In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, then mix in dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a thin log, roughly finger-length. Pinch in the middle for “knuckles,” and use a butter knife to make tiny “wrinkle” lines.
Press a whole almond into one end of each cookie to look like a fingernail.
Bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly golden.
After baking, remove the almonds, add a small dab of red icing or jam, and press the almond back in so it “bleeds.”