These Halloween spider muffins are soft, chocolatey and perfect for kids to enjoy. They're topped with marshmallow spider webs and decorative black spiders.
As we creep on into October, now is the perfect time to get into spooky baking with these fun spider web muffins! These moist chocolate chip muffins are topped with gooey marshmallow webs and creepy spider decorations, and they're sure to be a hit at any Halloween event. Whether you’re planning a party, hosting a family get-together, or simply want to try some Halloween baking at home, these spider muffins are all you need!
Below you'll find all the details you need to get this recipe right on the first try- I hope you find it helpful. If you'd prefer simple, condensed instructions, feel free to skip straight to the recipe card, which you'll find at the end of the post. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Homemade buttermilk: Whole milk plus a little apple cider vinegar or lemon juice will create homemade buttermilk. This will keep your muffins super moist and soft.
- Eggs: The eggs will act as a binding ingredient while helping the muffins to rise. I used 2 medium eggs and an additional egg yolk for extra moisture.
- Butter: I used to use oil in my muffins to get a softer crumb but I recently found other ways to do this (like adding the extra egg yolk and buttermilk) without having to compromise on flavour! Chocolate muffins in particular can be quite bland, so using melted butter helps to add richness and a nice buttery flavour.
- Vanilla extract: 2 teaspoons. If you're not making these for children, you can also add a teaspoon of cold espresso to help enhance the chocolate flavour.
- Caster sugar: Caster sugar is basically just a finer version of granulated white sugar and will improve the texture of your muffins. It's also known as superfine sugar.
- Self-raising flour: Self-raising flour is plain flour with raising agents already added to it. It will help your spider muffins rise nice and tall.
- Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Some people try to use hot chocolate powder for baking but the two will produce very different results!
- Chocolate chips: Adding milk chocolate chips to the batter will add some extra sweetness, flavour and texture.
- Mini marshmallows: To melt for the spider web topping.
Equipment and tools
- Muffin tin and cases: You'll need a muffin tin with 12 holes and 12 liners. Make sure to use actual muffin cases and not cupcake cases, otherwise the baking time will differ.
- Food scale: To weigh your ingredients out.
- Utensils: A wooden spoon or hand whisk, a few teaspoons and a tablespoon.
- Mixing bowls: One to make the cake batter and one to make the homemade buttermilk.
- Heatproof bowl: To melt the marshmallows.
- Toothpick: To check if the muffins are done.
- Cooling rack: This will help the spider web muffins breathe after they come out of the oven, preventing greasy bottoms.
- Spider decorations: I couldn't find edible spider decorations and it felt like a lot of work to make my own for an otherwise super easy recipe, so I used plastic Halloween rings.
How to make Halloween spider muffins
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 160°C (or 140°C for fan ovens) and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. You can use cupcake liners if you prefer but you'll need to keep an eye on them in the oven as they will bake faster.
Step 2: In a small mug or bowl, mix together 150ml of whole milk and ½ a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes- it will thicken and curdle a little.
Step 3: Give the milk mixture another quick mix and add it to a large bowl, along with 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, 150g of melted butter, 180g caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well until smooth.
Step 4: Add 230g of self-raising flour, a pinch of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the bowl. Mix well to make a smooth chocolate muffin batter.
Step 5: Stir in 150g of chocolate chips. I used milk chocolate chips but dark or white would work too.
Step 6: Divide the muffin batter between your 12 cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.
Step 7: Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.
Step 8: Add 100g of mini marshmallows to a small heatproof bowl. Microwave for around 30 seconds then give them a quick stir until gooey.
Step 9: Use a teaspoon to stretch the marshmallow over the cooled muffins to look like spider webs. This gets quite messy so be patient and take your time!
Alternatively, you can let the melted marshmallows sit until they're a bit cooler then use your fingers to stretch them over the muffins. I personally did not enjoy the feeling of doing it this way at all!
Step 10: Top with your spider decorations and enjoy! I got my spider rings from a Hobbycraft Halloween pack.
Spider web muffin tips
- I like to bake my muffins at a lower temperature for a softer top. If you want more of a domed top, bake them at 180°C for 15-20 minutes instead.
- If you're not serving these to kids, you can add 1 teaspoon of cold espresso to the muffin batter. This will help to enhance the chocolate flavour.
- If you really want to have edible spider decorations, you can make them using black fondant.
FAQs
These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend lining your container with some kitchen paper to prevent them from getting soggy.
Yes, but I'd recommend freezing them without the marshmallow topping. This is best done on the day that you plan to serve them.
Yes, you can use 150ml of rapeseed or sunflower oil instead of butter, although the muffins will taste slightly more bland.
More Halloween desserts:
- Beetlejuice cupcakes
- Halloween fairy cakes
- Mummy puff pastries
- Black velvet cupcakes
- Halloween rocky road
I hope you like these Halloween spider web muffins. If you make them at home, please leave a comment and/or rating below to let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Halloween Spider Web Muffins With Marshmallows
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 150 ml Whole milk
- ½ Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 Medium Eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 150 g Butter, melted
- 180 g Caster sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 230 g Self-raising flour
- 4 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
- Pinch Sea salt
- 150 g Milk chocolate chips
Topping:
- 100 g Mini white marshmallows
- Spider decorations (edible or decorative)
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 160℃ (140℃ for fan ovens) and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.
- Mix the milk and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl or mug and leave it to sit for 5 minutes. It will curdle and become thicker.
- Add the milk mixture to a large bowl along with the eggs and egg yolk, the melted butter, the sugar and the vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add all of the flour, cocoa powder and salt then mix well until you have a smooth muffin batter. Then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between your 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Topping:
- Melt the marshmallows in the microwave for around 30 seconds until gooey.
- Use a teaspoon or your fingers to stretch the melted marshmallow over the muffins to look like spider webs. This can get really messy so take your time! If the marshmallow starts to set, pop it back in the microwave for 10-20 seconds until it becomes smooth again.
- Top each muffin with a decorative or edible spider and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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