wax paper and peel off paper quickly but carefully. invert spider web carefully onto cake and let soften at room temperature until overhanging edges begin to droop. press overhang gently against side of cake. Cake may be assembled and decorated 4 hours ahead and kept in a cake keeper, chilled. Let cake stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
• Just before serving, peel chocolate spider from paper and put on cake.

Steps:

• Break up all of the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl along with the peanut butter.
• Microwave on High until the chocolate is melted.
• Mix the melted chocolate and peanut butter thoroughly.
• When mixed, pour the entire packet of fried noodles into the chocolate mixture and mix gently until all the noodles are well coated.
• Scoop the mixture into cupcake patties.
• Place in the fridge to set, about an hour.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Cut the black shoestring licorice into 60 small pieces, about 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long.
• Stick 4 pieces of black licorice into the cream filling on one side of a cookie, then stick 4 more pieces into the other side. Repeat with the remaining cookies and licorice.
• Using the frosting as an adhesive, stick the mini chocolate candies onto the cookies to create eyes.
• Enjoy!