WITCH'S FINGERS COOKIES - HALLOWE'EN

Right click and save as; the non-color image for printing OR copy paste the recipe below for printing! The fingers in the images above look exactly how the cookies will be.. about the length width of middle finger.

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WITCH'S FINGERS COOKIES!

1 cup - Butter, softened 250 ml

1 cup - Icing sugar 250 ml

1 - Egg 1

1 tsp Almond extract 5 ml

1 tsp Vanilla 5 ml

2-1/4 cups All-purpose flour 675 ml

1 tsp Baking powder 5 ml

1 tsp Salt 5 ml

3/4 cup Whole blanced almonds 175 ml

1 Tube(19g) red decorator gel 1

In bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and egg, almond extract and vanilla;

beat in flour, baking powder and salt.

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping the remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoonful(5ml) of dough into finger shape for each cookie.

Press almond firmly into 1 end for the nail. Gently sqeeze in centre to create knuckle shape; using paring knife, make slashes in several places to form knuckle.

Place on lightly greased baking sheets; and bake in 325 degrees F(160C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool 3 minutes.

Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place, so gel oozes out from underneath.

Remove from baking sheets; let cool on racks. Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: about 5 dozen!!

Alternate dough: try sugar cookie dough!! try peanut butter cookie dough oh my, it's endless!!

NOTES: this witch finger's dough is like a soft melt in your mouth cookie, blande for most kids! My sis tried sugar cookie-dough and voila'... hey, make both if the guests-numbers is gonna be big!!

Enjoy! Happy, Safe, Hallowe'en....

CHOCOLATE COCKTAIL CHERRY BALLS

(Actual Picture of Chocolate Cherry Balls i scanned before a ceiling disaster pooched my scanner last year!!)

Now, this is a delicacy.. and quite addictive.. another sweet-treat i no longer make because i cannot resist them!! *sigh*

CHOCOLATE COCKTAIL CHERRY BALLS

WRAP Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup grated coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup finely chopped dates
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 egg beaten
red cocktail cherries with stem

Wrap Method:
MIX: ingredients above except cherries. Coat cherries with mix and form balls, with stem sticking out. Using palms to adhere mix to cherry, is best; as fingers tend to pull away the mix from cherry. Rinse hands very frequently, to remove dough sediment from balling.

CHILL: 3 hours(very important to do, to help chocolate quickly adhere) so BE patient, let them really chill.

Dipping CHOCOLATE Ingredients:
1 pack semi-seet chocolate chips
1/2 pack butterscotch chips
1/4 bar grated paraffin(approx. 1 cup)

Dipping Method:
Melt ingredients in double boiler. When liquid, dip cherries into chocolate mix. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheets or flat trays. Refrigerate until chocolate is hard.. approx. 3 hours or longer.

YIELD: approx. 3 1/2 dozen...
STORING: stores well in a tin, layered between wax paper, keep refrigerated until ready to use; i prefer them out of the fridge chilled, some like them room temp.

NOTE: i like to make a batch or two of these and gift-box them in nice tins to give as gifts when i am invited to a nice dinner ; ) oh.. did i mention they were addictive?

ENJOY!

Old Fashioned Brown Sugar Fudge

I don't have a written recipe for this fudge; its an old family recipe and i've made it so often in my lifetime its in my head but i'll do my best to explain the process; it's easy but if not done right you will get a taffy-like or brittle not fudge. I cant give you candy thermometer temperatures as i've never used one.

INGREDIENTS:

1 - kg bag of light brown sugar
1 - can, evaporated milk
1/2 - teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
8-inch baking pan, greased with butter or margarine
large, deep cooking pot as fudge has to boil hard

IN LARGE POT: add the brown sugar, margarine, milk & salt turn stove element on to about 6-7, mix well and bring to hard boil, taking care to continually stir; so as not to scorch on bottom!! Once hard-boiling, turn down to about 4-5, cook it slow keeping a steady boil, but not so hot it might scorch on bottom of pot! This is the secret: patience and stirring! i never leave my fudge unstirred longer than 2-3 minutes!!

Once the fudge has been boiling about 40 minutes or more; get a tall glass and fill with very cold water. Clean out your kitchen sink, plug it and add very cold water, about 3 inches high.

Using a spoon, drop a little fudge into the glass of water; if the fudge forms a ball by the time it hits bottom; it's ready!! if it doesn't, boil a little longer, testing, stirring regularly! Once the fudge forms a ball... turn off stove, add vanilla-it will create a "rapid-boil", stir fudge until it settles remove from stove; place into the readied watered sink!!

STIR-LIKE-CRAZY - until the fudge thickens and begins to dull in texture!! It's shiny when hot, duller when thickening. Now, the tricky part - if you wait too long it will harden before you can pour into pan; so i usually stir until it's barely shiny.. then quickly pour into pan!! IF you stir too long, and it hardens as pouring into pan; just add a little milk, cook until heated through; pour into pan.

Spread hot fudge into greased baking pan, use knife to pull away from sides; while hot.. sprinkle generously with crushed pecans, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, raisins, take your pick!

Refrigerate until set and cool; invert on cutting board, to get out of pan, then flip so nuts are side up - cut into small squares, enjoy!! Good also plain!!

TIP: there will be fudge in the pot clung to bottom and sides; don't waste it!! use a metal spoon and scrape into a bowl, chill.. break it up, baggy it and fridgerate or freeze to add as a topping on a frosted cake or ice-cream ; )

ENJOY< from my house to yours, Merry Christmas