Okay, there is just something about these witch fingers that I love...I guess they, to me, are sort of a feast for the senses...you know, creepy and ugly, but very tasty and fun all at the same time. Something about eating them sort of goes against the fibre of what we like to eat - things that look pretty and delicious!
I tried a different recipe this year, just a standard shortbread, but I did not refrigerate the dough prior to baking...needless to say, the first batch of witch fingers turned out to be very puffy and large. Sort of like the witch ate some salt and then went for a walk in 100 degree weather - swollen, summer fingers! I did the next batch of fingers very skinny. If you are going to make these, you may want to bake a few at first just to make sure they are going to come out the size and shape that you want. That way you can just make the necessary adjustments for the dough you already have instead of trying a different recipe.
To make these fingers, find a nice firm cookie recipe You will not want the cookie to spread too much while baking. I roll them out by hand, mark them with cuts and creases, then place a blanched, peeled almond for the finger nail and bake cookie according to recipe directions. After the cookies have cooled from the oven, I lightly spray with green, edible color, dust some with cocoa in the creases and around the nails and decorate with red tinted, white chocolate, for blood. You can always play around with them and make them as creepy or tame as you want them to be. Always a lot of fun!
