Fortune Cookies for Chinese New Year

For Chinese New Year we decided to make our own fortune cookies. They proved to be harder than anticipated. Fortunately we were able to make one really good one for show while the rest, well… in Mason’s words, “Where are all the cookies?”

I started out with 6 cookies on a baking sheet. The first batch I baked for 13 minutes. I was able to remove one really good one and then the rest pretty much became scraps or misshapen. The next batch I decided to use waxed paper and baked them for 12 minutes. The waxed paper turned out to be a disaster. If I thought trying to scrape the cookies off a baking sheet was hard the waxed paper was worse. The baking time was too short producing gooey cookies while the 13 minutes produced crispy cookies. The flavor was wonderful. The amount of almond was perfect. I would suggest greasing the pan really well and baking fewer cookies per pan.

Once the baking sheet is removed from the over it is critical to remove all the cookies as fast as possible. I found that if I concentrated on removing the cookies first I still had time to go back and shape them. However, the shorter baking time resulted in a soft cookie that did not hold it’s shape well. It is equally important to make sure the batter is evenly spread out into circles on the baking sheets. The recipe suggested rotating the pan slightly rather than using the back of a spoon. I did not have much luck with rotating the pan. It seemed to work better dropping the batter from the spoon as you would when pouring pancake batter.

2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 (9-X-13 inch) baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla, almond and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff. Sift flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir in the water. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until smooth. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon.

Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula, about 14 to 15 minutes.

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Alternatives:
On our flight to Hawaii they served us chocolate covered fortune cookies. Dip fortune cookies in melted chocolate.