One of the first times I met my husband he brought these delicious treats into the office for Halloween. They were so good and I have a feeling it helped seal the deal for him with the bosses. Each fall everyone in the office would anticipate a few batches of his “Spiders.” His whole family makes these and they are a beloved favorite.
As you know from reading my recent posts I have a serious problem…..I can’t stop eating lately. And yesterday when I was at the grocery store I actually told myself that I needed to go pick out a cupcake for dessert. Yeah I really needed that cupcake. We had just been chatting about making spiders and I had an idea to make an experimental batch with a healthier twist.
I apologize ahead of time to my mother-in-law because this recipe might be sacrilegious and I hope it doesn’t ban me from the family. I do promise to only bring the real deal to family functions. This version is embarrassingly for my own personal stash because I have no self control. It’s cool because this little piggy doesn’t want to share!
They’re mine. All mine! (I’ve been working with children for too long)
But I do have to say that these turned out just about as delicious as the real deal. This recipe does call for a whole lot of chocolate and I didn’t bother to make a switch on that end but go ahead and experiment. I am sure there is even healthier ways to make this. You could try using carob chips or even swap the butterscotch for peanut butter or another nut butter.
The main difference I made to this recipe was to switch out the original Chow Mein noodles. Instead I used high fiber cereal such as Fiber One which looks a lot like Chow Mein noodles and has a similar consistency. The swap results in half the fat and calories and a boat load of added fiber. You will end up with approximately 50 cookies that come in around 100 calories each. The high fiber cereal also has a nice sweet after taste and I think this is an added bonus. The original recipe calls for equal parts Chow Mein noodles and peanuts but I went lighter on the nuts and did more cereal to lessen the calories even though I generally have no problem eating peanuts because they are a great source of protein. It was all about dessert and fewer calories this time around.
Spiders:
Ingredients:
3 cups chocolate chips
3 cups butterscotch chips
4 cups high fiber cereal
1/4 to 1/2 cup of peanuts
Directions:
In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Remove from heat and add in cereal and peanuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Scoop by the spoonful onto baking sheets lined with wax paper. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to cool. Gobble them up.
Note: The double boiler is really essential for this. The butterscotch chips have a tough time melting and quickly go from solid to burnt if you place them in a pan directly over heat. If you do not have a double boiler you can simmer water in a pot and sit a Pyrex or metal bowl on top. This will keep the chips from burning and allow for a nice even melt. This is also great for tempering chocolate for those upcoming holiday recipes.
These are scattered around our house and pose another problem for me.
Running On Healthy 
It’s OK Sarah, you kept all the good stuff – chocolate – you are not banned from the fam -your MIL
Sent from my iPad
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LOL thanks Diane 🙂
I love that the first part of this is “healthier” and then the first ingredient is chocolate. HEY THEY HAVE FIBER AND PROTEIN TOO.
And calcium 😀
Can’t get rid of that chocolate :). That’s why I run.
Is it totally crazy that I love making little chocolate snacks like those even though I hate chocolate? It smells so good though and my husband loves it. I’ve never tried making anything with butterscotch chips though…that sounds delicious!
Not crazy at all. The smell is part of the fun. The butterscotch is what makes these 🙂
YUUUUUMMMMMM!!! I’m sure all that chocolate is helping your feel-good hormones come out. 😉
That’s an excellent point!
My grandma used to make “spiders” 😀 Love it!
She also used to make “mice” (oval shaped cookies covered with powdered sugar) and “cockroaches” (dates covered with sugar).
Your grandmother sounds amazing. What a lucky way to grow up. Mice and coackroaches?! How cool is that!
Those look delicious! I have always had a hard time saying no to something with peanut butter and chocolate combined. This is a great way to make them more healthy and make me feel less guilty!
It is quite a bit less guilty eating wise. I also find them to be so deliciously sweet that one does the trick. Unlike when I am around cookies 🙂
Yum! These look tasty.
Ohhhh too cool!! Love this recipe!! Beyond yums!! XOXO!!
These sound so good – and It sounds like your family-in-law is a keeper!
They are and I am sooo lucky!
Oh drool… I’ve just finished writing my weekly shopping list… Getting it back out to add these on.
Great idea for subbing the chow mein noodles, never would have thought of that!
Ah! DOn’t feel bad. I’ve been hungry 24/7 too lately. I think it’s because it’s getting colder; thus, need for comfort food. And what could be more comforting than some chocolate ahhahaha! ❤ xoxo
I guess I’m lucky because I have zero sweet teeth in my mouth. That said, these do look good though! Nice of you to be looking out for everyone!
Lol, “I’ve been working with children for too long”!!! I hate have my super sweet tooth- so annoying that Kyle doesn’t have one!
Those look so good!!! I will have to try them!