Personalized Fortune Cookies for your Valentine

I wanted to post these with enough time for you to plan for your loved ones! I made these personalized fortune cookies last year for my sweet Valentine, my parents, and my in-laws. On each "fortune" I wrote a reason why I love them. It was so fun for them to open the messages, PLUS these taste so yummy. Much different than the ones you get at Chinese Fast Food places. 

Get creative with how you decorate. You can buy different colors of dipping chocolates. Or you can put food coloring in the cookie batter! You could even go back with piping icing and write their name. Send me pictures of what you end up doing: somekindofdelicious {at} gmail.com

I was teaching some friends how to make these a while back and one told me the FUNNIEST fortune. She said her husband always says the same line when he opens a fortune cookie. He says, "Help! I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory and I can't get out." ha! I love it. 

Enjoy!

{FORTUNE COOKIES}
click here for a printable version of this recipe.

2 large egg whites 

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 T. vegetable oil
3 tsp. water
½ c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
½ c. granulated sugar
Optional: food coloring, dipping chocolate
Cooking Spray

Preparation:

Write or print fortunes on pieces of paper, make sure they are no more than 3 1/2 inches long and  ½"  wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray two or three 9x13 baking sheets. 

In a mixing bowl, on medium speed beat the egg white, extracts, water and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should be thin enough so that it pours off of a spoon, but not too thick that it won't spread easily with the back of the spoon. 

{Optional: if you want to color the cookies, add the food coloring at this point.}
 

Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet (make sure you sprayed the pan well), spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Use the back of a round Tablespoon to spread it out a bit. Bake about 14-15 minutes. You want to watch for the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie to turn golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula.

Working very quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand (yes, it will be kinda hot). Place a fortune flat in the middle of a cookie. 

To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, like a taco {yes, this is a picture of a paper towel. I didn't think to take pictures of the process until after. So, please hold your mocking!} Hold the two edges together, but keep the bottom fold rounded.

Then gently place the rounded fold on the edge of a bowl or a muffin pan and fold together the opposite way to form a fortune cookie shape. {remind me never to attempt to enter the world of hand-modeling}

Place the finished cookie in the cup of a muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies. 

I cook only 2 cookies per pan, because you have to fold quickly. If you wait too long the cookies will crack because they harden FAST!

To speed up the whole process, I use 2 baking sheets  and alternate putting them in the oven. I set two different timers to keep the two sides of the oven straight. 

After they're all cooked and cooled, melt your dipping chocolates and dip one side of the cookie, if you choose. Then decorate with sprinkles. Adorable.