Halloween Witch Fingers Shortbread Cookies are buttery shortbread cookie, almond fingernail witches fingers, perfect addition for Halloween parties.
Who Doesn’t Want To Eat Witch Fingers For Halloween?
I grew up in the 60’s with Bewitched, that classic sparkle of a show where Elizabeth Montgomery twitched her nose and made magic happen right in the middle of suburbia.
As a kid, I was absolutely fascinated. A witch who could make chores vanish, dinner appear, and still look glamorous doing it? That was the kind of magic I wanted in my kitchen!
Of course, witches have danced through our imaginations forever through plenty of fun books for kids. From fairy-tale spellcasters to the wickedly wonderful ones Disney conjured, they’ve always had a flair for the dramatic.
But it was Bette Midler, in Hocus Pocus, who stole my heart, fabulous, funny, and just the right amount of fright.
Witch Fingers For The Fun Of It!
Do you love to laugh during spooky season? I certainly do. Humor is my favorite emotion, if it even counts as one! (It turns out it does, an auditory expression of positive emotional states, as the experts say. And I’m all about positive.)
So when Halloween rolls around and my kitchen starts to smell like butter and sugar, I can’t help but add a pinch of mischief. That’s where my Witch Finger Cookies come in, buttery shortbread shaped into gnarled, knobby fingers, complete with almond “nails” that make you giggle before you take a bite. They’re spooky, silly, and oh-so-satisfying.
Because really, who doesn’t want to eat witch fingers for Halloween? Especially when they taste like pure magic.
Witch Fingers vs. Ladyfingers
Now, don’t confuse these Witch Fingers with the dainty ladyfingers that sit politely inside a tiramisu. Ladyfingers are soft, airy little things that practically whisper “tea party.”
Witch fingers, on the other hand, are buttery shortbread rebels, firm, crumbly, and wickedly rich, the kind of cookie that crunches with confidence. If ladyfingers cross their legs and sip from fine china, witch fingers cackle over a cauldron with a glass of something stronger.
Shortbread Cookies
Nonetheless, witches in Scotland suffered a horrid demise, back in the 1700’s, Scotland’s shortbread cookies certainly gave us all a sweet taste to erase the horror of their history.
You will want to know that shortbread cookies hold together beautifully for pressing into shapes with a cookie cutter or shaping by hand to make cute designs.
My shortbread cookies have an extra measure of lusciousness to hold them together, they are made with both butter and mascarpone. Yummmmmy!
How To Make Witch Finger Shortbread Cookies
My food processor is the most used equipment in my kitchen, and trust me, I have three different sizes for a variety of projects.
I toss all the room temperature ingredients into the food processor, whisk like crazy, roll out and start shaping, or fridge for a later day.
Firstly, once rolled to about half inch thickness (no need to be precise, remember these aren’t fussy ladies), cut into strips 1/2 inch wide by 4 inches long.
Then we will shape into fat little cylinders, lay your own finger across each and press, round off the top and bottom and press a whole raw almond in the top for the fingernail.
Baking Or Freezing Shortbread Cookies
Finally, the cookies can be baked once shaped, and are ready to serve, wrap as gifts or freeze extras for a later date.
However, they can also be stored in the fridge until ready to bake and freeze.
Simply save the witch fingernail (whole almond), application for when you’re ready to bake them.
They thaw quickly and bake in only about 15- 18 minutes, and they are ready for the Halloween party!
Halloween Treats
Who doesn’t love Halloween treats? I don’t mean the store bought kind, but rather a fun array of homemade Halloween treats for kids and adults. Here are just a few of my other favorited Scary Yummy Treats:
- Halloween Cornbread Skulls – my grandchildren loves these every year!
- Boos and Booze Halloween Dinner Party – totally an adult yummy dinner party!
- Let’s Talk Pumpkin – oh how we want to love pumpkin, even though it has little flavor, and so we created a pumpkin spice blend that now lets pumpkin think it’s the star!
- Caramel Popcorn Balls – Two ways to make caramel popcorn balls; traditional homemade caramel popcorn balls, or store bought caramel and popcorn.
Ingredients Needed
What makes these witchy treats so irresistibly good? It’s all in the spell of simple, indulgent ingredients.
- Butter of course, is the heart of any shortbread, that golden, melt-on-your-tongue magic that leaves a whisper of richness long after the bite.
- Mascarpone steps in like the secret ingredient no one saw coming, adding a soft creaminess that keeps the cookie tender and just a little mysterious.
- Sugar brings the sparkle and sweetness.
- Flour builds the sturdy shape (because a witch finger must keep its form, after all).
- Salt makes every flavor come alive, like the flick of a wand at just the right moment.
- Whole Almonds pressed into the tips for that perfectly eerie “fingernail.” They toast in the oven to a lovely golden brown, equal parts spooky and scrumptious.
Equipment Needed
Even witches need their tools, and for these shortbread fingers, it’s less cauldron and broomstick, more baking sheet and mixer.
- Baking sheet pan is your spellcasting surface, where all those buttery fingers line up, ready for their golden transformation. It keeps the heat even, so each “digit” bakes to the perfect balance of tender and crisp.
- Parchment paper is the invisible shield that keeps them from sticking, no cookie left behind!
- Rolling pin helps smooth your dough into that perfect thickness, not too thick (unless you’re going for ogre fingers), not too thin (we’re not baking wands here).
- Pastry knife or small blade is ideal for trimming and shaping each finger with precision, because every witch deserves perfectly manicured claws.
- Food Processor or Mixer brings the magic together, creaming the butter, mascarpone, and sugar into that dreamy, velvety base before you add the flour and salt.
- Oven, of course, the real alchemy chamber, turns your doughy spells into golden, edible mischief.
When the timer dings, and the sweet scent of butter fills the air, you’ll know: your witch fingers are fully enchanted.
Halloween Witch Fingers Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper
- Small butter knife
Ingredients
- 16 oz Unsalted Butter softened
- 8 oz Mascarpone soft
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 3 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour extra for dusting
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Almond extract for a hint of almond
- 12-24 Raw whole almonds 1-per cookie
Instructions
- In a food processor or stand up mixer, place the softened butter, mascarpone, sugar, extract and salt and whisk until creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk until the dough forms a ball.
- Add a little more flour at a time until the dough forms and ball and is not sticking to the fingers.
- Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper, to about 1/2 inch thickness. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place parchment paper onto cookie sheets.
- With a sharp knife cut the dough into strips about 4 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. It helps to dip the knife into cold water after a few slices to keep the slices clean.
- Gently roll each strip into cylinders, resembling a finger, shaping the ends to a rounded edge.
- Place each finger on a prepared baking sheet.
- With raw, still brown almonds, at the end of the finger, press almond at the top to resemble a fingernail.
- With a butter knife or round toothpick, press wrinkles into the fingers.
- Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown in color.
- Cool and enjoy or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Allow to sit out to room temperature just before serving.
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.