Halloween Witch Finger Cookies

Ingredients

• 280 g plain flour
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, approximately 4 g
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 100 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 large egg
• 26 blanched whole almonds, approximately 31 g
• 52 g strawberry jam, approximately 2 g per cookie

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add the cubed butter. Rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
4. Add the egg and mix until the crumbs come together into a smooth dough. Avoid kneading longer than necessary.
5. Divide the dough into approximately 26 portions weighing 20 g each.
6. Roll each portion into a short finger shape, making the centre and base slightly thicker than the fingertip.
7. Press lightly in two places to form knuckles. Make several shallow lines over each knuckle using a small knife.
8. Press one blanched almond firmly into the tip of each cookie to form a fingernail.
9. Arrange the cookies on the lined baking tray, leaving a little space between them.
10. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until firm and lightly golden around the edges.
11. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes.
12. Carefully lift the almond from each cookie. Place approximately 1 g strawberry jam in the indentation and replace the almond.
13. Spread approximately 1 g additional jam over the opposite end of each cookie to create a bloody severed-finger effect.
14. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.