FREAKY FINGERS

FREAKY FINGERS:
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Green food color
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Red gel icing
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon water


In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. In a separate small bowl beat egg with both extracts and food color until blended, add to butter mixture, along with 1 cup sugar. Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in three batches, scraping down bowl between batches.

Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated. Use your hands to roll a log of dough approximately 1/2 inch by 3-4 inches in diameter. Shape each log into a finger, making the center of the log wider for the knuckle. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. If the dough begins to get sticky, return it to the fridge for a few minutes to stiffen up.

Use the blade of a butter knife to make knuckle marks on the fingers and then the broad side of the tip of the knife to make a slight flat imprint for a nail bed.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until fingers are slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, mix together 1/4 cup powdered sugar and water in a small bowl until the consistency is similar to that of a paste.

On each cooled cookie finger, place a drop of red food color gel on the nail bed. Spread a dollop of sugar-water mixture over backside of an almond slice and place atop red gel dollop on nail bed, wide end of the almond slice at the base of the bed. The red gel will ooze out of the sides of the almond. Fill in any cracks in the dough with red food color gel to resemble blood. Let dry uncovered for about 30 minutes.

Makes approximately 24-30 fingers.