Creepy Shortbread Witch Finger Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp Nielson-Massey almond extract
• 1 tsp Nielson-Massey vanilla
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups whole blanched almonds
• 1 tube red decorator gel (optional)

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 F. 
2. In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla until smooth. Beat in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Working with 1/4 of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a finger shape for each cookie about 4-inches long.
4. Press almond firmly into the end for the "fingernail". Using your fingers, gently squeeze cookie in the centre to shape the "knuckle" shape. Using a paring knife, make slashes in several places to form the knuckle.
5. Place cookies on lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes.
6. Gently lift up almond from cookie and squeeze decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond firmly back in place, so gel oozes out from underneath.  Remove from baking sheet and allow cookies to cool completely on baking rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Makes 60 cookies