How to Make Matcha Witch Finger Cookies for Halloween
/I was first inspired to make these Halloween treats when watching season 7 of the Great British Baking Show where one of the contestants who was obsessed with Halloween made similar ones for the signature competition (if you love the show you’ll know who I’m talking about). The judges on the show weren’t fans of the strong matcha flavor brought on by the cookie, but I personally love everything matcha (its actually good for you too and when made in latte form, is stronger than coffee!) and knew I had to attempt to make these witch fingers for Halloween. If you aren’t a matcha lover like I am, it is possible to just make a simple sugar cookie dough and add in a touch of green food coloring to achieve the same colors. I used Ancient Tea Leaf’s recipe for the cookies (because it ended up being so much easier than the British Baking Show one), although I did make a few slight changes and did not use their matcha powder because any brand works really. Matcha powder can be found in your local Japanese grocery store or on Amazon, which is where I purchased one. Matcha can not only be used to make these cookies, but I actually add my powder into almond milk to make an iced matcha latte and also into vanilla ice cream for a matcha infused flavor.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (confectionery)
1 egg
1 teaspoon Almond extract (optional)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (add 2 teaspoons if you don’t plan to use almond extract)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 teaspoons of matcha powder (if you want a less strong matcha flavor then 2 tsp works as well)
A handful of almonds (sliced or unsliced) for the “nails”
Red food coloring or raspberry jam for the “blood”
Steps
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extract
Add in the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, and salt. At this point the dough should be green.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 min.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Depending on if you want big or small fingers, you can add or take away dough. Beware that the cookies do rise and expand in the oven so they could potentially get huge if you use too much dough.
Squeeze in center to create knuckle shapes; using a fork or toothpick, make several places to form knuckle. Make sure to make the end of the finger (opposite of the nail bed) flat.
Press 1 almond firmly into one end for the nail.
Place on lightly greased baking sheets or parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until pale golden-green.
Let cool for 3 minutes.
Lift up almond; squeeze jam or red food coloring onto nail bed and press almond back into place, so the red oozes out like “blood”.
The results? You will love eating and serving these matcha witch fingers! They are such a creative and delicious Halloween treat that they will brighten up any spread set up for the spookiest holiday of the year. Share your witchy finger photos below!
