Freaky Finger Cookies

October 31: Halloween

There is nothing lady-like about these freaky finger cookies as the dainty dessert gets a monstrous makeover for Halloween! These almond-flavored bloody biscuits look terrible but taste terrific. Friends look forward to us sharing these spooky snacks at social gatherings around this time of the year.  Trick or treat, these freaky finger cookies are good to eat!

Recipe

(Adapted from Britta)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 dozen almonds, whole or half, with or without skins
• 1 tube red gel icing (we used Wilton brand)
• red food color liquid (we used McCormick brand)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in the egg, almond extract and vanilla. Gradually blend in the flour and salt. Mix the dough until smooth. Shape into a large ball and cover with a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for half an hour to firm up the dough.

Pinch out about 1 ½-inch balls from the cold dough and roll them into finger shapes, leaving a few bumps and puffs for the knuckles. Place on a greased cookie sheet about an inch apart from each other. Add an almond on the tip of each cookie.

Using a paring knife, make a few slashes to resemble the skin folds of fingers.  Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven. While still hot, dab the red gel icing underneath the almond to secure the “nail” in place.

Let the cookies cool to a crisp. Decorate with red gel icing. To serve on a bloody platter, line it with a cheesecloth or gauze and tape it down with bandages. Drop a few liquid red food coloring randomly on the fabric and let dry. Arrange the cookies on the platter and serve. Yield: 3-4 dozen cookies.

Notes

• We omitted the baking powder in the original recipe because the cookies kept puffing up and losing their slender shape in the oven. We also refrigerated the formed finger cookies for another half hour before baking.
• Blend in green food coloring to the dough before baking to make a wicked witch’s or Frankenstein’s monster finger cookies.