Witches Fingers

For me Halloween was never much of a holiday.  Since I'm spending more time in the kitchen now........I try to make really fun treats.  When my granddaughters saw these and the Spooky Halloween Eyeballs (soon to post) they started screaming and declared, "We can't eat those, Noni, they are too scary.  So, mission accomplished!!

1      cup butter
1      cup confectioners sugar
1      egg
1      teaspoon almond extract
1      teaspoon vanilla extract
22/3  cups flour
1      teaspoon baking powder
1      teaspoon salt
3/4   cup whole almonds
1      tube red food coloring gel
Optional:  1/4 cup dried currents, blueberries, or mini chocolate chips (for warts), green food coloring, green decorating sugar

Beat together butter, sugar, extracts, and food coloring.  Sift together the dry ingredients and gradually add to the butter mixture.  Refrigerate thirty minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease baking sheets

Blanch the almonds for about 1 minute for easy removal of the skin.

Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts that you will be working with to shape. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper.  Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie.  (Keep in mind that once cookies are baked; they will be doubled in size).  Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles, cut dough with a knife or fork (dip in hot water for easier lines) at the same points to give the finger a more real like appearance then press the blanched almond into the tip of the finger then place and push in your "wart".  You may choose to "paint" the top of the finger with egg white should you use the decorating sugar so that it will stick.  Arrange on baking sheets, bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden in color.  Cool on a wire rack.  Once cooled remove the almond from the end of each cookie and squeeze a small amount of red gel food coloring, press the almond into the gel so that it "oozes" around the almond to give the appearance of blood. Have fun!!   : )