Ingredients:
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. water
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tsp. vanilla
- 1 package black rope licorice cut into short 1” pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 small tube of green (or color of choice) decorating gel
- Toothpicks
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine shortening, sugar, water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add eggs into the mixture and blend.
- Slowly mix in flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder using low-medium speed.
- Drop tablespoon helpings of mixture onto ungreased cookie sheets and roll each helping into a ball.
- Bake 9 minutes at 375 degrees. The batch should produce around three dozen cookies.
- Let cookies cool for about 10 minutes. Then using a toothpick, create four small holes in either side of the cookie.
- Still using the toothpick, push one end of a piece of the cut licorice into each hole, creating the “legs” of the spider.
- Once all eight pieces are in place, create eyes or decorate at will using the green decorating gel.
- Then serve and enjoy!
Recipe idea adapted from “The Braces Cookbook” by Pamela Waterman. Image courtesy of the American Association of Orthodontists.
