Oh, glorious Halloween. I have such fond memories of you from when I was a kid!

When I was in elementary school, everyone would dress up. Probably even the bus drivers, if memory serves me right. As if trick-or-treating candy wasn’t enough, we’d also get treat bags at school. I know there must have been candy in them, but I can only vaguely remember Saf-T Pops, info on trick-or-treating safety, and (for some reason) packets of chocolate Malt-O-Meal cereal that kids would just eat plain from the packet. Gross. I guess it was meant to be breakfast for the day after Halloween, so we could get a somewhat nourishing meal after gorging ourselves on candy the night before.

Classroom Halloween parties were a much-anticipated event back in the day. What better way to prepare for the night’s candy binge than to scarf down Doritos, cookies, popcorn, soda and candy corn while listening to The Monster Mash in the middle of the afternoon? These creepy chocolate spiderweb treats would have been the perfect addition to those school parties. They’ll make a great addition to your own Halloween parties, and they’re super simple, so the kids will enjoy making them with you. They’ll love the sweet combination of Cocoa Krispies, marshmallows and white chocolate!

creepy chocolate spiderweb treats!

(makes 12-24 balls, depending on how big you want them)

10 c (15.5 oz box) Cocoa Krispies cereal

5 T (70 g) butter

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp (4 g) cocoa powder

6 1/2 c (about 16 oz) mini marshmallows

about 6 oz white chocolate or
vanilla flavored Wilton Candy Melts

1 oz dark chocolate

a few red Wilton Candy Melts

In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the salt. Once the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and stir well until they’re all melty. Stir in the cocoa powder until it’s well-mixed, and then remove the pot from the heat. Carefully stir in the cereal until it’s all coated in the melted marshmallow. Pour the cereal-marshmallow mixture into a large bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.

Grab a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Using your hands (you might want to coat them in a little bit of oil!), grab about 1 cup worth of the cereal mixture at a time and form it into balls. Set the finished cereal balls on the parchment-lined pan. The mixture will make up to 24 balls, depending on how many you want/how big you make them!

In a measuring cup or a bowl, melt your white chocolate or vanilla candy melts in the microwave, stirring after 30 seconds. You may need to add 20-30 seconds more, depending on your microwave. When the candy melts are all melted, pour them into a disposable piping bag and cut off a small piece of the end of the bag (or use a Ziploc bag with part of a corner snipped off). Using quick motions, drizzle the white chocolate over the surface of the cereal balls, going in random zig-zag patterns so that the surface looks like it’s covered in spiderwebs. Let them set up in the freezer for a few minutes, cause it’s about to be spider-piping time!

Melt your dark chocolate in the microwave in a small bowl, stirring after 30 seconds, adding more time until it’s all melted. Put the dark chocolate into another disposable piping bag or Ziploc bag, and make some spiders by piping two sets of four lines, all of them starting from the same spot, and then filling in the center with a large filled-in circle of chocolate to form the spider bodies [p.s. I’m fully aware my spiders only have 6 legs. They’re different!]. Make small or large spiders on each cereal ball, and let them set up in the freezer for a few more minutes so that you can put the creepy red eyes on them!

Melt a few red candy melts in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, and using a toothpick, dip the end into the red candy melts and dot some small eyes on each spider. Let them set up fully before serving. These cereal balls are best served the same day they’re made, but they can be made up to one day ahead of time, storing them in large Ziploc bags at room temperature once the chocolate is fully set up.

Put out a big platter of these sweet, chocolate-y spider-topped cereal balls at your Halloween party, and I guarantee the kids (and adults) will go nuts for them! Throw around a few fake spiders near the platter and you’ll get the full creepy effect. They’re sweet, they’re crunchy, and they have a little bit of depth thanks to the addition of salt. They’re perfect for priming the kids’ bellies for all the candy that’s sure to come!