Almond Butter Pretzel Spiders

SPOOKY!

It has been a weird month….definitely vexing and just WTF at times. Maybe it’s the ramping up of the election, maybe it’s the fluctuating seasons, maybe it had something to do with the big, fat full moon we had this month, whatever it is, I’m ready for October to be the awesome month it usually is.

I won’t get into any rants about all the aggravations I’ve been dealing with this month, all I’ll say is that it was high time my luck started running low, but I’m trying to remain in a positive and grateful state of mind…after all, IT’S ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!!

We got a couple of pumpkins, and decorated the house this week. Lily had a lot of fun doing that. Tomorrow she goes on a hayride with her new Girl Scouts Daisy troop! She’s SO excited! Then there is a fall festival at a local church on Sunday, so perhaps things will start looking up…

The cutest little witch

During the fall season, as soon as the air gets even the slightest chill, it’s like something inside of me awakens from its deep summer hibernation, and has the impossible-to-ignore desire to bake and create. This month I’ve already made 2 Healthy Apple Crumbles, 2 casseroles, 2 rounds of No-BakeChocolate Peanut Butter M&M Balls, yummy banana oat blender muffins, and the ADORABLE Almond Butter Pretzel Spiders below!

They remind me of...

...these little guys from Spirited Away, no?

I got the idea after making the No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter M&M Balls and realizing that the possibilities for variations were endless, and due to my desire to make something cute for Halloween with Lily.

So here’s what we did:

Almond Butter Pretzel Spiders

(makes between 24-30 spiders)

Ingredients:

2 cups almond butter (or other nut butter)

½ cup melted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 tbsp coconut oil

Around ½ cups M&Ms minis

About 2 cups broken thin pretzel twists (directions for breaking below)

Will also need:

A few small bowls for separating ingredients
Toothpicks for picking up the balls, or a small fork

Parchment paper to lay balls on

Baking sheets

Mix the almond butter or other nut butter, melted butter, and powdered sugar until blended and malleable; add more powdered sugar if mixture is too sticky, a little at a time, until consistency is similar to that of cookie dough. Roll about a spoonful of mixture into little balls, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet(s), then place baking sheet(s) into freezer. Freeze for about 30 minutes, or until hard.

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in microwave for about 45 seconds or until melted, or in a double-boiler until melted. Take the pretzels, and break into pieces so you have many small, curved sticks that you can use for spider legs. Set melted chocolate, M&Ms, and pretzel legs out in bowls. Remove almond butter balls from freezer, and stick each one with toothpick to dip into chocolate until completely covered. Set each back onto baking sheet then stick 8 little pretzel legs on either side, and 2 or however many M&Ms you want on the top. Use the tip of toothpick dipped in chocolate to add pupils to M&M eyes if so desired.

Lily's creatures

Getting melty real fast in this warm weather!

Once entire tray is complete, stick it back into the fridge until chocolate and pretzels are set, then you can put them all in a container in the fridge. Now, I had an issue with the almond butter balls getting soft as I went because it’s been so warm this week, so if that happens to you, just put them back in freezer as you go until they firm up again. It will be a process, but I promise- as evidenced in images! –it will be worth it!

SOB trying to sneak away...

Lily had a lot of fun putting them together with me, although hers looked a tad bit more like mutant octopuses. They all still tasted delish!

We'll just keep monkeying around ova here...