Almond Chinese Fortune Cookies
Submitted by sideline
Almond fortune cookies are crisp homemade Chinese-American cookies with almond extract, hand-folded around paper fortunes while still warm. Bake one sheet at a time for fresh, customized messages.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
30 minCOOK
8 minREADY
38 minFortune cookies are an American invention despite the Chinese-restaurant association (most food historians trace them to early 20th century Japanese-American bakeries in California). The flavor is built on simple almond and butter notes, but the magic is in the technique: warm cookies must be folded around a paper fortune within seconds of leaving the oven, before they crisp up and shatter.
The batter is essentially a tuile, the thin French cookie that bakes lacy and pliable. Egg whites and butter create the structure, while just one cup of flour keeps the cookies thin enough to fold. Don’t try to scale this up by adding more flour. The cookies need to stay flexible for the brief window between baked and crisp.
Bake one sheet at a time. The 30-second window where the cookies are foldable goes by fast, and trying to manage two sheets means half the cookies will crack. Set up your fortunes ahead, work fast, and have the muffin tins ready as a shaping mold.
The muffin tin trick from the directions is brilliant. Press each folded cookie into a muffin cup with the points down so the curve sets in the classic fortune cookie shape as it cools.
Write your fortunes ahead of time on small paper strips. This is the part kids love (silly fortunes, inside jokes, “you will receive a phone call from a stranger today” type messages).
Pro Tips
- Use parchment paper or a silicone mat. Cookies release cleanly, and you can get them off the sheet faster.
- Spread the batter thin into 3-inch circles using the back of a spoon. Thicker cookies won’t fold cleanly.
- Wear thin cotton gloves while folding. The cookies are hot but you have to work quickly.
- Keep unbaked sheets in the fridge between batches. Warm batter spreads more.
Variations
- Substitute vanilla or orange extract for the almond extract.
- Dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate for chocolate-dipped fortune cookies.
- Add 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds to the batter for visual interest and nutty crunch.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Place the egg whites in a bowl.
Add the sugar and salt and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and shiny.
Gradually beat the butter into the egg white mixture.
Stir in the flour and add almond extract.
Using a measuring spoon, drop by teaspoonfuls, well apart, onto a greased or non-stick baking sheet.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
Working quickly, place a message in the center of each cookie, and fold in half while still warm.
Place the still-warm folded cookies in cool muffin tins to shape.
Cool completely before storing.
Yield 5 dozen cookies
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