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Finger cookies There was a time when Halloween finger cookies were a novelty. That’s when I began baking them. Nobody had ever seen them before. If you can get over their appearance and just concentrate on the buttery cookie, flavored with a little almond and vanilla, they’re every bit as good as a Christmas sugar cookie. It’s fun to make some cookies short and others long, some thin and others fat. Adapted from a recipe of Martha Stewart’s. (I tweaked a few measurements and methods.) Makes approximately 30-35 cookies. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon red food coloring 15-18 whole almonds 2 large eggs 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup powdered sugar 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 pinch salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour Almond slivers (for “bones”), optional Directions: Create the “fingernails”:  It can a bit difficult the remove the skins from your almonds, but it’s worth the trouble. I’ve found that they slip off more easily if you soak the almonds for about 5 minutes in boiling water two times. After the second soaking, drain them and peel off the skins. I then take a very thin paring knife and pry them in half. Pour the red food coloring into a small bowl and stir in the almonds. Let the almonds soak for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove them from the food coloring onto paper towels. Let them dry. Separate 1 egg. Set aside the white. Using a mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Add the egg, reserved egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Set aside. Remove one piece of dough. Pull off less than a tablespoon of dough and roll on a lightly floured surface or between your palms to create finger shapes, approximately 4-inches long. (They fatten up significantly when they bake, so make them fairly thin.) Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Place on prepared baking sheet and score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Brush “fingers with lightly beaten egg white. Push almond “nails” into each cookie. If desired, push an almond sliver (broken bone) into the other end of some of the cookies. Bake until very lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely. 

Finger cookies

There was a time when Halloween finger cookies were a novelty. That’s when I began baking them. Nobody had ever seen them before. If you can get over their appearance and just concentrate on the buttery cookie, flavored with a little almond and vanilla, they’re every bit as good as a Christmas sugar cookie. It’s fun to make some cookies short and others long, some thin and others fat.

Adapted from a recipe of Martha Stewart’s. (I tweaked a few measurements and methods.) Makes approximately 30-35 cookies.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon red food coloring
  • 15-18 whole almonds
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • Almond slivers (for “bones”), optional

Directions:

Create the “fingernails”:  It can a bit difficult the remove the skins from your almonds, but it’s worth the trouble. I’ve found that they slip off more easily if you soak the almonds for about 5 minutes in boiling water two times. After the second soaking, drain them and peel off the skins. I then take a very thin paring knife and pry them in half. Pour the red food coloring into a small bowl and stir in the almonds. Let the almonds soak for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove them from the food coloring onto paper towels. Let them dry.

Separate 1 egg. Set aside the white.

Using a mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Add the egg, reserved egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts and beat until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Set aside.

Remove one piece of dough. Pull off less than a tablespoon of dough and roll on a lightly floured surface or between your palms to create finger shapes, approximately 4-inches long. (They fatten up significantly when they bake, so make them fairly thin.) Pinch dough in two places to form knuckles. Place on prepared baking sheet and score each knuckle lightly with the back of a small knife. Brush “fingers with lightly beaten egg white. Push almond “nails” into each cookie. If desired, push an almond sliver (broken bone) into the other end of some of the cookies.

Bake until very lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.