Friday, September 2, 2011

Halloween Recipe: Witches Fingers

















Witches Fingers

Witches Fingers is a classic Halloween recipe for kids that really does look like fingers - that’s why kids love it!

The recipe calls for you to chill the dough in the freezer – that’s because the dough is very sticky and needs to be cold and hard to cut into fingers. You can add more flour for a less sticky dough (and a simpler process), but that makes a less cheesey cracker. Up to you.

Serves: 10-20 (makes 30 fingers)

Ingredients:
5 T. butter
¼ lb. (about 1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. cornmeal
1 large egg, beaten
salt
30 sliced almonds

Preparation:
1. With your fingers, mix together the butter, cheese, flour, and cornmeal until it’s pebbly.
2. Add the egg and mix with a wooden spoon and your hands until the dough holds together. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour.
3. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Top it with another sheet of paper and pat the dough into a ½ inch thick circle. Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze it for about 10 minutes, until firm.
4. When the dough is chilled, take it out of the plastic and roll it - still in its paper - into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 10 inches long, working carefully to create a nice, smooth surface. Rewrap the dough in plastic and return it to the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350F.
6. Peel off the top paper and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 30 strips, each about ½ inch wide and 5 inches long. Place each strip on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, then use a sharp knife to draw knuckle lines in each finger. Press an almond into each tip for a fingernail. Shape the fingers to make them look knobby.
7. Bake the fingers until they are an even light brown, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

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