Happy New Year everyone. I seem to be having a bit of a slow start to twenty thirteen, but I am excited to see what’s in store for this year. Twenty twelve was a pretty eventful one for me. I got married, I started eating meat again (after twenty years of no meat), I went gluten free, I left my job and I emmigrated to America! The only thing I had planned on was getting married, but it seemed that life had a few other surprises in store for me. I made some delicious fortune cookies as a way of heralding this new year. I love all those crazy little messages they have inside, and I had such fun thinking up quirky messages for people to read. These cookies are a beautiful buttery almond treat to have with a coffee and share with friends. They are a little tricky to make, but after a while you do get the hang of it. I hope twenty thirteen is a fun and adventurous year for you all. This recipe I used is by Martha Stewart.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons / 70 g of butter
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup / 150g of castor sugar
- 1 cup / 100g all-purpose flour/ gluten free flour
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons double /heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Method
Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit/ 200 Celsius. Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper, or better still use a non stick silicone baking mat. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside. Beat the egg whites and sugar together with an electric whisk for about 30 seconds. Next, add the flour and salt and beat until well mixed in. Finally add the butter, cream and almond extract and beat until fully combined.
You will really only be able to make two or three fortune cookies at a time, as the batter spreads out. Also you have to fold them when they are still hot, so if you make too many they will harden and be unworkable. So, place one tablespoon of batter onto half the baking sheet and spread it with the back of a spoon until it forms a 5 inch circle. Place another five inch circle of batter on the other side of the baking sheet. Place in the oven for 8 minutes. They should be golden brown along the edges and creamy white on the inside after 8 minutes.
Using a spatula, carefully lift the cookie up and turn it upside down and place it on a clean kitchen towel. Place the cookie message in the centre of the cookie and fold the cookie in half to conceal the message. Seal the edges by pinching with your fingers. Now you need to fold the semicircle cookie in half the other way, with the two corners of the semi-circle meeting each other in the middle. To do this, gently push it in half, then drape it over the side of a bowl to further shape it. To ensure the cookie keeps its shape, place it into a muffin tin to set. You have to work pretty quickly with the second cookie, as it will already be starting to harden. If the cookie gets too hard, it cracks.
To speed up the process, use two cookie sheets and stagger them at 4 minute intervals. Like fortune cookie messages, for every good message, there is a bad one! My first few attempts at making fortune cookies were a little dodgy, but you soon get the hang out of it. These cookies would make a lovely gift for someone, with a few happy personalised messages inside.
