Creepy Witches' Fingers

Yield: 5 dozen

1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Icing sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Almond extract
1 tsp Vanilla
2 2/3 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Almonds, whole blanched
1 Tube red decorator gel
(optional, not pictured)

Gross everyone out with these creepy cookies.
In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract

and vanilla. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Cover and

refrigerate 30 minutes. Working with one quarter of the

dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll

heaping teaspoonful of dough into finger shape for each

cookie. Press almond firmly into 1 end for nail. Squeeze in

centre to create knuckle shape. (Accompanying picture showed

long rolled shape with bulge at centre for knuckle; you puff

it out rather than squeeze it in.) Using paring knife, make

slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets; bake in 325F (160C)

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 in place, so gel oozes out from

underneath. You can also make slashes in the finger and fill

them with "blood."