Any sugar cookie recipe will work, or crescent rolls if you'd like to make this into a side dish for chili! I used my sister's famous sugar cookie recipe. It's got a little almond flavor and is very buttery!
Ingredients For Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe:
- 1 cup of butter at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
For garnish:
- Slivered almonds for nails
- About 2 Tbsp. sugar
- About 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Directions:
- Mix butter, confectioner's sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extract with a mixer.
- Blend in flour, soda and cream of tartar.
- Beat until well mixed.
- Chill for 2 hours.
- Shape into long snakes about finger length, being careful to not make them too perfect...look at your own fingers and try to leave a little thicker toward center for knuckle.
- Again, looking at your own fingers, make a light indentation with a knife, or my favorite tool, the OXO pasty tool, about an inch from the tip of the finger, and then about half way down, make 3 more right in a row (where your knuckle would be) and then another towards the bottom.
- Place a slivered almond at the tip to resemble the nail and press in gently.
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Take a pinch and sprinkle over the "finger".
- Gently rub so that the cinnamon catches in the creases. You could probably brush it on too, if you prefer.
- Carefully transfer fingers to a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, until lightly browned.
- They will flatten out slightly and not be completely round.
- Allow to cool completely.