Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies

These Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies taste a lot better than they look. You are definitely in for a treat, a Halloween treat!

Trick or treat?

North American Halloweeners have asked that question since the late 1920’s. Since I was never one for tricks, I thought of sharing this very special treat with all of you.

Not only are they a treat to eat, they are also a treat to make. The actual recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes. The fun part is shaping the dough.

As you can see, I will scoop the dough with a small sized cookie scooper and create a thick sized log about 3-4 inches long. Next, pinch the dough to create two indentations to imitate the knuckles/joints of a finger. With a butter knife, create creases to imitate fingers folds and joints. Next, press an almond in the tip of the dough in order to imitate a fingernail.

Once baked, carefully remove the almond, place about 1/4 of a teaspoon of strawberry jelly and replace the almond.

And there you have it, you have just created witch fingers.

Origins of the recipe for Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies:

I absolutely love bread!  I especially love the smell of bread as it is baking in the oven. As a result of my love for all things associated with bread, I have a couple of cookbooks that focus on bread and bread making. One of my favorites is “The Italian Baker” by Carol Field. There are some incredible bread recipes in this book that I will eventually share with all of you.

When I purchased her book, I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole chapter on cookies. This recipe for these Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies is actually Carol Field’s Buranelli Cookies.

Did you know that Burano is a tiny island in the lagoon surrounding Venice?  It is well known for their colorful houses and butter cookies called Bussolai Buranei. 

These cookies are usually “S” shaped, but today, as you can see, the recipe worked out very well for our Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies (if you are interested, here is another recipe for an Italian S cookies).

So, the next time someone asks you trick or treat… you know what to ask for!

Happy Halloween!

5 from 1 vote

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Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies

These Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies taste a lot better than they look. You are definitely in for a treat, a Halloween treat!

Course Snack

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 48 servings

Calories 84 kcal

Author adapted from Carol Field

Ingredients

• 125 grams butter (about 1 stick plus 2 teaspoons)
• 240 grams granulated sugar (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons)
• 5 egg yolks
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp lemon extract
• 400 grams all purpose flour (almost 3 cups)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp strawberry jelly
• 48 almonds

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3. One by one, add the egg yolks. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add the extracts.

5. Add the flour, salt and lemon zest and mix until just incorporated.

6. Scoop dough with small sized cookie scoop and drop on work surface.

7. Roll into a log. Pinch the dough to create two indentations to imitate the knuckles of finger. With a butter knife, create creases to imitate fingers folds and joints. Next, press an almond in the tip of the dough in order to imitate a fingernail.

8. Preheat oven to 375℉ (190°C).

9. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

10. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

11. Once cookies are cool, carefully lift the almond and place 1/4 teaspoon of strawberry jelly. If almond cannot be removed, simply dab a bit of strawberry jelly.

Recipe Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

 

Nutrition Facts

Halloween Witch Finger Butter Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 84 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3g 5%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 25mg 8%

Sodium 68mg 3%

Potassium 18mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 12g 4%

Sugars 5g

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 1.8%

Vitamin C 0.1%

Calcium 0.7%

Iron 2.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks for dropping by,

Ciao for now!

Maria 🙂

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