Witches’ Digits — Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies to Gross-Out Your Guests

by Dorothy Reinhold on October 19, 2010


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Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Easy enough for a kid to help

If you want to amaze, intrigue and scare the beejeebers out of your family or friends, make up a plate of these raggedy looking torn-off fingers for Halloween.

Kids of all ages will be delighted to munch bloody stumps for dessert, or for a grade-school classroom party. They would also be the hit of a Halloween potluck at the office.

They are a simple, yet sophisticated tasting almond cookie, and are surprisingly easy to make. It’s a good family project, should you want to involve your children in the baking and easy assembly.

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Little fingers apply a fingernail

When my daughter was 7, she helped in making these easy cookies, and after preparing our first plate of them, she said soberly, “Mom, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but these are really disgusting.”

Yesssss!

They’re easy to make

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Cookies cool on a rack

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

A little red gel applied strategically on the nail bed

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Fingernails are applied, and red gel to the bloody stump end

Get ready for some finger jokes while you make them!

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Oh yeah, that’s funny!

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Twice as funny!

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Kid finger jokes are funniest of all!

 

Witches’ Digits

  • Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Red decorating gel
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and extracts. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt to the creamed mixture, mixing well. Divide dough into fourths; cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, or until easy to handle. (If dough is too warm and soft, it will be difficult to shape properly.)

Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator at a time, roll quickly into 1-inch balls (15 balls per quarter portion of dough), and then shape balls quickly into 3-inch by 1/2-inch fingers, tapering the finger tips very slightly. Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation on the finger tip for a fingernail. With the unsharp edge of a knife, make two sets of three slashes on each finger for knuckle areas (consult your own finger for accuracy!). Using knife held vertically, score bottom end of finger, to create ragged “torn off” look.

Place fingers 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. They will not spread out.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 5-10 minutes, and then squeeze a small amount of red gel on nail bed, outlining edge of nail bed. Press a sliced almond over gel for nail, allowing gel to ooze around nail. (Choose well-shaped almonds and turn them so the whitest side is facing up.) For maximum gross-out effect, squeeze a bit more red gel to decorate the bloody stump end of the finger. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Make ahead: Plain cookies may be made several weeks ahead, wrapped tightly and frozen without gel and fingernail. Thaw, then decorate with gel and fingernail almonds to serve.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home magazine.

Lots of ways to show them off

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

Try a Halloween colored plate for simplicity

Witches' Digits -- Disgusting but Delicious Halloween Cookies

A spider web tablecloth makes an interesting background

{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

Fran@fransfavs.com October 24, 2011 at 12:01 pm

I made your witches’ digits this weekend for a Halloween pot luck lunch at work today. They were a big hit! Everyone smiled or laughed when they saw the cookies. I’ve posted them on my site as well–thanks for the inspiration and Happy Halloween!

Reply

Dorothy October 24, 2011 at 1:06 pm

Fran,
You are welcome, and I am so glad they were a success! Laughing at our food is one of life’s pleasures.

Reply

Diane {Created by Diane} October 9, 2011 at 9:11 pm

They are pretty disgusting looking but the recipe sounds yummy, I will have to give them a try 🙂

Reply

Dorothy October 11, 2011 at 8:55 am

Diane,
They’re kind of a simple cookie, with special shaping and decorations!

Reply

HelenZL November 8, 2010 at 11:58 pm

We made these on Halloween and passed them around to our neighbors…all were grossed out!

Reply

Gail November 5, 2010 at 7:12 am

I made these cookies for Halloween and they were the biggest hit of any
cookies I’ve ever made. I took them to the ladies in my watercolor painting class…..they all went crazy for them and had to have the recipe. I gave them the neighbor kids…..it was their favorite thing of this Halloween. So…thank you soooo much for sharing such a fun treat. I will make them
again and again in years to come. BTW…I used seedless raspberry jam that
I added a little corn starch to and boiled down for the blood. It was a very tasty compliment to the almond flavor of the cookie.

Reply

pelin çelik November 1, 2010 at 12:48 pm

So funny and scary. It is really a good idea for classroom and home project.Thanks for sharing……………

Reply

Neogt86 October 29, 2010 at 8:26 pm

Thanks for sharing your recipe, but they look really scary ^^”

Reply

Claudia October 29, 2010 at 5:28 pm

Just horrid. I loved your daughter’s comment on them at age 7.

Reply

Soniya Perl October 26, 2010 at 10:59 am

This is great. Having a birthday party for Serena this Saturday and the theme is spooktacular so this would be awesome!!! Will try to make it:)

Reply

Kate @ Savour Fare October 25, 2010 at 8:44 am

The Nuni loved these, and has requested that we make them for her class Halloween party.

Reply

Dorothy October 25, 2010 at 9:37 am

Kate,
Thanks! They are PERFECT for a classroom party! You can leave the nut fingernail off a couple of them in case you have a nut allergy in class.

Reply

marla {family fresh cooking} October 22, 2010 at 7:48 pm

You guys are so twisted I LOVE IT!! This post is hilarious. I bet these cookies taste great, but it must be freaky to take a bite, they do look so real! The perfect Halloween tricks & treats all rolled into one.

Reply

Nancy@acommunaltable October 21, 2010 at 8:44 pm

Oh my goodness!! These are priceless!!!! Loved all the photos and LOVED your daughter’s comment!! LOL!!!

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Lynne @ CookandBeMerry October 20, 2010 at 11:11 pm

Dorothy, these are the absolute best Halloween cookies I have ever seen! And your photos had me laughing out loud. Thank you so much.

Reply

Jen October 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm

How utterly disgusting! But fun! Thanks for sharing this gruesome treat!

Reply

Lentil Breakdown October 19, 2010 at 3:06 pm

Tee hee! Those are almost as scary as McDonald’s chicken fingers, but not quite.

Reply

Dorothy October 29, 2011 at 4:23 am

Thanks, Julie! Be sure to try the Deviled Spider Eggs, too. They are delightfully scary! https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/halloween-deviled-spider-eggs/

Reply

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