Spider Peanut Cookies

The spookiest date on the calendar is just around the corner, and to help celebrate, Callebaut Ambassador, Kirsten Tibballs, has put together this seriously creepy (but delicious) Halloween recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes: 30-35 cookies

Ingredients
240g Unsalted Butter
80g Caster Sugar
300g Brown Sugar
2 Whole Eggs
1 tsp Heilala Vanilla Paste
130g Crunchy Peanut Butter
400g Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
200g Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture 33.6%

Method
Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Mix the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or by hand, until the butter is fully incorporated. Add the eggs, vanilla and peanut butter. Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a bowl. Add the sieved dry ingredients to the mixture and lastly add the chopped chocolate chips. Remove the mixture from the mixer and weigh out 30g. Roll into balls and place each one onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space between each cookie to allow for spreading. Lightly press down on each ball. Bake at 170 ˚C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a teaspoon, make a small dent in the middle of each cookie while they're still warm. This will allow the spider to sit on top of the cookie. Cool the cookies at room temperature.

Milk Chocolate Honey Ganache

Makes: 30 truffles

Ingredients

87g Bulla Thickened Cream
20g Honey
½ tsp Heilala Vanilla Paste
150g Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture 33.6%
300g Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture 33.6%, for dipping
30 x Callebaut Milk Chocolate Truffle Shells

Method
Place the cream and honey in a saucepan, add in the vanilla paste and bring to a boil. Place the milk couverture into a bowl and pour the boiling cream over it. Whisk by hand until all the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream to create a ganache. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache. Leave at room temperature until it cools. Transfer the prepared ganache into a piping bag and pipe it into each of the truffle shells, filling to the top. Temper the milk chocolate and transfer to a paper piping cone. Pipe some of the chocolate on top of the truffle shells to seal them. Once the chocolate sets, place a toothpick into the base of each truffle and dip the shell into the tempered milk chocolate. Tap the shell on the surface of the chocolate to create surface tension and remove any excess chocolate. Wipe the base of the truffle on the side of the bowl and carefully place the shell onto a sheet of baking paper, twisting the toothpick to remove it. Allow to set.

Spider Eyes

Ingredients
50g Callebaut 2815 Dark Couverture 57.7%
50g Callebaut W2 White Chocolate 28%
5g White Oil-Soluble Colour (titanium dioxide)

Method
Temper the dark couverture and add in the titanium dioxide, mixing together until fully incorporated.
Transfer some of the dark chocolate into a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate into a half-sphere mould. Allow to set. Temper the white chocolate and add in the titanium dioxide, mixing together until fully incorporated. Transfer some of the white chocolate to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate on top of the dark chocolate, covering it. Allow to set.

Assembly

Ingredients
100g Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture 33.6% 50g Callebaut W2 White Chocolate 28%
5g Red-Oil Soluble Colour
10g Callebaut Cocoa Butter

Method
Temper the milk couverture. Transfer to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate onto the middle of each cookie. Place one truffle shell on top and pipe lines of chocolate on each side to create 8 spider legs (4 legs on each side). Remove the chocolate eyes from the moulds and secure them to the truffle using the tempered chocolate. Temper the white chocolate. Create the blood by adding the titanium to the tempered chocolate. Mix together to combine, then add the red colour and mix again to ensure it is fully incorporated. Melt the cocoa butter to 29-30˚C and add it to the red chocolate to make it more fluid. Use a paper piping cone to randomly place drops of the chocolate blood around the spiders and cookies. Allow to set fully before handling