Witch Fingers Cookies

8 servings

60 minutes

In an old, old house there lived an old, old witch who loved to crunch her own fingers... Creepy? In reality, it is the shortbread cookies that will crunch, the dough for which can take any shape you want (including arthritic witch limbs), the claws are almond seeds, and what impressionable people mistake for blood is just strawberry jam (cherry and cranberry can be used with the same success). It is the sweet and sticky jam that will prevent the "claws" from falling off at the most crucial moment.

Energy value per serving

• Calories: 497
• Proteins: 7g
• Fats: 29.5g
• Carbohydrates: 52.3g

Ingredients

• Butter: 225 g
• Powdered sugar: 115 g
• Chicken egg: 1 pc
• Vanilla paste: 1 tsp
• Wheat flour: 335 g
• Salt: 0.5 tsp
• Almond: 80 g
• Strawberry jam: 50 ml

Cooking steps

1. Prepare all the ingredients.

2. Soak almonds in boiling water for 20 minutes. Then peel off the skin.

   Required ingredients:

   • Almond: 80 g

3. Beat softened butter with powdered sugar using a mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla paste, and mix until smooth.

   Required ingredients:

   • Butter: 225 g
   • Powdered sugar: 115 g
   • Chicken egg: 1 piece
   • Vanilla paste: 1 teaspoon

4. Add the sifted flour and salt. Knead a uniform dough.

   Required ingredients:

   • Wheat flour: 335 g
   • Salt: 0.5 teaspoon

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes (you can prepare the dough in advance; it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days).

6. Preheat the oven to 165 degrees and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

7. Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into pieces about the size of a walnut (you can work with the dough in several stages, putting the unnecessary part back in the fridge to prevent it from overheating). Roll each piece into a sausage about the thickness of a pinky finger. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 cm space between them.

8. Insert an almond into one end of each sausage to resemble a nail.

   Required ingredients:

   • Almond: 80 g

9. Shape the sausages, highlighting the fingers and marking folds at the bending points with the blunt side of a knife. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

10. Let the cookies cool on the tray, then remove the almonds from the cookies.

11. Add some jam to the indentations, then place the almonds back. The jam should ooze out from under the 'nails' to make the overall look more creepy. You can also dip other ends of the cookie in the jam.

    Required ingredients:

    • Strawberry jam: 50 ml

12. Cookies can be served with extra jam for dipping like a sauce.