[Sca-cooks] Witch Finger/Almond Shortbread cookies

[Ciorstan]

I had great success at the office Halloween potluck with the following
cookies.

I don't like the idea of baking powder in my shortbread (all the recipes
for a 'Witches' Finger' cookie called for it, ecch), so I made up my own
recipe.

Thoroughly cream 2 sticks (1/2 lb. or 1 cup) salted butter with 1 cup
fine granulated sugar. Add 1 1/2 cups ground blanched almonds. Add 1
egg. Add 2 1/4 c. flour.

Mold in the hands into a finger-length log and smoosh a joint in the
center. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and heat the oven to 350
degrees.

Use a whole blanched almond for the nails. Gently press an almond into
one end of each 'finger.'  The finger neatly spreads under pressure,
looking just like the spatulate end of a finger with a nail. Bake around
9 minutes, just before turning golden.

Gently prise off the cookie sheet with the thinnest spatula you have--
they're delicate. Cool on a rack. Once they're cool, do a manicure on
half of the fingernails with red gel icing.

Oh, and there's politically correct variants-- dye some of the dough
with cocoa powder and use black icing for the manicure.

ciorstan