FRIGHTENING FINGERS

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Red decorating gel
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and extracts. Add salt and baking powder, then gradually add the flour.  Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle. Shape dough into fingers, 3-inches long and about 1/2 inch wide.  Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation on one end of each for the fingernail. With a knife, make three slashes in the middle of each finger for the knuckle. Place fingers 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. When cookies are cool, squeeze a small amount of red gel onto nail bed.  Press a sliced almond over gel for nail, allowing gel to ooze around nail.

Let's Dish
They're almost to realistic to eat.  My boys beg me to make these every Halloween.  I usually double the recipe so we have plenty to take to the school's fall carnival. They sometimes like to attach the "fingernails" with green gel. Don't cut the knuckle lines too deep, or the cookies tend to break.  If you find the finger presentation a bit unappetizing, the shortbread style dough makes great cookies of any shape.

Who Dished It Up First
I found this recipe in Taste of Home's Celebrations Cookbook.