Halloween Savory Treat: Devilish Egg Eyeballs & Spiders

Devilish Egg Eyeballs & Spiders. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend

Squishy eyeballs and creepy black spiders... who would want to eat that!? ME! (Well, only if they come in the form of a deviled egg.) These are the perfect Halloween party food. High on the ewwwwww factor but super tasty!

These take a little bit of time to put together but they are well worth the effort. If you are making them for a gathering, boil the eggs, make and stuff the deviled eggs, and decorate them earlier in the day. Just arrange them on your spookiest platter and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Then, when it’s party time, pull them out about 30 minutes early to let them come to room temperature.

This is a pretty classic and simplified recipe for deviled eggs, but feel free to add your own little taste twist to the yolk mixture. Some great additions include finely grated lemon zest, minced fresh herbs like parsley or chives, finely chopped cornichons or bread-n-butter pickles, and Dijon mustard in place of the yellow mustard.

Some tips on peeling eggs so you don’t end up with a frighteningly pock-marked egg: use older eggs, start in cold water, don’t overcook the eggs, cool the eggs completely before peeling in a bowl of ice water, and crack the shells all over before you peel, rolling them in your palms.

Ingredients for Devilish Egg Eyeballs & Spiders. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend

Recipe: Devilish Egg Eyeballs & Spiders

Makes 24 devilish eggs

Ingredients:

1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Whole pitted black olives
1 small roasted red pepper

Instructions:

Place the eggs in a large saucepan and fill with enough cool water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover the pan; let sit for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let cool completely.
Gently bash the eggs on the countertop all over, then roll them between your hands. Peel the eggs, cut each one in half and scoop out the yolk into a mixing bowl.

Peel the eggs, cut each one in half and scoop out the yolk into a mixing bowl. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend — Peel the eggs, cut each one in half and scoop out the yolk into a mixing bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork, then stir in the mayonnaise and mustard, and mix with the fork, mashing and stirring, until well combined. (You can taste the mixture and add salt if you want, but I find the mayo adds enough salt for me.)

Mash the yolks with a fork, then stir in the mayonnaise and mustard, and mix with the fork, mashing and stirring, until well combined. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend — Mash the yolks with a fork, then stir in the mayonnaise and mustard, and mix with the fork, mashing and stirring, until well combined.

Arrange the egg white halves cut side up on a serving plate. Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain medium tip. Pipe the filling into the egg white hollows.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain medium tip. Pipe the filling into the egg white hollows. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend — Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain medium tip. Pipe the filling into the egg white hollows.

To make eyeballs: Slice the red pepper into very tiny thin slices and arrange on the egg yolks to create veins. Cut olives in half crosswise and top each with a half olive, cut side down.

Slice the red pepper into very tiny thin slices and arrange on the egg yolks to create veins. Cut olives in half crosswise and top each with a half olive, cut side down. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend — Slice the red pepper into very tiny thin slices and arrange on the egg yolks to create veins. Cut olives in half crosswise and top each with a half olive, cut side down.

To make spiders: Cut an olive in half lengthwise and place one half in the center of the yolk for the spider body. Cut the remaining half lengthwise into slivers to create 8 legs and arrange them on the yolk for the spider legs.

Cut an olive in half lengthwise and place one half in the center of the yolk for the spider body. Cut the remaining half lengthwise into slivers to create 8 legs and arrange them on the yolk for the spider legs. Photo: Wendy Goodfriend — Cut an olive in half lengthwise and place one half in the center of the yolk for the spider body. Cut the remaining half lengthwise into slivers to create 8 legs and arrange them on the yolk for the spider legs.