Spiderweb Candy Recipes

Steps:

• Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In sets of 8, arrange the pretzel sticks into the spokes of 10 webs, with the centers touching and the outer edges spaced.
• Melt the melting wafers according to the package instructions, approximately 2 minutes in a microwave or 3 to 5 minutes over a double boiler. Transfer to a piping bag and cut the tip to create a small hole.
• Pipe a small amount of the melted candy onto the center of each web where the pretzels meet; this will hold the webs together. Then pipe a web pattern by starting in the center and spiraling out to the edges. Go around the outer edges a couple times to create a firm border. Carefully spoon over the sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining webs.
• Place chocolate spiders in the center, if using. Let set 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chips; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in corner of bag and set aside., In another small microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Stir in coconut. Spoon 2 tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets; spread into a 4-in. circle. Repeat four times., Using reserved melted semisweet chocolate, pipe thin concentric circles an 1/8 in. apart on top of each candy. Beginning with the center circle, gently pull a toothpick through circles toward outer edges. Wipe toothpick clean. Repeat to complete web pattern. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and egg whites. Cool. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In microwavable bowl, microwave white candy melts and shortening uncovered on Medium (50%) 1 minute, then in 15-second intervals, until melted; stir until smooth. Dip tip of 1 lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into melted candy and insert stick into 1 cake ball no more than halfway. Repeat. Return to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip cake balls in melted white candy; tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Let stand until set.
• Spoon melted black candy into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut off tiny corner of bag; squeeze bag to pipe spiderweb onto each cake pop. Immediately attach 1 chocolate candy to each web to look like spider.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse together pecans and oats in a food processor until finely ground. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add sugars and honey and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugars are melted and mixture is simmering, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pecan mixture, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Mound 2 teaspoonfuls of dough, one on top of the other, to form each cookie; place 2 to 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten stacked mounds to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Bake until cookies spread and are golden throughout, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Place chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted; remove from heat. Pour chocolate into a parchment cone or resealable plastic bag; snip off a tiny corner. Pipe chocolate onto each cookie in a spiral, working out from center. Pipe lines from outside in and back again, all the way around. Let set at room temperature or in refrigerator before serving.

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Dust pans with flour, knocking out excess.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
• Whisk together boiling-hot water and cocoa in another bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
• Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through, until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
• Make decorations while cake layers cool:
• Trace a 9-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, then draw a spiderweb inside circle. Next to web, draw a 2-to 3-inch spider. Turn drawings over onto a baking sheet.
• Melt chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring. Cool slightly, then transfer to pastry bag. Pipe chocolate onto web, beginning with spokes, and onto spider on parchment, then freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Make frosting:
• Put frosting ingredients in a heatproof large bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Beat with handheld mixer at low speed until mixture is warm and sugar has dissolved. Continue to beat at high speed until thick and fluffy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat frosting until cooled slightly, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• Assemble cake:
• Place a cake layer on a serving plate. Spread top with some of frosting. Top with another cake layer and spread with some of frosting, then top with final cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting.
• Cut off portion of parchment with spider and reserve. Invert web on parchment onto cake and carefully peel off paper. Peel off parchment from spider and put spider on web. Let cake stand at room temperature until chocolate decorations have softened.

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in sugar. Cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts. Pour into a greased foil-lined 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Immediately drop marshmallow cream by spoonfuls over hot brownies; spread evenly. Cool on a wire rack. , Lift out of the pan; remove foil. For web decoration, melt semisweet chocolate in a microwave; stir until smooth. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag. Cut a small hole in one corner of the bag; drizzle chocolate over top in a spiderweb design. Let set before cutting into bars.