I’ve always wondered how fortune cookies are made… those little cookies you get in Chinese restaurants in the UK, US and beyond that you crack open to reveal a thought provoking, motivational or inspiring message…. well, I got Twitter to give me some less motivational ones, still, the recipe is really fun! Try it 🙂
Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan/gas 4 and line a large baking sheet. Put the egg whites, vanilla, almond extract, oil and the water into a bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until frothy, this will take around a minute. Measure the flour, cornflour, sugar and a good pinch of salt into a bowl, then sift into the egg white mixture. Whisk everything together until you have a smooth consistency a bit like a batter. Chill the mixture for 1 hr.
Whilst waiting for it to chill, write fortunes on some thin strips of paper, you can always fold them up but don’t make them too big. Aim for the size of a finger.
When ready to proceed put a tablespoon of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Oil a metal spoon, then use the back of it to swirl the mixture out into a 10cm circle. Repeat with another tablespoon of the mixture, it’s best to only bake 2 at a time really as they cool down so fast, 3 is ok but is tricky! Make sure there is space between each cookie as they will spread in the oven. If you wish to coat the cookies in seeds, sprinkle some on now to the surface. Bake for 10-12 mins until the edges of the cookies are just about to turn golden. You really need to watch this step carefully so not to overbake them.
One at a time remove the cookies with a palette knife once they are out the oven. You want them to still be soft so you can shape them so work quickly. Turn the cookie over so that the seeds (if using) are face down and put the fortune in the middle of the circle. Fold the circle in half to secure the fortune and pinch the 2 edges together so they firm and join as it cools. Pop the cookie on the rim of a mug and very gently pull the 2 corners down to get the fortune cookie shape. Hold for 10 secs if you can…. they are very hot! …. then transfer the cookies to muffin tins so that they hold their shape whilst cooling completely. Repeat baking the cookies in small batches as you go following the above metod