# Chinese fortune cookies



## stlocook (Jan 22, 2004)

I seem to have talked myself into cooking a Chinese meal for the New Year. Does anyone have a recipe for fortune cookies, please? :?


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## kitchenelf (Jan 22, 2004)

*Fortune Cookie Recipe*

Here's a basic recipe for you.  Of course the almond flavoring would be more traditional than the vanilla.  

Fortune Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour 
2 tablespoons cornstarch 
1/2 cup granulated sugar 
Pinch salt 
1/3 cup vegetable oil 
3 large egg whites 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 to 3 drops of almond extract 
3 tablespoons water

Print or type fortunes on large sheet of paper, then cut them into 3/4-inch strips no more than 3 1/2-inches wide. Use ink that won't bleed or run if the paper gets a little oily. 

Preheat oven to 300°.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Grease foil with butter, margarine or nonstick spray.  Have a muffin tin handy and/or small tea cups. 

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add liquid ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth.  Drop batter by level teaspoon (no more) onto prepared cookie sheet, no more than 6 to a sheet. Spread each evenly to 4-inch diameter (can be spread with the back of a spoon). 

Set cookie sheet in the oven; bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown lightly.  Remove from the oven and immediately remove 1 cookie with a broad satula.  Place a fortune in the center, fold in half and press back against ledge of counter or muffin pan to form fortune cookie shape.  Set cookies in muffin tin to keep their shape until cool.  Or you could use small tea cups too.

Continue with the rest of the cookies, remembering they harden rapidly. If the cookies become too brittle to fold, return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes and try again.  Repeat process with remaining batter. 

Makes 20 cookies.


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## ironchef (Jan 23, 2004)

man that is a lot of work for just fortune cookies. sounds like something you would be better of just buying in the store


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## kitchenelf (Jan 23, 2004)

LOL ironchef - but you ALWAYS suggest someone go buy something instead of make it   - I, who HATE to bake, don't think this sounds difficult at all.  

And just think about all the missed opportunities for that oh, so carefully placed, perfectly written fortune that you could have given someone! LOL

When my husband and his now ex-wife went on their first date it was to a Chinese restaurant - her fortune said - "you could be in better company"


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## ironchef (Jan 23, 2004)

i remember in high school, i don't remember where one of my friends got it from, but everytime you read a fortune, you add "in bed" at the end of it. some of them turn out pretty hillarious.

nah I don't suggest that everyone buy everything...just things that it would be cheaper to buy, rather than deal with the trouble and time that it takes to make. For instance, say you wanted to make french fries for a dinner party. For maybe 6-10 people, that would be one thing to make it fresh, but to feed like 20-30 people? Buy it frozen. Use your time to prep and cook other things.


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## kitchenelf (Jan 23, 2004)

We also did the thing where you say "that's what HE said" after someone says something and most times it's pretty funny!  Especially in a bar while drinking


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## carnivore (Jan 23, 2004)

the GF once bought a box of "dirty" fortune cookies for a bachelorette party.  some of them made even ME blush.


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## billhoo (Feb 27, 2004)

*American Fortune cookies*

Just for the record.  Fortune cookies were sold to chinese restaurants in San Francisco around the late 1950s.

They were not served in China intil 1987 where they were billed as American Fortune Cookies.

-Bill


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## BubbaGourmet (Feb 28, 2004)

I have to agree with Iroonchef that there are soome things that you should buy rather than make yourself. Puff pasttry, tortillas, tomato paste, Dijon mustard...these are just a few of the recipe request I have recieved from the website that I have answered "OK...here is a recipe but....WHY???"


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## Barbara L (Apr 4, 2004)

I love making fortune cookies!  The good thing about making your own is that you can do interesting things with the fortunes.  Once for a prayer group, I put Bible verses in them.  The interesting thing was, everyone seemed to get just the perfect verse for them.  Another time I did something silly--I was in college and I was interested in this guy.  It was the end of the year, and he hadn't picked up on any of my hints (I was TERRIBLY shy at the time).  So, I made fortune cookies.  I put individual words in, with each word numbered, so that put together they would form a message.  The last one was my phone number.  How did it work???  He didn't come to school the last day and I never saw him again!  Oh well!

  Barbara


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Apr 4, 2004)

Awwww.....     Dont you hate when you go to great lenghts to be romantic.... and its not returned. Ive done romantic things like that, and was shunned. I brought flowers to a woman that had be dumped... and I liked her.... so anyhow, she didnt even say THANKS!     .  I never heard from her again. THAT hurt.


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## Jaye (May 6, 2004)

*hmm*

I just put some fortune cookies in the oven.  Had a hard time trying to spread a teaspoon of batter to the diameter in the recipie... is it supposed to be extremely thin?


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## Barbara L (May 6, 2004)

Jaye,

Yes, it should be very thin.  It is probably too late for this advice, but it might help anyone else who wants to try making these--wear thin cotton gloves when folding them, as they will be very hot.  Also, make sure they are as brown as you want them before taking them out of the oven.  They won't darken up sitting.  You also don't want to bake more than 4 at a time, as they harden quickly.

 Barbara


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