Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Nut-Free Halloween Cookie Recipe - A Family Favorite!

Last year I came across a really fun recipe for "Frankenstein Monster Toes" cookies that was a big hit with family, friends and blog readers alike. So I thought it deserved another mention this year, just in time for Halloween.
I found the recipe for this basic sugar cookie in a Halloween-themed food magazine (I think it was Pilsbury) and modified it to fit my own nut-free specifications. If you have kids with dairy, egg or wheat allergies or celiac disease, you can substitute your favorite "safe" sugar cookie recipe. Just be sure to refrigerate your dough for at least an hour.
Frankenstein's Monster Toes Cookies
Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix--or use your favorite from-scratch sugar cookie recipe
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use McCormick)
7 drops NEON green food color (McCormick makes this--check the supermarket baking aisle)
36 Mike and Ike or other "safe" jelly beans such as Surf Sweets or Vermont Nut-Free
Method:
1. In large bowl stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter, egg, vanilla and green food color until soft dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For each cookie, roll heaping teaspoons of dough into 2-1/2 inch finger shapes. Be careful not to make the shapes too big or too flat--the dough spreads a lot during baking!
3. About 1 inch from the end of each "toe" squeeze dough slightly. With knife, gently make lines in the dough to look like "knuckles"
4. Bake 6-8 minutes until set. The edges of the cookies should not be at all brown. While still on cookie sheet and working quickly before cookies cool, gently but firmly press a jelly bean into the edge of each "toe" for fingernail. Cool cookies one minute; remove to cooling racks. Let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
This recipe makes 36 cookies.

4 comments:

Rhonda Lewis said...

These are great looking cookies - very creative. I'm sure my kids would really enjoy making them!

kelly said...

SOOOO cute Jenny!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for one that would be safe for my daughter to take to preschool. Fantastic idea!

Jen ~ Mom of 2 said...

Thank you so much for this post! I had to make witches fingers for my son's halloween party today and there is a student in his class with a tree nut allergy. It was so nice having a recipe that is already nut free! THANK YOU!!

By the way... the kids loved them! Some were a little scared to try them though. ;)