Witch Finger Cookies

Ingredients

• 40 whole blanched almonds (see Note below)
• 10 oz all-purpose flour ((2 ⅓ cups))
• 3.75 oz almond flour ((1 cup))
• 8 oz unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 3.5 oz granulated sugar ((½ cup))
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Method

1. To make the almond fingernails:
2. Use a small food-safe paintbrush and red gel food coloring to paint the top of each almond bright red. Let the nuts air-dry, then, if desired, flip them over and paint the bottom. The almonds can be painted several days in advance.
3. To make the cookies:
4. Whisk together the flour and almond flour in a medium bowl, and set aside.
5. Combine the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is light and creamy.
6. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, then mix in the salt and both extracts.
7. With the mixer running on low, add the flour to the dough, and mix just until the flour streaks disappear. Stop the mixer and finish mixing with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl very well. The dough should be soft and smooth, but not sticky.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Take a walnut-sized ball of dough, (if you have a scale, use about .50 oz per cookie) and roll the dough between your palms until it is a long thin snake, about 4 inches long.
9. Place the dough on a baking sheet and press your finger into the dough in two places to widen it for the knuckles. Use a toothpick to press horizontal lines into the cookie across the knuckles. Finally, press a red almond into one end for the fingernail.
10. Repeat until all of the cookie “fingers” have been shaped. Freeze the trays of shaped cookies for 10 minutes, to help them keep their shape during baking.
11. Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through. The cookies should lose their raw shine and look puffed up, but they will still be pale and you won’t see them take on much color. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, then enjoy!
12. These cookies keep well, and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. If some almonds fall off during storage, you can always stick them on using a little melted candy coating as glue.