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1
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
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2
Add the flour and salt and work the mixture with your fingers or a pastry blender until all the flour is incorporated.
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3
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
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4
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough until it's 1/4-inch thick.
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5
Using a small knife, cut out finger-sized strips, about 3 inches tall, rounding each finger at the top as shown.
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6
Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
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7
Roll and cut the second half of the dough, and place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
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8
You can gather together scraps and re-roll them.
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9
Bake for 15 minutes, until the shortbread is very lightly golden.
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10
Do not let the cookies brown.
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11
Remove to a wire rack and cool.
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12
When the cookies are completely cool, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in a heatproof bowl for 1 minutes.
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13
The chips may look unmelted, but stir them with a spoon to see if they have actually softened before putting them in for another minute, if necessary.
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14
Spoon the melted chocolate into a zipper-lock bag.
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15
Seal the bag, pressing out any air.
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16
Use a toothpick to make a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag to release a thin stream of chocolate for writing.
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17
Decorate the fingers by piping a fingernail at the rounded end, and three horizontal lines to mark the joint at mid-finger.
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18
Decorate tombstones with crosses and writing as desired.
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19
Allow the chocolate to set before stacking the cookies.
