How to: tips and tricks: How to make Fortune Cookies

FORTUNE COOKIE RECIPE
A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil containing a 'fortune' on a slip of paper. The 'fortune' is a piece of paper with words of wisdom or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a list of lucky numbers (used by some as lottery numbers) and a Chinese phrase with translation. Fortune cookies in their current form were first served in California by immigrants who based the cookie on a traditional Japanese cracker. Below is a step by step guide to help you make your own fortune cookies.

Fortune Cookie Ingredients (makes 15 cookies)
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.2g) of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.2g) of almond extract
- 3 tablespoons (41g) of vegetable oil
- 8 tablespoons (62.5g) of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) of salt
- 8 tablespoons (100g) of sugar
- 3 teaspoons (15g) of water

Step 1
Measure out strips for your fortunes on a piece of paper. The strips should be about 3" (7.6cm) long and 1/2" (1.25cm) wide. Write your fortunes out and then cut the strips. You'll need about 10 fortunes.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
Step 3
Beat the egg white in a bowl. Add vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil.
Step 4
Put flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt into a separate bowl. Stir in the water.
Step 5
Add the flour; cornstarch; sugar; salt mixture into the egg; vanilla; and almond mixture. Stir until you have a smooth batter.
Step 6
Place tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them around 2 or 3 inches (5 - 7.5cm) apart. Tilt the baking sheet back and forth, side to side, until each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches (10cm) in diameter.
Step 7
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the outer half turns to a golden brown color, and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet.
Step 8
Remove the cookie with a spatula, and flip it over in your hand. Place the fortune in the middle of the cookie.
Step 9
Form the fortune cookie shape: fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass or wooden spoon.
Step 10
Place the finished cookie in the cup of a muffin tin or teacup or whatever you think will work best so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Fortune Cookie Tips
- Use a baking mat on a cold cookie sheet. If you do not have a baking mat, grease the cookie sheet very well. Do not put batter on a warm cookie sheet.
- Start by making only one or two cookies.
- Work quickly with the hot cookies. They harden as they cool.
- After removing the cookie, give it a couple (and only a couple) seconds to cool before putting the fortune in. Putting it in immediately will cause it to sink into the batter and make it very difficult to remove.

Please view the video below for a quick guide on how to make Fortune Cookies.