Halloween Cookie (Witch finger biscuit) Recipe

Witchy Finger biscuit

For making 30 witchy finger biscuit

225g (8 oz) butter, softened
125g (4 1/2 oz) icing sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350g (12 oz) of plain flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
100g (4 oz) whole almonds
1 tube of red decorating icing

Method:

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together – this is easier to do with an electric mixer rather than a hand-held whisk, but you may want to let the kids have a go first before you ensure everything is fully combined.

Next, add the flour, baking powder and salt, but do this gradually whilst continually beating your mixture.

Chill the beaten mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 160 C / Gas mark 3.

Lightly grease your baking trays – you may need between two and four trays depending on their size.

Remove your dough from the fridge but do so in small amounts so it doesn’t get warm.

Scoop one heaped teaspoon at a time onto a piece of greaseproof paper and use the paper to roll the dough into thin, finger-shaped biscuits.

Press one almond into one end of each biscuit to give the appearance of a long fingernail.

Squeeze each biscuit near the tip and again near each centre to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance.

Arrange the shaped biscuits on the baking trays.

Bake in the preheated oven until the biscuits are slightly golden in colour, 20 to 25 minutes.

Carefully remove the almond from the end of each biscuit and squeeze a small amount of red icing into the cavity. Let the children help you replace the almond and do it in such a way that the icing oozes out around the tip of the biscuit.

Eat’s screamingly good tip: have some fun by letting out a blood-curling scream every time you replace an almond ‘nail’ and the icing oozes out!