Sweetie Spiders Recipes

Steps:

• Cut a sliver off top of each gumdrop to expose sticky interior. Repeat with black licorice drops. Gently press cut side of 1 gumdrop (body) onto cut side of 1 black licorice drop (head). Repeat.
• Using a skewer, poke 2 shallow holes into each licorice-drop head for eyes, and poke 8 shallow holes (4 on each side) into each gumdrop body for legs. Gently press 1 nonpareil into each eye hole. Cut a small slit in the midpoint of each licorice lace, being careful not to cut all the way through, to create joints on legs. Insert 1 licorice leg into each hole in body.

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:

• 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:

• Place parchment paper on baking sheet; set aside.
• In a large glass microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Melt on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and stir until smooth.
• Stir in pretzel sticks. With clean hands grab pretzel sticks and drop on prepared baking sheet in clusters to look like spiders.
• Place in freezer for 5 minutes or until to chocolate is hardened. Remove and serve.