Frankenstein Fingers

   We have one Halloween tradition in our home... We make lots of Frankenstein Fingers! These really are the easiest cookies to make, and the "Wow" factor is up there! My kids love to help "paint" the finger nails.
Frankenstein Fingers
Ingredients:
   1 cup butter, softened
   1 cup confectioners’ sugar
   1 egg
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   1 teaspoon almond extract
   green food coloring
   2¾ cups flour
   1 teaspoon baking powder
   1 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
   ½ cup confectioners' sugar
   1 tablespoon milk
   black food coloring

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, extracts, and green food coloring.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
Use a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop to form dough into balls.
Shape balls into 3"x½" long fingers by rolling out logs between your palms. Your logs should be slightly tapered to be smaller at one end... like a finger is.
Place about 1½" apart on a baking stone or lightly greased baking sheet.

Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation on the smaller end of each finger for the fingernail bed.
Using the same table knife, make three indentations in the middle of each finger for the knuckle. The more random, the better, so don't make them parallel!
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before moving to cooling rack.
Makes about 5 dozen cookies.
Now we need the black glaze!
To make glaze, mix ½ cup powder sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and black food coloring in a small bowl. Be sure to mix until smooth.
Use a small paint brush to "paint nails."
Once fingernails are dry, these tasty fingers are ready to eat!

Notes:
   You can make many variations of these. Just play with different colors! My kids and I like the green/black combination because they look like Frankenstein or alien fingers which are great for Halloween! They also keep in the cookie jar quite nicely... although they are never there for very long.

   If you are into blood and gore for Halloween, try making Frightening Fingers!
This was the original "Finger Cookie" that inspired my Frankenstein version. It is from Taste of Home. I revised it mostly because these were not practical to store in a cookie jar. You will need red decorating food gel and about ½ cup sliced almonds to make these.
Make the cookies as above, but omit the green food coloring.
Before the cookies cool and are removed from the baking sheet, squeeze a small amount of red food gel on each nail bed and press a sliced almond over the gel for the fingernail, allowing the gel to ooze around the fingernail.
Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. You do have to be careful when plating these, so that you don't break all the fingernails. Storing them in a cookie jar is not a good idea either, as the nails break.

   You could also make "pretty fingers" for a girl themed party. Just make the cookies as above, but omitting the green food coloring. Then make a pretty colored glaze (e.g. red, pink, etc.) and "paint" the fingernails. You could even add a licorice ring or use frosting to pipe a pretty ring on each finger!

   I hope you will have as much fun with these as my family does!