"Lady" fingers or "witchy fingers"

I love Halloween. When we have an activity with the youth in our church, I usually volunteer to make dessert. I love this recipe for "Lady" fingers. This year for some reason they didn't hold their shape when I made them like they did in past. So I thought to add flavor and cover the bottoms  I would dip  them in chocolate. I used the chocolate ganache recipe from my "Chocolate Malt Cake" only I halved it for a smaller batch. Then while it was still warm I mixed about 1/4 cup of Raspberry jelly (seedless) for a chocolate raspberry flavor. Then when the cookies were cooled, I dunked the bottom half in the chocolate, and let set in the fridge. Then you have chocolate dipped "lady"fingers for a more "fancy" cookie! But they are good plain too! You can add green food coloring too if you like. And I like the idea of displaying them in a glove for a more gruesome display!!! also see the bottom of this recipe to see what I do to make them more gruesome!

"Lady" Fingers

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

a few drops of green food coloring (optional)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

almond slivers

pretzel sticks

raspberry jelly, (seedless)

1 tube red decorator jell, or chocolate frosting (for decorating)

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg and flavorings, and green food coloring if you are making green fingers, mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined.

Working wiht 1 teaspoon of dough, roll into a log, and make dents so it looks like knuckles, and slice little lines on top of them. Place an almond sliver for the finger nail.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until slightly browned around the edges.

OR this is what I do to make them more gruesome:

with a heaping teaspoon of dough, make a flat 1 and 1/2 inch wide retangle, spoon about 1/4 teaspoon raspberry jelly, and place a pretzel stick on top of that. Carefully form your dough around this to make a long  finger shaped log and then make the knuckle shapes and add the fingernail. This gives the illusion of crunching on a bone when you take a bite, and the red jelly looks like blood and adds a little flavor. Don't worry if they crack a little, it  makes it more realistic because you can see the deep red jam inside.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes or until fingers are slightly brown around the edges.

After the cookies cool a bit, I lift the almonds up just slightly and squeeze a little red decorator jell under them, or just a bit of chocolate frosting works too, if making green fingers.