4 c. semisweet chocolate baking chips

In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, stir the chocolate chips until they melt. Remove from heat. Let stand over the water until the chocolate is cool but still fluid, about 10 minutes.

Draw spiders on a piece of paper making as many as will fit about 1 inch apart on a legal-size piece of paper (or cut a piece 12 inches by 15 inches, which is the size of a baking sheet). You now have a sheet of paper with lots of spiders drawn on it. Place this paper on the baking sheet and cover with a sheet of wax paper.

Pour the chocolate into a pastry bag that has been fitted with a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch tip. Fold the top edge to seal. Squeeze the chocolate out of the pastry bag onto the wax paper, tracing the pattern of the spiders. If the chocolate is runny, it needs to be cooled a little longer. If you have leftover chocolate when you are done with this sheet, move the pattern onto another baking sheet, cover with wax paper, and start again.

Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. When they are hard, they can be peeled off the paper. You can store them in the refrigerator, laid flat on a cookie sheet or plate. If you layer them, separate the layers with wax paper.