Halloween re-post: Pretzel Monster Fingers

Wow! It’s almost Halloween! I didn’t realize that until I looked at the calender earlier.

It’s a good thing I bought Halloween candy at the store yesterday. I thought about waiting until the Sunday before Halloween to buy it (which, I guess would be this coming Sunday), but I thought that all the good candy would be sold out by then. Maybe. I don’t really know. Do the stores usually run out of candy right before Halloween? I don’t remember..

Actually, I don’t even know if we’ll get any trick-or-treaters here. There are a lot of families and a lot of kids at our apartment complex, and a lot of people have their patios decorated for Halloween, so I’m thinking some of the kids might go trick-or-treating around the complex. Of course, this is our first Halloween living here, so I really have no clue. I would love to have some trick-or-treaters come here, but we may have no one come, in which case we’ll have a huge bag of candy on our hands.

Honestly though, I picked out a bag of candy with all the kinds of candy in it that I like just in case we don’t have any trick-or-treaters. If I’m going to be stick with a huge bag of candy, then it’ll be candy that I like gosh darnit!

I’m re-posting one of my posts from last year: Monster Pretzel fingers. Last year, I made them on Halloween, so I wasn’t able to post about them until after Halloween. I thought I would re-post this before Halloween this year for everyone who hasn’t seen it, and to give ideas to anyone looking for Halloween themed foods to make. These take a little bit of time, but they’re so fun, it’s worth it.

[originally posted November 1st, 2011]

Did everyone have a good Halloween? Or for those of you in the U.S. (and similar time zones), are you having a good Halloween?

Hisa and I did nothing to celebrate Halloween really, but then Halloween isn’t really celebrated in Japan. You can see Halloween decorations and Halloween themed foods here and there, and some shopping malls even have events for kids these days, but that’s about it. Most people don’t do anything.

Normally not doing anything on Halloween would bum me out, but honestly, we’re too busy trying to get ready to move out, go to my in-laws’ place, figure out our trip to Thailand, and finally move back to the U.S. (phew!).

So that Halloween didn’t pass by us completely unnoticed, however, I decided to make something a little spooky and fun for dinner.

Monster fingers!!! Are these awesome, or what?

So many Halloween treats out there are sweets, but I wanted to make something spooky to have with our dinner, so I decided to make these monster fingers. They’re made with pretzel dough shaped into fingers and topped off with an almond for the nail/claw.

These were a lot of fun to make.

I made a normal dinner (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and tossed salad), and then merely added the fingers so it looks like a hand emerging from the mashed potatoes. You could have these sticking out of just about any salad or side dish.

These also go great with sandwiches! Ah, you gotta love Halloween!

Pretzel Monster Fingers

(makes 24 fingers)

• 1 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 – 2 c. bread flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1 egg
• sea salt
• 24 whole almonds

1. Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes or until bubbles form.
2. Add whole wheat flour and mix. Add salt and mix.
3. Add bread flour gradually until easy to handle. Pour out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes, or until smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.
4. Pre-heat oven to 450° F (175° C).
5. Bring a large pot of water on to boil. Add baking soda.
6. Divide dough until you have 8 balls of dough. As you work with one, cover the others to prevent them from drying out. Divide each ball of dough into 3 pieces. Roll out each piece into a snake, the length and width of a finger.  Pinch the dough twice to create “joints”. Boil the fingers, 3 at a time, for 1 minute, and then place on a lined baking sheet.
7. Beat egg, and brush egg on each finger. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the “knuckles” of each finger a couple times.
8. Place one almond on each finger, carefully pushing it slightly into the dough. Sprinkle fingers lightly with sea salt.
9. Bake 12 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.