How to Make Homemade Custom Fortune Cookies
It would be incorrect to claim fortune cookies as a traditional Chinese dish. Although served in Chinese and other Asian restaurants around the world, the modern fortune cookie was first created by Japanese American landscape designer Makoto Hagiwara in San Francisco. This started in the late-19th Century, itself following from a type of Japanese fortune cookie which was made from different ingredients.
Regardless of their exact origin, they can be a fun way to end a meal. It provides something sweet, but slight, to finish off the meal. This is good for those who don't want an entire dessert. It also contains a slip of paper which traditional contains a ‘fortune’, although often this is a positive maxim which can have many applications.
At oneHOWTO, we extend the fun by showing you how to make homemade custom fortune cookies. These cookies can be used to add the kind of fortune cookie messages you would find in a restaurant. They can also be used to create fun custom messages intended for specific people at your dinner.
Ingredients:
Steps to follow:
Before you start making our homemade custom Chinese fortune cookie recipe, you want to make your fortunes. Simply cut some strips of paper and write your messages in small, but clear, lettering. Choose something funny or reassuring, something you know your guests will enjoy. You can even use quotations from writers you enjoy. You can use readily-available copy paper for this purpose, ideally around 75 gsm.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/390 ºF while you arrange the other ingredients you will need to make your custom fortune cookies.
To start the preparation of the Chinese fortune cookies recipe, beat the 2 egg whites with the 3.5 oz of white sugar in a bowl. The objective is to obtain a foamy mixture but without it getting stiff peaks like a Swizz meringue.
Next, mix a teaspoon of vanilla sugar with a pinch of salt and the flour. Sift the mixture a couple of times with the whole mixture. Stir into the bowl with the egg whites and the sugar. To incorporate everything evenly, you will have to mix using gentle folding movements.
For more information on the flour you will be using, take a look at our article on the difference between self-raising and plain flour.
Melt the butter by placing it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix it with the 10 ml of cream. Once both ingredients have been integrated, add them to the previous mixture.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pour the fortune cookie batter into small circles with c. 3" diameter. We are using plain flour with no rising agent, so they should not become much larger. However, you should still leave some space between each cookie.
Once you have all the cookies laid out, place the tray in the oven and let it bake for approximately 5 minutes. Be careful not to overdo it. As soon as you see the edges begin to brown, remove the fortune cookies immediately.
Once you have taken the cookies out of the oven, you will need to work fast. While the cookies are still warm, they are pliable, but once they cool they will become rigid and brittle. It is in this pliable state we can mold them into the cookie shape. We do this with the following method:
- Place the paper fortune in the middle of the cookie round.
- Peel the cookie round off the parchment paper and fold it gently over the paper while maintaining space inside.
- Gently secure the sides of your crescent together while maintaining the ‘pocket’ of air inside.
- Using the lip of a mug or glass, bend the crescent shape into the fortune cookie shape.
Once you have shaped your fortune cookies and they already have your message inside, let them cool to room temperature. Now your homemade custom fortune cookies are finished. Share them at the next meal you host or even box them up in an airtight container (otherwise they will soften) and give them as a present.
If you liked this recipe on how to make homemade custom fortune cookies, we recommend you try the following recipes:
If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Homemade Custom Fortune Cookies, we recommend you visit our Recipes category.
Tips
- Don't worry if your first few fortune cookies don't look as expected. You will be able to continue perfecting your technique as you go along.
- We recommend the pieces of paper for the messages be approximately 1.5x2 cm. This way you will ensure you can store them perfectly inside the homemade fortune cookie.
- Once the fortune cookies have cooled, you can store them in an airtight container for a few days. However, you should know that over time they can lose texture. Ideally, consume them in two or three days after their preparation.