Homemade fortune cookies

Fortune cookies are rather like Christmas crackers – the fun is in cracking them open to reveal the ‘fortune’ or message inside. Which is why homemade fortune cookies will always deliver the best results because you can ensure the little strips of paper inside will exactly suit your occasion and your recipients. And they are so versatile you can use them for any kind of event from a lottery or raffle to just fun messages. Fortune cookies probably originated in Japan rather than China, but really owe their popularity to their introduction by Asian immigrants into the USA in the 20th century. They are not a part of Chinese tradition.

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 9 ounces / 255g / ¾ cup of white sugar
• 6 ounces / 170g / ½ cup of butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon of almond extract
• 12 ounces / 340g / 1 cup of plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of water

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C / 338°F).

Grease some baking trays or line them with parchment paper.

Have your fortunes ready to go written or printed on small strips of paper.

In a large glass or metal bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar on high speed of an electric mixer until frothy (about 2 minutes). Reduce the speed to low, and stir in the melted butter, vanilla, almond extract, water and flour, mixing well after each. The consistency should resemble a pancake batter.

Spoon the batter into 3-inch / 7.6cm circles on the prepared baking trays. Leave enough room between for the mixture to spread.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. You need to make sure they are firm and not spongey like a pancake.

Quickly remove one at a time, place a rolled-up strip of the paper message in the centre of each one, and fold the fortune cookie in half. Then, fold the ends together into a horse shoe shape. If they spring open, place them in a muffin tin to hold them together until they are cool.

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