Thursday, February 18, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

I have wanted for several years to make fortune cookies for Valentine's Day, but never got around to it. Actually, I wanted to try making a giant fortune cookie for Rick, but considering how tedious it is just to make regular sized ones, I don't think that dream will ever come true. The recipe itself is not hard, it's the technique that is tricky. I made a triple batch of batter to allow for mistakes and it's a good thing I did. I think maybe one-third of the finished cookies were usable.

Below: Here is the graveyard of unfortunate cookies (some look nice but never got crispy enough)Below: Two of the best samples.

Below: Once they were made I put some vanilla candy melts on them and decorated them with sprinkles. Here's a baby one.


Below: The finished plate of cookies, most of them with fortunes inside.


Here is the recipe, with my alterations:

Fortune Cookies

2 large egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
water

Make your fortune strips ahead of time.

Whip the egg whites on low speed until light and foamy. Blend in sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Pour in the melted butter, flour, salt and extracts; mix until well combined. Incorporate in enough water to make the batter of pouring consistency, about like pancake batter.

On a greased griddle (about 325 degrees) pour the batter by tablespoonfuls, no more than 3 at a time. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread out the batter thinly to about 3 inches in diameter. Continue to gently swirl the spoon over the batter circle until it isn't shiny anymore. Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and flip over the cook on the other side. Each side should be golden brown.

When both sides are done, quickly take the cookie off the griddle and onto a work surface. Fold the cookie over but don't flatten it. Take the ends of the cookie and move them toward each other, which will make a crease in the fold. Place the formed cookie in a muffin tin to cool; it will hold it's shape better in the tin. The cookies will get crunchier as they cool. If after about 10 minutes the cookie isn't hard, it's a dud!

To put fortunes in the cookies: After you take the cookie off the gridle, lay a fortune across the middle and then form the cookie.

1 comment:

  1. Fortune Cookies, Cakes, Crystals (and those warm dish crystals ARE amazing!)? What will she come up with next??

    P.S. Love the new look

    ReplyDelete