Creepy Witch Finger Cookies (Halloween Cookies)

Looking for a spooky Halloween treat to delight and repulse your friends in equal measure at your Halloween party? These creepy Witch Finger Cookies will do the trick!

Made with a deliciously soft, moist, buttery, rich French butter cookie dough (sablé breton), and naturally colored to achieve 4 distinct colors (no artificial coloring at all!), and so many decorating options. SO easy and ridiculously fun to make!

Colorful halloween cookies shaped like witch fingers made with no artificial colors, and decorated with jam, on a plate.

Why these are the perfect Halloween cookies

Halloween is my absolute favorite time of the year! I go a little nuts when Halloween rolls around – from decorating our house to making spooky Halloween recipes.

My witch’s heart cocktail recipe and video went viral online in 2017, and I still love making Halloween cocktails every year (witches brew drink, hocus pocus cocktail and unicorn blood cocktail are also reader-favorites). One of the very first Halloween props we got for decorating was a witch prop (that makes an appearance in these pictures!).

My favorite scary movie growing up was “The Witches” with Anjelica Huston (and I may even have had a slight fascination/obsessed with spells).

I wanted to make these witch finger cookies look really creepy, while of course tasting absolutely delicious! So, instead of using my shortbread cookie dough, I made these with French butter cookie dough (or Sablé Breton dough).

The result is an even more buttery, rich, refined flavor, with cookies that are so light and delicious!

Why you’ll love these witch finger cookies for Halloween!

The sable breton cookie dough is super simple to make, and tastes even better than shortbread cookies.
Witches come in different colors (even more so than us regular folks, of course!). So, I show you how to make these finger cookies in different colors WITHOUT using artificial food coloring.
The natural coloring also adds flavor! So you get multiple flavors of witch fingers (nom, nom, nom!).
The best part is decorating the cookies! The more wonky, crooked, weird, and creepy the final cookie, the better! So, you don’t need to worry about perfection. Best excuse to get kids involved with making the cookies too.
These can be made ahead of time and frozen to be baked later. Handy if you’re making these for a Halloween party.
I show you how to decorate the baked cookies WITHOUT food coloring too. But, as a bonus, I also show you how to get creative with food coloring as well.
You can make multiple batches, and make multiple colors and flavors with this Halloween cookie recipe.

Two plates of creepy witch finger cookies, decorated for halloween, with a witch prop in the background.

Ingredients

This witch finger cookie is not made with a shortbread cookie dough. I love shortbread cookies, but I wanted to make this with a richer tasting, soft cookie that isn’t too crumbly.

Instead I made these with a sable breton cookie dough, which is a French butter cookie dough. This dough is rich in flavor, holds its shape, doesn’t crumble, and is incredibly delicious!

Labeled image of separate ingredients needed to make halloween witch finger cookies.

Butter
Confectioner’s sugar
Sea salt
Egg yolks
Vanilla
Flour
Baking soda

Decoration

Blanched whole almonds (for the witches’ nails)
Strawberry or raspberry jam (for a “bloody” effect)
Cocoa powder (as dirt)

Other alternatives

White chocolate (instead of jam to stick the almonds to the nail bed)
Red food coloring (as blood)
Mini marshmallows or melted chocolate (nut free alternatives for almond nails)

Naturally colored Halloween witch finger cookies

To add color to the dough, you can of course use food coloring. But I know some prefer not to.

Which is why I extensively tested this recipe with natural food coloring, so you can add color to these spooky witch finger cookies without using artificial food coloring.

Labeled image of natural colors and flavors to add to the dough, and to decorate the cookies.

Plain witch finger cookies – Vanilla flavored, and has the natural pale yellow of the dough.
Green witch finger cookies – Made with matcha powder, and adds matcha flavor as well.
Purple witch finger cookies – Made with purple sweet potato powder. Adds a lovely purple color and the flavor of purple sweet potato isn’t too strong.
Brown witch finger cookies – Made with cocoa powder. I wanted some representation for my brown pals, including myself, of course! Witchy witches come in all different shades. You can add less or more cocoa powder to get the desired brown shade, plus adding cocoa powder makes for delicious chocolate witch finger cookies!

However, you’re more than welcome to use artificial food coloring if you prefer. It’s easier, and does give you a vibrant color with just a small amount.

It also does not alter the taste of the final cookie. But it was very important for me to make sure both methods are available to my readers, and they work perfectly!

How to make witch finger cookies

It’s so easy to make these witch fingers, and you can get so creative with them too! Make ’em look nice and pretty or gnarly and creepy.

Before we get to the dough, let’s talk about the almond nails first.

How to blanch almonds

You can buy already blanched whole almonds for convenience. However, raw almonds with the skin on are cheaper to buy. So here’s how to blanch the almonds yourself at home to remove the skin. It’s easy, but a little time-consuming.

First bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the raw almonds. Make sure you don’t add too many, because the water needs to come back to a boil fast afterwards.

Let the water come back to a boil (within a minute). Then allow the almonds to boil in the water for 1 minute. Remove the almonds immediately with a slotted spoon and plunge the almonds in an ice water bath, OR in a bowl with running cold water.

When the almonds (in the water bath) have cooled down enough to handle, take each almond and pinch it at the wider end. The blanched almond should slip right off the skin, leaving the skin between your fingers.

Repeat this with all the almonds. Place the blanched, skin-free almonds on a paper towel or kitchen towel to dry. Pat dry to remove excess water, and let them dry for a few hours before using.

How to make the witch finger cookie dough, from creaming the butter, to adding eggs and natural color.

Place the softened butter, salt, confectioner’s sugar in a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar mixture until it’s creamy and light (image 1). You can either use an electric hand mixer OR the stand mixer.

Softened butter will cream much better than cool butter, so make sure the butter is soft, but not melted.

Once the butter mixture is creamed, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix them in well (images 2 – 3). Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are well-mixed.

Adding colors

Adding the color to the wet ingredients ensures that the color uniformly mixes through the dough WITHOUT having to overwork the flour.

Weigh the butter and egg yolk mixture, and divide it into portions. Here, I make a double batch of dough and divide it into 4 (to make four colors).

To each portion, add the color and mix it through (image 4, and panel below).

Collage of four images, showing the different colors of dough you can make without adding food coloring.

Plain, light color – No added color.
Green – Matcha powder OR green food coloring.
Purple – Purple sweet potato powder OR purple food coloring or ube flavoring / coloring.
Brown – Cocoa powder. I use dutched cocoa powder. Or you can use brown food coloring.

Adding dry ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder really well (image 5).

Divide the flour mixture by four to add to each color portion. Add the flour to the butter mixture and gently mix it in to form a soft dough (images 6 – 7).

For this, you can use your stand mixer on the lowest speed. This is easier for larger batches. But for smaller batches, I prefer to use a spatula to form the dough.

Be gentle and fold the dough to mix in the flour, to prevent the flour from over-working and becoming too tough (image 8).

Adding flour and mixing in to make the dough, with step by step photos.

Forming the dough

Scrape all the dough out onto a work surface and gently form it into a dough with lightly-floured hands. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (images 9 – 12).

Folding the cookie dough by hand gently, to form a smooth dough and wrapping it.

Shaping the witch finger cookies

Once the dough has chilled for about 30 minutes, it’s ready to be portioned and shaped. While you’re shaping the witch fingers, keep the dough covered (since the surface of the dough can dry out and form a “skin”).

Take a tablespoon portion from the dough. For this, I use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop, and this portion should be about 17 – 20 g by weight (image 13).

Forming a portion of the dough, and rolling it out to form a finger shape.

Roll this portion in your palms to form a smooth ball (image 14). Use a light dusting of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or work surface, if needed. Next, roll the dough into a finger shape (image 15).

To create the shape of a gnarly finger, form two thick points for the knuckles (images 16 and 17).

This doesn’t have to be neat. I like to twist the finger a little bit to make it look like a de-formed and twisted finger, with two thick knuckles (image 18).

Decorations

This is where you can have fun and get creative!

Use a butter knife to create the lines on the knuckles. You can just create neat, horizontal lines for a cleaner look. I prefer to create a messier, hashed look to mimic the more rounded knuckle lines we have.

Take an almond and press it into the top end of the cookie dough to create the nail bed and nail. To have deformed nails, just press in the base of the almond, so that the tip is angled up, OR press the almond in at an angle (image 19).

Along with the knuckle lines, I also use the knife to create scratches or wrinkles as well. Dust these lines with a little cocoa powder (optional), to create a creepy aged look (image 20).

Image collage for step by step to decorate witch finger cookies before baking.

Freeze the cookies

This step is very important as it helps the cookies retain their shape as they bake. Soft cookie dough will spread more as it bakes.

Place the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet or container, in a single layer. Then freeze for about 1 hour, or until frozen solid.

TIP : Place the cookies in the baking sheet as you shape and decorate them. Then the cookies can be baked in the order they were placed in the freezer!

You can continue to shape and decorate the French butter cookie dough, as you freeze and bake separate batches.

Two images to show the halloween cookies before and after cooking. — Unbaked cookies (top) vs baked cookies (bottom)

Bake the witch finger cookies

Just before baking, preheat the oven to 325 F.

Place the frozen witch finger cookies (with enough space between them) on a baking tray that is lined with parchment paper or silpat (image 21). Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. The cookies should not brown on top, but will start to brown on the bottom, or the bottom edge (image 22).

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

While the cookies are cooling, get the final decorating ingredients ready.

Making these Halloween cookies extra creepy!

The almond nail needs to be secured at this point, so you can add a bloody effect at the same time to make it even more appropriate for Halloween!

You can either decorate the cookies with no food coloring, or with some food coloring, or even a combination of both.

For a no food coloring “bloody” look – Strawberry or seedless raspberry jelly for blood and to stick the almond to the cookies, and cocoa powder as “dirt”.
To create a more realistic bloody look – Mix corn syrup with some red food coloring, or get some red colored cake writing gel for the blood. Melted white chocolate to stick the almond nail to the cookies, and cocoa powder as “dirt”.

How to add jam and place the almond on the baked cookie, to look creepy, alongside a finger decorated with red food color.

Remove the almond from the baked cookies (they will fall off easily) (image 23). Place a small amount of jam or white chocolate in the cavity and place the almond back (images 24 – 25).

The jam will squeeze a little out from the edges to create a “bloody” look. Or you can brush the “nail cuticle” with the red corn syrup or writing gel (image 26).

Brush the knuckles with cocoa powder to create darker creases and a dirt-clad appearance (image 26).

Enjoy!

Creepy witch finger cookies in different colors, decroated with fake blood and cocoa powder on a plate.

Recipe tips for success

Make sure the butter for the cookie dough is softened. This way it creams well, which ensures a light cookie.
Add the coloring to the butter-egg mixture. Whether you’re using natural coloring or artificial food coloring, add the color to the wet mixture base. By mixing in the color BEFORE adding the flour, you prevent the flour from being over-mixed, and still have the color uniformly spread through the dough.
When adding the flour, make sure not to overwork the dough. The more that you mix the flour, the more gluten the dough will form. This will lead to a tough cookie at the end.
The cookies do not need to be neatly formed into fingers. The gnarly, twisted look adds to the creepiness of your Halloween cookies, making them even more perfect for Halloween parties!
Freeze the cookies before baking. Baking these cookies from frozen will help the cookies retain their shape and minimize spreading.
Freezing the cookies also allows you to store the cookies in the freezer, to bake them at a later date too!
You can use strawberry jam to stick the almond back on the baked cookie. To make the strawberry jam stickier, cook the jam to make it thicker and stickier. This is optional, but it helps to keep the almond in place. Alternatively, you can use melted chocolate.

Close up of the creepy finger cookies with almond nails.

Variations

This recipe includes SO MANY variations that you can make to make your witches’ fingers even more delicious (and nasty)!

Instead of a simple vanilla French butter cookie, I share how to easily flavor and color the cookie dough to make,

Matcha green witch finger cookies
Purple sweet potato witch finger cookies
Brown chocolate witch finger cookies

In addition, you can also make,

Raspberry flavored pink witch finger cookies by adding freeze dried raspberry powder.
Turmeric and lemon zest for lemon flavored yellow witch finger cookies.
Sweet potato powder and orange zest to make orange colored and flavored witch finger cookies.

You can also add other flavored extracts for more flavor. Such as,

Coffee extract
Pandan extract (with or without the green color)
Red velvet emulsion
Mint flavoring

If you want to make nut free witch finger cookies, you can replace almonds with other options.

Create a little impression on the dough with a chopstick before freezing and baking (like in thumbprint cookies, but smaller). Then fill this cavity with melted chocolate / candy melts in the color of your choice.
OR don’t make any cavities, and simply color the tip of the cookies with food coloring or with candy melts.

To make the witch finger cookies even more creepy,

When rolling out the cookie dough, add just a little bit of cocoa powder for a marbled look, which will make the fingers look wrinkly.
Add small dried currants to the unbaked cookie, so that they will look like warts after baking.
Create little cuts on the unbaked cookie, so once they are baked, they can be painted with red, or brushed with cocoa powder to look like cuts or burn scars.
This is a little tricky to do, but you can use a sharp knife to make cuts or notches in the almonds for a broken fingernail effect.
Combine two different colored cookie doughs to make marbled witch finger cookies!

Storage tips

These cookies are soft, buttery, and absolutely delicious!

Leftover cookies can last up to 4 days in an airtight container. And 5-6 days in the fridge, but they do taste better at room temperature.

Unbaked cookie dough can be kept in the fridge for about 3 – 4 days, if wrapped properly. But you can easily make this ahead of time as well.

Form the witch fingers with the unbaked dough and then place them in the freezer. Once frozen, wrap the fingers with plastic wrap and keep in an airtight container. The unbaked cookies can last in the freezer for about 2 months.

Serving ideas

If you can’t find any witch blood, but still want to serve these with a dipping sauce, here are some ideas,

More Halloween recipes you’ll love

Commonly asked questions

Can I use a different cookie dough to make these?

You can also use my shortbread cookie recipe to make these cookies. Shortbread cookie dough will result in a more crumbly, slightly drier cookie compared to these.

You can also use any other cookie dough that spreads minimally during baking.

Can I make these cookies in advance?

Absolutely.

The unbaked cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months, with proper storage.

The baked cookies can also be stored in the freezer, prior to decorating. But the flavor will be a little stale than fresh baked.

What do these witch finger cookies taste like?

These cookies are SOOOO good! They don’t crumble like shortbread cookie witch finger cookies.

Instead, they are soft, moist, buttery, with a richer taste! The salt in the dough really enhances the buttery flavor, while not being too sweet.

This sable breton cookie is one that I like to make (and eat) on its own too!

Why are my witch finger cookies spreading too much?

Cookies are usually meant to spread as they bake. Dough being too soft before baking, extra sugar, too much butter, too much liquid, or less flour are all reasons for cookies to spread too much.

This is why in this recipe, I do recommend weighing the ingredients, especially the flour, so that the cookies won’t spread too much.

Freezing the cookies before baking also helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.

Can I use salted butter to make these cookies?

You can! But it’s hard to know how much salt is in the butter, and how to reduce the salt added to the recipe.

Salt is an important ingredient in this recipe because it helps to bring out the buttery flavor. Too little salt will result in a bland cookie.

So yes, you can use salted butter, but the final flavor of the cookie can vary depending on how much salt is in the final dough.

Halloween finger cookies in multiple colors, decorate with jam, in a glass jar.

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Square featured image halloween witch finger cookies.