Saturday, October 22, 2011

Witch Finger Cookies




As a little side to go with yesterday's Pumpkin Spice Mousse, I made these witch finger cookies.  They are nothing new, I've seen them all over the web and in many variations.  They are, however, tasty and a LOT of fun to both make and eat.  Oh, did I mention easy?  They're that too. 

A tray of Witch Finger Cookies ready for the oven.
Witch Finger Cookies
Makes 30

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg, beaten to blend, use half (eyeball it)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup whole almonds

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, and extracts in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy.  With mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix until combined.  Do not over mix!  Remove to a piece of waxed paper, form into a disc, cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets, or use parchment or a Silpat. Remove dough from refrigerator and pinch off pieces about the size of a walnut. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. Using a toothpick, cut into the dough at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.



Variations:

Green food coloring can be added for a more "witch-y" finger
Ends can be dipped into red jam to look like blood
Almonds may be affixed with red decorating gel 



11 comments:

~~louise~~ said...

Your talent never ceases to amaze me Patti! Way cool...

P.S. Happy Nut Day!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

What a fun Halloween treat! The pumpkin mousse looks terrific, too!!

Janet Rudolph said...

I haven't made finger cookies in years. How creepy but fun for Halloween, my favorite holiday!

Kim McCallie said...

OOh, scary! These look so realistic. You did a great job! Thanks for sharing on Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

KB said...

Eek!


Thanks for sharing with us at
Simply Delish Saturday

Mary said...

Yours are the most realistic witch fingers I've seen! Scarily good~ I love this time of year :)

Snap said...

Oh, goodness, Pattie! These witch fingers are great! What fun for Halloween! Happy Seasonal Sunday!

Bohemian said...

Love these Witch Finger Cookies! And its always nice to find a visually delightful Seasonal Treat that does not require a Culinary Degree to create, thanks for sharing the recipe & instructions.

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Lynn said...

They turned out great, so much fun:@)

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I've been seeing them all over the 'net too and can't wait to try making some this weekend. Yours turned out great.

Marigene said...

They look so real!
Have a great week, Pattie...