Fortune cookies
Fortune cookies are thin, crisp cookies folded into a dumpling-like shape with a little slip of paper tucked inside bearing a good wish or a fun riddle. They have a lightly sweet vanilla almond flavor and need to be folded very quickly while still hot, so making them with friends or kids is a lot of fun.
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total time
- 50 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Instructions
Step 1
Cut paper into small strips about 7 cm long and 1 cm wide and write a message on each one before you start baking. The cookies have to be folded the moment they come out of the oven, so you won't have time to prepare the paper midway. You're prepared when you have more strips of paper than cookies you plan to bake.
Step 2
Set the oven to 180°C, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw two circles 9 cm across on the back of the paper. Bake only two cookies at a time so you can fold them before they harden. The sheet is ready when you can still clearly see the two guide circles after flipping the paper over.
Step 3
Whisk 60 g egg whites with 50 g superfine sugar until lightly foamy, add 2 g vanilla extract, 1 g almond extract and 30 g melted unsalted butter, then sift in 35 g all-purpose flour, 5 g cornstarch and a pinch salt and stir in 8 g water. A smooth batter helps the cookies bake evenly thin without holes. The batter is ready when it's silky smooth, as thick as heavy cream and free of lumps.
Step 4
Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each circle and use the back of the spoon to spread it thinly and evenly to fill the shape. Cookies of uneven thickness will burn in some spots, stay raw in others and crack when folded. The batter is right when it's evenly thin with neat round edges and almost translucent.
Step 5
Bake at 180°C for 6 to 8 minutes, until the outer edge has turned golden brown for about 1 cm. The browned edge makes the cookie crisp once cool, while the center stays pliable enough to fold. They're ready when the edges are clearly golden while the center is still a pale cream color.
Step 6
Wearing cotton gloves, lift each hot cookie, place a paper strip in the middle, fold it in half into a half-moon, then rest the center of the fold on the rim of a cup and pull both ends down. The cookies stay soft for only about ten seconds, so every move has to be quick and confident. They're right when there's a V-shaped crease in the middle and the two ends meet closely.
Step 7
Set each folded cookie in a mini muffin tin or the cups of an egg carton until completely cool. Holding the cookies in place keeps them from springing open while still warm. They're finished when they're crisp and hard and keep their fold when you lift them out.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- Bake one test cookie first to get the timing right, since every oven can change the color within a few seconds.
- You can add a few drops of food coloring to the batter for colorful cookies at a birthday party.
- Write the messages on plain paper or parchment paper, and avoid printed paper whose ink can smudge in the heat.
Storage
The cookies stay crisp in an airtight container in a dry place for about a week. If they soften from humidity, you can dry them in a low oven for a few minutes, but you'll need to take the paper out first.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The cookies crack as soon as you start folding.
- They baked too long or you folded too slowly, so they hardened. Cut the baking time by a minute and bake only two cookies at a time.
- The cookies are still soft after cooling.
- The centers weren't baked enough or the batter was spread too thick. Spread the batter thinner and bake until the edges are clearly golden.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
