Valentine Fortune Cookies

My sister and I got together to make these treats for our special guys. They were much easier than I expected, and so delicious! I didn't have superfine sugar, so I just used regular granulated. It helps to practice folding a circle of paper before trying to fold the cookies, just so you get the feel of the technique. (It is much easier to fold the cookies than it is to fold paper.) And I couldn't figure out a way to thread the fortunes through once the cookies were cooled, so I placed them in the center of the cookie before I folded it.

Recipe:

Nonstick cooking spray
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract


1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheet. Melt butter.

2. In an electric mixer, beat egg whites and sugar on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, beat to combine. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract; beat to combine (about 30 seconds.)

3. Pour 1 Tbsp batter onto cookie sheet, spread into a thin circle about 5" wide, repeat. (I could fit four cookies on a baking sheet.) Bake until edges turn golden, about 8 minutes.

4. Working quickly, slide a spatula under one cookie. Lift and place on a dishtowel. Fold cookie in half, pinching at the top to form loose semicircle. Insert index fingers into ends, press indentation into center of cookie while bending ends together to form shape of a fortune cookie. This process should take about 10 seconds; once the cookie hardens you cannot fold it. Repeat.

5. Write your Valentine messages on long strips of sturdy paper, thread through cooled cookies.




My sister had the good idea of dipping the ends in chocolate, so we melted some and...






This recipe is from the book The Best of Martha Stewart Living Good Things