These Halloween Witch Finger Cookies are naturally green with hidden... spinach! You can't taste the leafy greens and they just taste like peanut butter cookies with jam 'blood'.
Green Witch Fingers
Aren't these the most wonderfully grotesque cookies? I love how gruesome and spooky they are.
What makes these severed witch finger cookies green? Pureed spinach! Really.
You can't taste the spinach in these cookies at all, but it makes them a wonderfully spooky green colour - like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz.
They're the perfect Halloween treat for your little ghosts and goblins.
They'll certainly get a fright when they realise they're eating their greens. Boo!
I've added peanut butter so although they look spooky, they taste like peanut butter cookies dipped in jam. Yum! Just in the shape of spooky witch fingers.
These cookies are super easy to make and fun to make with kids.
Easily vegan and gluten free. See notes in recipe card for tips.
Halloween Party
I've absolutely loved Halloween since I was small.
We lived in Canada and my mum was a bit paranoid and didn't like to let me and my sister go trick or treating, so she threw amazing over-the-top parties instead.
We had a cassette (showing my age here) of scary sounds that played out to passers-by. We had a dressed up witch who sat on the front porch and fake cobwebs everywhere.
There were bowls of eyeballs (peeled grapes), toenails (flaked almonds), brains (cooked spaghetti) etc...
All laid out for daring trick or treaters to touch in the dark, as well as the usual sweets and candies.
And the food, wow.
My parents would lay out an amazing spread of spooky homemade food.
We would have loved to have these scary witch fingers!
Halloween Party Food
Inside, my parents would bake piles of biscuits, cookies, cakes and other spooky treats for us all to devour as we partied in our fancy dress outfits.
These Halloween Mummy Pies would have been perfect.
For something savory, turn bread rolls into the shape of snakes, spiders and other creatures with my recipe for easy bread shapes.
Go cute with Mummy Pumpkin Cookies or Halloween Bark.
Want more hidden vegetable recipes? Try naturally green Halloween Monster Cupcakes.
You only need 15 minutes and 4 ingredients for Halloween Pizzas.
Now that my kids are old enough to enjoy the fun of Halloween, I've been enjoying cooking up scary foods for them as well.
These witch finger cookies are a bit of a Pinterest sensation and I've been making them for a few years now.
This year I thought I'd go back to my vegetable desserts roots and make them green - with spinach!
Don't worry, you can't taste the spinach - it just gives them the colour.
I made these ones a bit extra-gruesome with the blood (raspberry jam) and my kids loved them - though they were a bit grossed out as they ate them - perfect!
How to make this recipe
These Halloween witch finger cookies are super easy to make, and kids will love helping.
The first step is to wilt the spinach. Simply heat it in a pan or boil it for a moment until soft. Then drain it, run it under cold water to cool it and squeeze out the moisture.
Then, chop it up and then puree it in a small blender or with a hand held immersion stick blender. Try to get it as smooth as you can to make the witch finger cookies really green.
Then, make the cookie dough. Beat the peanut butter, butter and sugar together until fluffy peanuty goodness.
Beat in the pureed spinach and almond extract (or vanilla). Sift in the flour and give it a good mix.
Knead the dough briefly, wrap it up in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.
Then, it's time to make the creepy finger shapes! Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into 4" long fingers. Then press the sides gently to make knuckles. Cut little ridges in the knuckles and press a toasted almond slice into one end for a gross looking fingernail.
Bake for 15 minutes, allow to cool slightly and then dip the non-almond end in a little jam to look like blood.
Voila - gruesome witch fingers!
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.
Got to love an easy recipe that's perfect for a Halloween party!
Cook's Tips
Puree the spinach well so it gets a nice even colour. Aim for it to puree to a thick paste. I use an immersion blender.
Make it vegan: use dairy free butter.
Make it gluten-free: use gluten-free flour.
Get the recipe
Naturally Green Witch Finger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (100g) raw spinach
- ⅓ cup (75g) butter softened
- ¼ cup (50g) smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups (225g) all purpose flour (plain flour)
To decorate:
- Toasted almond flakes/slices
- Seedless raspberry jam
Instructions
- Wilt the spinach in a saucepan with a small amount of boiling water, then run under cold water to refresh, squeeze out the moisture, chop up the spinach then puree it with a hand held stick blender until smooth. (NOTE: make it really smooth in order to get a good green colour)
- Beat the butter, peanut butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add in the spinach puree and almond extract and beat well. Sift in the flour and mix.
- Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into 4” long finger shapes and gently press the sides to create knuckles.
- Use a knife to cut horizontal ridges for knuckles. Press an almond slice into the end of each finger.
- Place the fingers onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn very slightly golden.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dip the ends in the raspberry jam to create the look of severed fingers.
Notes
- Make it vegan: use dairy free butter
- Make it gluten-free: use gluten free flour
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Demeter
These are ghoulishly perfect for Halloween! Love that they're a healthier twist too.