Spider-Man Inspired Cookies
Spider-Man Inspired Cookies are vibrant red cookies, studded with blue M&Ms, and stuffed with a gooey marshmallow center. These soft, chewy cookies are inspired by Spider-Man's classic red and blue colors, while the pull of the marshmallow is reminiscent of his iconic spiderwebs. This easy 1-bowl cookie recipe is ready in under an hour, perfect for Spider-Man: Brand New Day watch parties!
Servings: 15 large cookies, approximately
Ingredients
- 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 250 grams (1 ¼ cup) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg + an extra yolk separated when cold then brought to room temp
- 1 teaspoon (about 6 grams) red gel food coloring see notes
- 195 grams (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour measured accurately
- 21 grams (¼ cup) cocoa powder any kind
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) blue M&Ms plus more to top the cookies. I used mini M&Ms - more in the Notes below
- 15 regular-sized whole marshmallows
Instructions
- Line light-colored rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large heatproof bowl, place the cubed butter. Place in the microwave and heat on half power until melted. Add the light brown sugar and whisk well until combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until incorporated. Add the red gel food coloring and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until almost incorporated.
- Add the blue M&Ms and, using a sturdy spatula, fold until just combined.
- Use a large 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough into 15 balls. If your dough is too soft to handle, cover and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes until slightly firmed.
- Flatten each dough ball out with your fingers, to about 3" in diameter. Place a whole marshmallow inside each cookie dough disc and wrap the edges of the dough around the marshmallow, covering it completely. Roll between your hands to smooth out. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving a few inches to allow for spreading.
- Using the palm of your hand, press the cookie dough balls down slightly, to about 1-inch thickness.
- Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C. While the oven preheats, place the cookie dough balls in the freezer – about 20 minutes is perfect. Alternatively, cover the trays well with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 24 hours, for thicker, chewier cookies with a deeper flavor.
- Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, or the edges are set and the tops look almost dry. Remove from oven and place on heatproof trivets. While still hot, dot the tops of the cookies with additional blue M&Ms, if desired.
- Allow cookies to cool on pans for at least 15 minutes before serving and use caution when biting into the center or breaking apart.
Notes
Red Food Coloring: Be sure to use gel food coloring!! Liquid dye adds a ton of excess liquid to the cookie dough, changing the texture of the cookies, without adding a vibrant color. OR Feel free to skip the dye (no substitutions needed) for cookies that still taste the same and are just a light brown color!
Also, please note that the color will become slightly muted once baked, so don’t be afraid of the 1 teaspoon of gel coloring. The cookies won’t be as vibrant if you use less coloring.
The Blue M&Ms: I bought two 9.40oz / 266.5g bags of mini M&Ms and painstakingly set aside all the blue ones ... and I still didn't have enough! So I ended up also using the red and brown ones from one package, too, to make up the full quantity. You can do the same, or use some mini or regular chocolate chips in addition to the blue (or blue, red, and brown) M&Ms.
Shaping Thicker Cookies: Immediately out of the oven, run a round cookie cutter that’s slightly larger in size than the cookies around the edges of the hot cookies. This pulls their edges in slightly and makes uniform, perfectly round, slightly thicker cookies. If desired, do this just before dotting the tops with additional blue M&Ms. You can also sprinkle with flaky sea salt at this time, if you like a salty-sweet cookie.
Storage: Once completely cooled, Spiderman Cookies can be stored inside an airtight container for about 4 days.
Important Note: Use caution once the cookies are baked, as the marshmallow center becomes extremely hot during baking. Wait until cookies have cooled for at least 15 minutes before touching, picking up, serving, or eating the cookies.
Have a question I didn't answer? Check out my FAQs above the recipe, or drop a comment below!