This blog post is written by my lovely contributor Mendy Hendrix.

Halloween is fast approaching, so here is a quick and easy treat that will sure get your ghosts and princesses talking. Not only that, you have a few different options on how to serve this neat treat!

Creepy Finger Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookie dough (1 roll of dough will make at least 6-7 dozen. I only used ¼ of a roll and had over 30 cookies, FYI)
Sliced Almonds
Red Food Coloring
1 pack of Oreo Cookies (optional)
1 box of vanilla pudding (optional)
cookie sheet
parchment paper
small clean paint brushes

First, place several drops of red food coloring in a small dish. Using a place mat, if you have one, lay out a piece of foil, wax paper, or even a paper plate. Then put a paper towel on top. Now, pick out whole pieces of sliced almonds and paint one side with the red food coloring. Set aside to dry.

Second, take a ball of cookie dough, roughly 1 inch in diameter and roll out in your hand just like you would with play dough. Lay it on your cookie sheet and smoosh it down into the shape of a finger. These need to be roughly ¾ the size of your actual finger. Spread 2 inches apart. Using a butter knife, press 3 lines in the center to represent your knuckle creases. Your creases may disappear when baking, so simple retrace the lines with your butter knife as soon as you remove them from the oven to cool. Now, press one of your painted almonds at one end of the finger, which will represent the creepy finger nail.

Third, using the cookie dough directions, bake. I used Pillsbury pre-made sugar cookie dough. In my oven, it took the shorter end of the baking time to bake. Be sure to take them out as soon as the edges look very lightly browned. Do not over bake or they will be too crispy!

Let cool and place on your desired platter, or insert into your dirt following the options below.

Option 1: Lay out the fingers, overlapping for more room and serve. (If you would like to include dip, pre-mix a small bowl filled with vanilla pudding and chill. Crush at least half a pack of Oreos on top of pudding. This will resemble the dirt. Guests can enjoy dipping their Creepy Fingers into the Dirty Vanilla Pudding or simply eat them straight from the platter!)

Option 2: Using your Halloween or clear bowl, crush a pack of Oreos using a freezer bag and pour into your bowl. You want your “Dirt” to be at least 3 inches thick in order for the cookies to stand firmly. Then, insert your cookies upright into the “Dirt” and serve. (As I mentioned above, feel free to pre-mix a box of vanilla pudding as an extra bottom layer for dipping. If you decide to use the pudding layer, don’t place your “Dirt” and Creepy Fingers in until right before the party starts. This will ensure your fingers don’t get soggy!)

Option 3: If you’d prefer to make individual servings for a smaller Halloween Party, maybe as the dessert portion of your menu, use small chafing dishes. For a serving of 4, you would make one pack of vanilla pudding, pour roughly ½ cup into each dish and let it set in the fridge for at least 10 to 15 minutes, then cover the tops with crushed Oreos and insert a Creepy Finger into the center of each dish. As an extra bonus, I added plastic and rubber creepy crawlers in each bowl. The kids were thrilled!