Halloween Biscuits: Can You Bear To Make Them?
Bloody Finger Biscuits
Biscuits
130 g icing sugar
225 g soft unsalted butter, or margarine
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt
400 g plain flour
Horrible Halloween Biscuits
Are you afraid to eat?
Note: Remove butter from fridge the evening before making the biscuits so that it is extremely soft.
Margarine and egg should be removed from fridge at least an hour in advance so they come to room temperature.
Decoration
200 g strawberry jam
46 flaked almonds or smarties halved
Biscuits
1. Beat sugar and butter together until the butter slightly changes colour.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Sift flour and salt and add. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon.
4. Divide dough into three and roll into sausages. Tightly wrap dough in cling film and place in fridge for 1 hour (Can be kept in fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month).
5. Preheat oven to 180°C.
6. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
7. Working with one sausage of dough at a time, roll into 2 cm thick ropes.
8. Cut finger-like pieces then use a cocktail stick to mark 4 lines for the 'knuckles'. Then at one end of each piece, use the back of a teaspoon to form the nail bed cavity.
9. Place on prepared baking tray (approx. 3 cm apart) and bake for 12-18 minutes (180°C), or until lightly browned and cooked through.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Before decorating, these can be stored in an airtight container.
12. This dough freezes very well.
Decoration
Beat jam in a bowl until soft
Dip both ends of the biscuit into the jam, then attach almonds or broken smarties onto the fingernail cavity. A piece of liquorice could also be used in the finger cavity.