Witch Fingers

Directions

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. 2
   Place the flour, cold butter, egg, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. 3
   Knead all the ingredients into a ball, then continue to knead the dough on a work surface until it is smooth and uniform in consistency.
4. 4
   Shape the cookie dough into logs, divide the logs into pieces weighing approximately 25 grams each.
5. 5
   Work each piece in the palm of your hands into a strip approximately 8 to 10 centimeters long.
6. 6
   Shape the knuckles of the fingers by thinning out the dough right above and below the knuckle, use a sharp knife to score the knuckle.
7. 7
   Place some jam on one end and stick an almond sliver to it so that it adheres to the cookie. Press lightly on the almond: this is the nail.
8. 8
   Brush the other end of the cookie with some red food coloring so it looks like blood from a finger which has been cut off.
9. 9
   Place all the cookies on a wax paper-lined baking sheet, approximately 3 centimeters apart.
10. 10
    Bake the cookies for approximately 20 minutes.
11. 11
    Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.