Dead Ladyfingers

These don't taste like ladyfingers. They're tasty shortbread with a toasted almond and whatever flavor "goo" you choose to use. Yum.

You will be amazed. You know you want to make some. Do eet. DOOOO EEEEET!!! You will be rewarded.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (I think I went a little light on it… I want to say I only put in ¾ cup but I am not sure)
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream all the above together until well blended, then mix in:

2 2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (I used too much—I think this should be right)
½ teaspoon salt

It will be granular and pretty dry until the butter grabs all the flour.

Put this mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or more, or in the freezer until it is good and cold. The more time you have, the better—it’s easier to work with when it is cold, plus the flour will soak up more of the moisture if it waits a bit.

Preheat oven to 325.

Take one quarter of the dough at a time from the fridge. Break off a heaping teaspoonful and roll it into a “finger” shape. Either make a cylinder and squeeze it to make a “knuckle”, or roll it between relaxed, slightly open fingers to let it form twisted finger shapes. It’s pretty easy. Indent one end for a “stump.” Make them slim and creepy… they will soften and plump while they bake.

Place cookies on a very lightly greased cookie sheet (or you can line it with parchment paper… I lined mine with foil and very lightly oiled the foil). Press a blanched almond on the not-stump end for a “fingernail” and indent it in several places at the “knuckles” with a skewer or non-serrated butter knife.

Bake until golden on the bottom – my recipe says 25 minutes but it lies like a rug.

Let cool 3 minutes, then raise up each almond, squeeze red decorating gel (or I suppose you could use green… or jam!) in the indented “nail bed,” and put the almond back. Goo will squish out around the nail. It looks wonderful. Smear the indentation on the stump end with your gel, too.

I’m thinking pumpkin seed “nails” and green goo would be a whole ‘nother level of gross looking… you could always do a half and half batch.

Enjoy! (This makes two heavily laden cookie sheets full… I think almost 40 cookies.)