DIY fortune cookies

12 February 2017 - 02:00 By Hilary Biller
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DIY fortune cookies Send your love a message folded in a crisp cookie. It's an easy recipe but fiddly to put together. For success you need a Teflon mat and a metal spatula.

DIY fortune cookies

Send your love a message folded in a crisp cookie. It's an easy recipe but fiddly to put together. For success you need a Teflon mat and a metal spatula.


Image: Christoph Hoffman

Send your love a message folded in a crisp cookie. It's an easy recipe but fiddly to put together. For success you need a Teflon mat and a metal spatula

Makes: 36

Difficulty: A little effort

Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites

150g (¾ cup) sugar

125ml (½ cup) butter, melted

45-75ml (3-5 tbsp) water

2.5ml (½ tsp) vanilla essence

2.5ml (½ tsp) almond essence, optional

120g (1 cup) flour, sifted

Method:

1) Prepare some creative messages of love to fold inside the cookies using baking paper, not wax paper, and cut into strips about 1.5cm wide and 7cm long. Use a fineliner koki pen for the messages.

2) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3) Line up 3 clean mugs or cups to shape the cookies once they come out of the oven. Line a baking tray with a Teflon mat.

4) In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and sugar till frothy using an electric mixer. Add the butter, 45ml (3 tbsp) water, essences and flour and beat till just incorporated. If too thick add another tablespoon or two of water.

5) Make three cookies at a time. For each one, take 5ml (1 tsp) of mixture and, using the bottom of the spoon, spread it into a circle 7-8cm in diameter on the Teflon mat. It must be quite thin. Leave space between the three to spread.

6) Bake for 8-10 minutes till the outer edges of the cookies are browning.

7) Working quickly, remove from the oven, turn each biscuit over with a spatula and place a message in the centre. Fold the cookie in half and then fold it in half again and place the fold over the edge of a mug. You need to work quickly before the cookies cool. Place the cookies in a muffin pan - this helps to hold the shape - and cool completely.

8) Repeat the process until you think you have enough. Store in an airtight container.

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