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Chocolate Spiders:
4 ounces (115 grams) semi sweet chocolate, chopped
3 large (90 grams) egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) salt
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (220 grams) sweetened dried coconut (shredded or flaked)
Black Shoestring Licorce, cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
Candy eyes
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Chocolate Spiders: In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
Then, in a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Then whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut and melted chocolate, making sure the coconut is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and place small mounds (about a heaping tablespoon) of the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or just until the cookies are shiny and still a little soft in the center. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Then press two candy eyes and pieces of licorce into each side of the cookies for "legs".
Makes about 20-24 chocolate spiders.
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Here's a fun treat for Halloween that your kids will love. Chocolate Spiders. They're really easy to make. Just make a batch of Chocolate Macaroons and then while they're still warm from the oven press two candy eyes, along with short pieces of black licorce (for 'spider legs'), into the cookies.
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons take very little time to prepare. All the ingredients are just stirred together, the batter is chilled, and then you bake the cookies. Now the two main flavors in these cookies are chocolate and dried coconut so choose these two ingredients carefully. Use a semi-sweet chocolate that children enjoy eating out-of-hand. The dried coconut should be fresh so check the expiry date on the package. Dried coconut comes sweetened and unsweetened and you really can use either type in this recipe. Dried coconut is usually packaged in plastic bags and it is available shredded or flaked (use whatever type you like in this recipe).
Once the cookies are removed from the oven, the fun begins. This is a great time to get the kids involved, as their small hands make quick work of pressing two candy eyes and then short pieces of black licorce into each side of the still warm cookies. You can find candy eyes at cake decorating stores or you can order them online at http://www.candylandcrafts.com/. Instead of candy eyes, you could use mini chocolate chips, currants, or even candy dots (buttons). I like to use shoestring black licorce and cut the licorce into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces.