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
- Everything should be at room temperature.
- Mix as little as possible. Overmixing makes your shortbread tough. You want tender, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread.
- Refrigerate before baking.
- 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.
More Halloween Recipes You’ll Love
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Parmesan Shortbread Monster Fingers For Hallowenn
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (affiliate link)
- parchment paper (affiliate link)
Ingredients
Parmesan Shortbread Dough
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds, 1 sliced almond per finger
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Add the butter to the bowl of a mixer and beat until even and slightly fluffy.
- Add the cheese and salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each one.
- Add the flour and rosemary (if using). Mix until mixture comes together and is the texture of coarse sand.
- Turn the dough out onto a board and mix by hand until mixture is fully incorporated. (I use marble slab to keep the butter cool.)
- Shape the dough into finger shapes, you should have about 36. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Add one sliced almond to each finger, to represent a fingernail.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for a few hours before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉
- Bake for about 18 minutes. Until lightly golden brown. (Oven temperatures may vary. Do not undercook)
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Nice blog! Is your theme custom mad orr did you download it from
somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog
jump out. Please let me know where you got your design. Many thanks
I run the Genesis Framework and Mai Theme (Child Theme) You can find it on Studio Press.