HALLOWEEN WITCHES FINGER COOKIES

Halloween Severed Finger Cookies

It's hard to put your finger on what exactly is the best part of Halloween...but these Halloween Witch Finger Cookies are a great place to start!  Tender shortbread with the lightest taste of vanilla and almond, and a CRUNCHY fingernail - what could be more fun?  Spectacularly spooky, delightfully green - as tasty as they are creepy!

Halloween Severed Finger Cookies

These take a little bit of time to put together - and are the perfect baking adventure to share with the kids. They have so much fun shaping the tender shortbread, adding the oozy "blood", and watching them bake up in the oven.

We make these ahead of time and freeze for party time.  Hope you enjoy our creepy cookies as much as we do!

Halloween Witch Fingers Cookies

HALLOWEEN WITCHES FINGER COOKIES

It’s hard to put your finger on what exactly is the best part of Halloween…but these Halloween Witch Finger cookies are a great place to start!  Tender shortbread with the lightest taste of vanilla and almond, and a CRUNCHY fingernail – what could be better?  Spectacularly spooky, delightfully green– as tasty as they are creepy!
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Halloween Witches Finger Cookies

​INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
green food coloring
red decorator gel or raspberry jam
sliced almonds or blanched whole almonds (one for each cookie)
 
HOW I MAKE THESE:

1.  Remove butter and egg from refrigerator to soften to room temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extract until well blended.  Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat just until blended.  Add a few drops of green food coloring. 

3.  Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

5.  Scoop out dough and roll into 1-inch diameter balls.  Then roll each ball into 3-inch long “fingers”.  Place the fingers on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

6. Using the dull side of a knife, make 3 parallel marks midway down the finger to look like a knuckle.  Pinch in the dough above and below the knuckle to give the finger some shape. 

7.  Press an almond firmly onto one end for the nail. 

8.  Because the dough will get warm after working with it, pop the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes before baking – this will keep them from spreading when they are baked.

9.  Bake  chilled cookies in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until pale golden.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes.

10.  Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel or raspberry jam onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so red oozes out from underneath.

11.  Let cool completely so that the almond will adhere to the cookie.
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YIELD:  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  

Originally Posted October 2014; revised and reposted October 2019

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