🧙♀️ Creepy Witches’ Fingers Cookies
Ingredients
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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1 cup powdered sugar
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1 large egg
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1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
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1 tsp almond extract (gives that eerie “nutty” flavor)
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2¾ cups all-purpose flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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¼ tsp salt
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Green or pale skin-tone food coloring (optional)
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Whole almonds (for fingernails)
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Red gel icing, strawberry jam, or melted red candy (for bloody effect)
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Cocoa powder or cocoa paste (for dirt/aging effect)
Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the dough
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In a bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy.
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Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.
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Add 1–2 drops of food coloring and knead until lightly tinted (optional — sickly green, pale blue-gray, or deathly flesh tone works!).
2️⃣ Shape into Creepy Fingers
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Scoop about 1 tbsp dough and roll into a thin, finger-like cylinder — thinner than you want (they puff slightly while baking).
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Pinch the dough slightly in two spots to form creepy knuckles.
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Use a toothpick or knife tip to make deep wrinkles and folds around knuckles and finger joints.
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Press a whole almond firmly into one end to form a nail.
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For cracked nails, use sliced almonds or slightly chipped ones.
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3️⃣ Chill + Bake
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Place shaped fingers onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Chill 10–20 minutes — this prevents spreading and keeps the finger shape sharp.
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Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 18–25 minutes until lightly golden, especially around edges.
4️⃣ Add Horror Details
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Carefully lift each almond and add a dab of red gel or jam.
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Press almond back into place so it oozes out like bloody nail beds.
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Brush cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate lightly on wrinkles for dirt stains.
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Add more “blood” at the cut wrist end — make some severed-stump versions by flattening and roughing up the opposite edge with a fork.
⚰️ Extra Creepy Effects
| Trick | Description |
|---|---|
| Gelatin shine | Brush lightly with corn syrup for sweaty, lifelike skin |
| Veins | Drag a food-safe brush with purple food coloring |
| Moldy look | Dust matcha + cocoa blend |
| Burned witch fingers | Brown edges heavily with a torch or broil for 30–60 sec |
🎃 Variations
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Zombie Fingers → use pistachios instead of almonds + grayish-blue dough
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Gluten-Free → use 1:1 gluten-free flour + ½ tsp xanthan gum
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Vegan → use vegan butter + 2 tbsp aquafaba or flax egg
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Chocolate Version → add 2 tbsp cocoa powder + chocolate chips in joints
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Butter, softened
- 1 cup Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 2/3 cups Flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder*
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Almonds, whole blanched
- 1 Tube red decorator gel
Gross everyone out with these creepy cookies.
In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda*, and salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into 1 end for nail. Squeeze in centre to create knuckle shape. Using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.
Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325F (160C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes.
Lift up almond, squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place, so gel oozes out from underneath.
You can also make slashes in the finger and fill them with "blood."
Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough. The witch finger recipe is ready...enjoy the party !
