Witch Fingers

A Halloween necessity at our house.

Makes 3 to 4 Dozen

pretzel dough
green and yellow food coloring
large pot of boiling water
1/4 c honey
1 egg beaten with 1 T water
roasted pumpkin seeds
rosemary
salt

Add food coloring to pretzel recipe.  Let dough rise as directed.  Roll pretzel dough into long ropes.  Cut slightly longer than size of finger.  Squish dough in the spots for knuckles, twice in the middle and again at one end.  Add honey to boiling water.  Drop fingers in boiling water.  After fingers rise to the surface place on parchment lined cookie sheets.  Cut slits in knuckles.  Brush with egg wash.  Add seeds for finger nailes and rosemary for hair.  Sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 450F for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on finger size.

Pastry Pocket Dough

The filling should be cooked ahead of time so that it isn't too runny.
For these, I mixed apple slices with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon and let sit close to an hour.
I drained and reserved the juice.  Sauteed the apples on the stove top.
Added the juice, mixed with corn starch.  Cooked until thick.
Then, I stirred in a little apple sauce and vanilla.
You could also make cherry pie filling or any other fruit filling.

Makes 12

8 oz cream cheese
16 oz unsalted butter
1 tsp kosher salt
3 c flour
1 egg white
1 T water

Cream cheese and butter with salt in mixer using paddle attachment.  Add flour and mix on low, just until combinded.  Chill in fridge for 4 or more hours.  Roll into a 8"x15" rectangle.  Fold top and bottom of rectangle over, like a letter.  Turn a quarter turn.  Roll again to 8"x15", fold, and rotate.  Do this 4 times, total.  Chill again for at least an hour.  Divide dough in half.  Roll out and cut 6 6" circles from each half.  Chill again for at least 30 minutes.  Fill with prepared pie filling.  Gather ends and tie with string.  Freeze for at least 30 minutes.  Mix egg white with water in a small bowl.  Dip tops and bottoms of pastries in wash or brush on.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 40 minutes on parchment lined cookie sheets for 40 minutes.  Tent tops with foil if browning too quickly.