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.
Cream butter and sugar, beat in 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 and shape into fingers.
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. 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.
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