Creepy and Delicious Monster Fingers Recipe for Halloween

Delicious parmesan shortbread in the form of edible monster fingers— Anyone? If you want Halloween appetizer ideas 😜— I’m your girl!

If you aren’t up to eating cheesy shortbread fashioned as edible fingers — you can also make this dough into simple round parmesan cheese crackers. Sometimes, I even add some herbs.

In case you didn’t already know – I’m a forensic scientist. One of the hazards of this job is having a really inappropriate sense of humor.

Monster Fingers—Halloween Ideas

I tried a few different versions of savory shortbread recipes, and in the end, I went back to using the same basic butter shortbread formula that I use for my chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies.

Butter shortbread is made by adding just enough flour to mix to keep the butter crispy and cookie-like. There is a super high butter-to-flour ratio. It’s a delicate balance.

Because I was using the cheese in this recipe, I had to adjust things a little to get the right texture and consistency. Thankfully, these turned out better than I expected. Their actual real-finger-likeness was quite impressive.

I only wish I could make them look like they are dipped in blood without completely ruining their crispiness! I must get back in the lab and figure that out for next year.

Serving them with a marinara would probably be epic, though!

PRO TIP: Adding some fresh chopped rosemary makes these parmesan biscuits special. I didn’t want the green specks in my fingers, so I left out the rosemary this time.

Parmesan Shortbread Biscuits

Here are the same savory Parmesan shortbreads in a more traditional parmesan cracker shape. Don’t forget to add a little chopped rosemary to these to make them extra delicious.

Sweets are something that I can always pass up. But crispy, salty, cheesy things are a whole different story. These crispy little cheese biscuits are really addictive. They are kind of like gourmet adult Cheez-Its.

Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Shortbread

• All-Purpose Flour – I like the King Arthur brand. (Because I’m a total nerd, here is an article on the science of different flours and when to use which kind.)
• Butter (lots of butter) – I use Pulgra European Unsalted Butter.
• Parmesan cheese – Use a high-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Egg yolks – My favorite eggs come from Vital Farms.
• Sliced almonds – if you are making the Halloween Monster Finger version.

💡 Variation Idea: Add a few drops of green food coloring to give these savory cookie fingers a green witchy hue.

Equipment that makes the job easier

• Stand mixer (affiliate link)
• Marble pastry board (affiliate link)
• Pastry scraper (affiliate link)
• Plastic wrap (affiliate link)
• Parchment paper (affiliate link)

Tips & Tricks For Perfect Shortbread

1. Everything should be at room temperature.
2. Mix as little as possible. Overmixing makes your shortbread tough. You want tender, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread.
3. Refrigerate before baking.
4. Bake until they are the perfect shade of lightly golden brown—not too little and not too long. It’s got to be just right.

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