Chocolate Chip

For the spider body:

In medium size mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese. Add brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. Fold in 1 cup miniature chocolate chips.This will not be a very “solid” mixture. I used prep bowls to form the body, but you can just wrap this in Saran wrap and form balls after refrigeration should you wish.

To form the body using prep bowls, line a large prep bowl and a medium size prep bowl with Saran wrap. Fill each one with the mixture, smoothing the top flat and then covering with Saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, remove the Saran wrap-covered mixture from the bowls and cover them in the remaining miniature chocolate chips. Return to the fridge until assembly.

For the spider legs:

Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir until chips melt completely. Working with 2 pretzel sticks at a time, dip each, then lay together in the bent leg formation on the wax paper. If needed, add a little extra chocolate at the leg joint to ensure coverage. Continue, and refrigerate overnight as well.

To assemble, position the spider “body” and “head” on a serving dish/platter. Insert 4 legs into each side of the “body.”

Serve with chocolate and honey graham crackers.