Every Halloween, besides carving pumpkins, I make my severed finger cookies. They are not the easiest cookies to make but they are so worth it. You can find the recipe that I use here. There are many other recipes but I like the taste of this one the best (the hint of almond is what makes it so good).
I keep all my recipes in 3-ring binders covered with page protectors. That way I can use the recipe as I am working and if I spill I can wipe it off. I have several binders. One for general recipes, one for my most often used recipes and one devoted just to holidays arranged in order of months. I also have one just for Christmas as I am a big Christmas baker. The holiday binder also has ideas that I clip from magazines, etc. for each holiday or season. Another thing I do, is I put my most often used recipes on my computer. That way, when someone asks me for a recipe, I can just print it out for them. I have been able to make duplicate binders for each of my daughters when they left home with their favorite recipes.
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Tip of the day: if you get a piece of eggshell in your eggs, just take one of the eggshell halves and scoop out the little piece with it - the little piece will stick to the larger piece! |
In order to get the nails to look very life like, I use whole almonds and slice them in half. Slivered almonds that you can buy in the store have a little edge of brown on them and they are flat. I like the roundness of the almond half - they are more authentic. I boil the almonds and the skins come off easily and while they are still warm they slice in half fairly easily. Be careful though, I almost severed my own finger today! The directions say to paint on the food coloring. I just douse them with dye and let them dry. It is a good idea to wear latex gloves or you will dye YOUR fingers!
The most important part of getting the fingers to look good is to make them very thin to start with as they will expand during baking. It is a tedious process of rolling each one, making the knuckle, scoring the lines and putting on the nail. It reminds me of making Playdoh snakes! The colder the dough the easier it is to roll them thin. I roll mine approximately 3/8" in diameter and about 4" long. They will not look good until they bake so don't worry if yours don't look very finger-like yet.
Going into the oven ...
and the finished fingers!
Happy Halloween!
2 comments:
You are clever and very organized. thank you for the recipe and tips.
I remember the year I got my fingers from you. I immediately got my camera out and took a picture. I had no idea how much work they were to make. Great pixs and directions. Happy Halloween
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