• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Simply So Good

  • Home
  • About
  • I Believe
  • Recipes
  • Contact

Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

October 15, 2011 57 Comments

Creepy Witch finger cookies are a perfect Halloween treat.  How can something that tastes this good look so bad?
1 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
My boys used to just love to help me make creepy Witch finger cookies.  They especially loved putting on the almond fingernail and watching the “blood” squeeze out.  Why do boys love gross things? 
2 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
This is an extremely easy recipe.  Not much to it at all.
You will need unsalted butter, powdered sugar (confectionery), flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, green food coloring, whole blanched almonds and a tub of decorators gel.
3 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Whoops.  And one egg.
4 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter.
5 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Add powdered sugar.
6 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
add the egg,
7 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
vanilla extract,
8 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
and almond extract.
9 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Mix until smooth and creamy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.
10 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Add the flour
11 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
and the salt and baking powder.
Note:  If by chance you do not have unsalted butter, lessen the amount of salt from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon.
12 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Mix until a stiff dough forms.
13 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Add a few drops of green food coloring until you get the “green” that you want.
14 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
This is the green I want.
15 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Scrape the cookies mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap.
16 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
17 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Make sure your blanched almonds are ready to go.
18 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Along with the decorating gel.  You will need this after the cookies have baked.
19 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator.
I’m using an ice cream scoop to measure the dough.  That way my fingers will be somewhat uniform in size and shape – somewhat.
 
I’m using about 1 tablespoon or more of dough.

 

21 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

 

Scoop out a portion of dough.

 

22 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Roll the dough into the shape of a finger.
23 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Place a blanched almond on the tip of the finger and press it in slightly.  Shape the tip of the finger around the almond.
I realize that there are two witch fingers in the picture.  I’m really not as old as my hands make me appear.  Those disgusting fingernails and wrinkles come from years of washing toilets and sinks and everything else.
I really need a manicure.
24 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Quick!  Which finger is the most creepy?
Back on track.  Make an indentation where you think a knuckle would be on a witch.
25 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Using a toothpick or tip of a knife, make lines in the finger to recreate the wrinkles in my finger.
26 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Place the fingers on a cookie sheet.  I always line my cookie sheets with parchment.
Yes.  I am too lazy to wash them.
27 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until just barely beginning to turn golden.
28 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
As you can see the cookies spread out a bit.  I really should have made these a bit smaller.  Oh well, you get it.  Right?  Let the cookies cool for about 3 minutes.
 29 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Carefully remove the almonds.
30 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Squeeze a bit of the red gel into the indentation.
31 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Press the almond back in place and the blood will ooze out around the fingernail.  Gross!  This is Halloween.  Gross is in.
32 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

 

33 1 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

Repeat on the remaining fingers.

35 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
Chubby edible creepy Witch finger cookies

2 votes

Print

Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (confectionery)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon salt if using salted butter)
  • 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
  • green food coloring
  • 1 tube red decorator gel

Instructions

In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extract; beat in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into finger shape for each cookie.  Press almond firmly into one end for the nail.  Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape; using a paring knife or toothpick, make several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased baking sheets or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake in a 325 degree 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 into place, so gel oozes out from underneath.  Let cool.  Makes about 28 large cigar size cookies.  If you only use 1 teaspoon of dough, you will get about 4 dozen cookies.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 48

Amount Per Serving

Calories 77

% Daily Value

Total Fat 4.5 g

7%

Saturated Fat 2.5 g

13%

Cholesterol 14 mg

5%

Sodium 79 mg

3%

Total Carbohydrates 8.2 g

3%

Dietary Fiber 0.03 g

0%

Sugars 2.5 g

Protein 1.1 g

2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

pinit fg en rect red 28 - Creepy Witch Finger Cookies

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: almonds, Cookies, halloween

« Habanero Ginger Jelly
Fresh Apple Nut Cake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aarthi says

    October 15, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    This looks really creepy..Should try it some day…Thanks for the recipe dear.

    Check out my Giveaway and join in that..
    http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/10/3-reason-to-celebrate-3-cookbooks.html

    Reply
  2. Southern Elle says

    October 18, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    These are so fun.. seeing them everywhere right now… You make it look surprisingly easier than expected. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Janet@simplysogood says

    October 18, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    These ARE easy, because they don't have to look good. That's helpful for me.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    October 25, 2011 at 11:50 am

    This is super impressive. A couple of questions please, can we make a chocolate form of this? should I add cocoa powder? if yes, what quantities? or should I just shower the dough with chocolate chips? Is the texture of this thing crispy wafer like or soft cookie like?
    Lastly, please do not badmouth your hands. We're your fans, we love what those hands can do. And the only reason you can conjure up such wonderful recipes to share is because those hands are willing to experiment instead of sitting pretty being pictured for some glossy magazine and struggling to not clutch at that next batch of fresh cookies.
    Cristina

    Reply
  5. Janet@simplysogood says

    October 25, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    Thanks Cristina. You made me laugh out loud. I'll be more careful about bashing myself. I really think you can make these witch fingers with chocolate. I think you'd be fine adding a few tablespoons of cocoa powder. Let me know how they work out.

    Reply
  6. cathy @ Noble Pig says

    September 30, 2012 at 4:25 am

    Very creepy! I am going to link to these in my upcoming Halloween Recipes post!

    Reply
    • Janet@simplysogood says

      October 1, 2012 at 4:38 am

      So fun. Thank you. The are pretty gross, aren't they?

      Reply
  7. KLFoodBlog says

    October 28, 2012 at 12:12 pm

    They look amazing, will try to do them tomorrow. Greetings!

    Reply
    • Janet@simplysogood says

      October 28, 2012 at 2:22 pm

      So much fun for Halloween. Thanks for commenting.

      Reply
  8. Mama Bug says

    October 31, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    Just made these last night, and they were great. We joke that something that tastes so good has never felt so wrong! I couldn't find blanched whole almonds anywhere here (five stores!) and ended up using marcona almonds instead — actually worked pretty well due to the coloring/veining of the nuts, making them extra creepy and old-looking! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    August 25, 2013 at 10:12 pm

    You are even more awesome than the finished product. Loved the commentary and wish you were my neighbor! Happy holidays

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    August 25, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    i bet if you placed a few chocolate chip on them as they are cooling they could even look like warts…

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      August 26, 2013 at 3:07 am

      What a great idea!

      Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    August 26, 2013 at 2:02 am

    These are Great! I can't wait to make them for my grandkids. Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      August 26, 2013 at 3:06 am

      Aren't grandkids the best? Thanks for your kind comment.

      Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    August 26, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    i;ve GOT to do this with my grandkids…. i didn't have this recipe when MY girls were little.
    thanks! like all your funny comments about your own hands! 😉

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    August 26, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    could you put the almonds in food coloring to have colored fingernails.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      August 26, 2013 at 8:06 pm

      I'm not sure. I have never tried that. Why not?

      Reply
  14. Anonymous says

    August 27, 2013 at 2:39 am

    would this work with the tubes of cookie dough?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      August 27, 2013 at 6:27 pm

      I really don't think so. The dough will spread out and you will have a flat blob with an almond stuck to it. Pre-made cookie dough is less than delicious. These cookies may look gross, but taste delicious. They're more along the lines of a shortbread. Sorry for the bad news 🙁

      Reply
    • Anonymous says

      October 30, 2013 at 2:25 pm

      Yes, you can use with pre-made cookie dough, just add one cup flour to the dough. If it gets too hard, add a couple of drops of water and work it in really well!

      Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    August 28, 2013 at 3:36 am

    I just want to say this is a great recipe and thanks so much for sharing. But please don't say such bad things about yourself. Your hands may appear aged, as have mine, but your hands, and nails, look just lovely to me! Very well maintained, NOT another witch hand at all!!

    Reply
  16. Anonymous says

    October 22, 2013 at 3:36 am

    Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. Rest assured it will be used for evil :). Still laughing about the second witch hand. Don't be so critical of your hands… I'm the same way ha ha ha

    Reply
  17. Sharee Johnson says

    October 26, 2013 at 11:32 am

    Made these last night for son's party today. He said mom these are creepy looking lol i said good thanks for posting

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 27, 2013 at 4:59 am

      Ha ha. That's so funny. You baked complete success. thanks for sharing your story I have smiled all day.

      Reply
  18. Samali Alfaro says

    October 30, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    Just made these for my son's class for tomorrow…they are amazing! He loves how creepy they look. He even helped make them! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  19. Anonymous says

    November 2, 2013 at 2:10 am

    I couldn't find almonds so I used pumpkin seeds. Worked out great.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 2, 2013 at 3:25 am

      That's great. I like that idea even better. Thanks for sharing your great tip.

      Reply
  20. Emerald Fifteen says

    September 21, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    I love them. Please allow me to add to my 2014 Halloween recipes ideas thanks!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      September 22, 2014 at 4:13 am

      Absolutely! You have a great Halloween recipe collection. Great Pinterest site.

      Reply
  21. claudia heyl says

    October 22, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    When baking the witch fingers, they fall flat. Why?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 23, 2014 at 2:26 am

      Hmmmmm…did you refrigerate them for at least 30 min? You may need to add an additional 2 tbl. flour and refrigerate longer or overnight.

      Reply
  22. Anonymous says

    October 22, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    Love the step-by-step guide with the pictures and the laughs to go with it! Will be trying this soon. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 23, 2014 at 2:27 am

      Thank you so much. I hope you do try them.

      Reply
  23. A says

    October 29, 2014 at 12:46 am

    Can I use jam instead of deco gel?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 29, 2014 at 1:25 am

      Absolutely. What a great idea.

      Reply
  24. Anonymous says

    October 12, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Can these b made ahead like a day or 2 and put in tpperware container and should container b put in fridge or cupboard

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 13, 2016 at 1:42 pm

      Yes they can be made in advance. I have put them in the freezer for a week. They are pretty much a shortbread cookie, which will keep in a container for several days.

      Reply
  25. Unknown says

    October 29, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    I have made this recipe a few times now over the years around Halloween and I love it. It's always a hit at the office.
    To make the fingers extra creepy looking I cut the finger with a knife at the other end to make it look like they were severed off the hand and then I brush on some of the red decorating gel on the end to make them look like bloody severed fingers. Happy Halloween!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 3, 2016 at 2:04 am

      Ha ha what an awesome idea!!

      Reply
  26. Patricia White says

    October 30, 2016 at 11:23 am

    Just made these with my grandson and they looked fine until we cooked them and they just spread into one big flat mass with almonds in. Don't know what we did wrong!!!!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 3, 2016 at 2:05 am

      I'm so sorry you had problems. I have not experienced the fingers spreading out. Try refrigerating the dough next time???

      Reply
  27. Amber N says

    October 31, 2016 at 3:35 am

    I have used this recipe three years in a row now! Everyone loves them so much they have become a Halloween tradition 🙂
    I used raspberry jam instead of red gel and then add a little jam/shredded coconut to simulate nerve endings & blood at the base of the finger.
    They look so gross but taste so good!

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 3, 2016 at 2:05 am

      Ha ha now that's just gross. I'm sure kids love them. Thanks for sharing a great idea.

      Reply
  28. Kareina says

    October 28, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    Hello , I tried this recipe today for my office party , everything seems to work out well until they were baked . They spread and ended up becoming flat Bob fat fingers . I did chill the dough for about 30 mins . Don’t know what went wrong . Would like to try this again

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 30, 2017 at 12:04 am

      Hi Kareina, I’m so sorry your fingers didn’t turn out. It’s hard for me to know what the problem could have been, so lets trouble shoot a couple of areas. Soften the butter only until soft enough to push a finger dent into it. Does that make sense? Don’t let the butter come to room temperature. Just soft enough to mix. Try adding 2 tablespoons more flour to help the dough hold it’s shape. You could, also, try refrigerating as long as an hour. I hope these tips help. I’ll feel so bad if your fingers flatten out again. Keep in touch.

      Reply
      • Kareina says

        October 30, 2017 at 12:10 am

        Thank u so much ! I might give them a try again today . I’ll keep the tips in mind , I melted the butter completely .. so that might have been one of the reasons .

        Reply
        • Janet Barton says

          October 30, 2017 at 3:41 am

          Best of luck.

          Reply
    • Kareina says

      October 30, 2017 at 12:07 am

      Any idea what might have went wrong ? ?

      Reply
  29. Jennifer says

    October 28, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    These are a hit! I make them with ras jam instead Of red cake deCorating gel. Theyre deliciously creepy

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 29, 2017 at 11:54 pm

      Raspberry jam is such a great idea with healthier benefits. I’m so glad they were a hit and yes, so creepy.

      Reply
  30. Laura says

    October 30, 2017 at 7:10 pm

    I like to use a clean paint brush and brush cocoa powder into the knuckles and around the fingertip. This gives them depth and makes them look a little dirty adding to the overall creepiness. 🙂

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 31, 2017 at 3:29 am

      This is such an awesome idea!!!! I love it!! Thank you so much for sharing. I will try that when I make the cookies tomorrow. Brilliant!

      Reply
  31. Paula says

    October 31, 2017 at 3:14 am

    Can the cookie dough be left in the fridg overniGht?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 31, 2017 at 3:26 am

      Yes you can leave the dough in the frig overnight. If the dough seems to hard to roll, just let sit at room temp for a bit until it is easy to handle. Happy Halloween.

      Reply
  32. A. says

    November 2, 2017 at 6:16 pm

    Just made these and they came out perfect but I had to adjust one thing: I needed waaaay more flour than what’s in the recipe.
    So to everyone who has problems with the dough: just add flour until you can form the dough with your hands without it sticking to your palms.
    Make sure you use some extract (I added vanilla, almonds and some oranges to the other batch) to give them flavour.
    Refrigerate them for an hour before baking and work in batches so they don’ t get warm.
    My cookies held their shape completely, they haven’t gotten flat and they changed size only minimally.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 3, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      Thank you for taking the time to give such great advice.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Latest on Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2018 Janet Barton