Cooking with Facts: Fortune Cookies

Whether credited of being created by a Chinese-American, Japanese-American or 14th-century revolutionist; the infamous fortune cookie is truly the most mysterious cookie out there. Though you don’t know how weird it feels to type these words; usually, I do my best to research the origins of the miscellaneous recipes I choose in hopes of finding a suitably informative lead. In reality, I never actually find very much. Which is why, in comparison to other feeble recipe histories, the fortune cookie tops the list. If for some random reason, you feel compelled by your very being to research more on it, the website located Here details the many fortune cookie origin legends out there, as well as the results of a mock trial held in San Francisco to actually determine the treat’s history.

Apart from having a mysterious background, I chose the fortune cookie for this week’s recipe because I have an unmatchable fondness for the little snack and found the creative ways of the little slips within them to be perfect for nearly any occasion. For this personal revelation, I placed on my ‘fortunes’ incredibly cheesy puns, inspirational quotes and sweet compliments to make anyone’s day shine.

Well, I thought they could make a person’s day shine… however, I am truly a below-average baker. Not only did I bomb this recipe, but I also (somehow, I do not know how) got the slips of happy-go-lucky compliments and such to stick to the cookie in a way that made it near impossible to take out without destroying said treat. Furthermore, I think that this time, it was not I, but the recipe’s fault. I say this because, when looking at the blueprint from this site here (the one I tested), the only wet ingredients were an egg white and ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract. In comparison to the recipe from this site here (the one I did not test), the first is lacking moderately in things such as butter, extracts, and eggs…

The one thing I can say I did wrong was badly attempt shaping the fresh cookies. At the very least, that is probably one of the most difficult things to do when balancing a tray of 12 hot, overly-sized cookies that are cooling at a nearly impossible rate, while at the same time trying to fold them beautifully. I suppose I can give the recipe I tried some positive feedback for its sweet taste, but not as a fortune cookie one.

Fortune Cookie Fun Fact webpage: http://www.fancyfortunecookies.com/Articles.asp?ID=148

The recipe I attempted: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9684/fortune-cookies-i/

The recipe that may serve you better: http://www.food.com/recipe/fortune-cookies-110768

Recipe:

    Ingredients

• 1 egg white

• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 pinch salt

• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.

• Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.

• Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do.

• Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.

• Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm.