Get Baked: Fortune Cookies

For Valentine’s Day, my girlfriend made me fortune cookies with little love notes inside. It was adorable and creative and you should make some for someone you love, too. I know it’s not Valentine’s Day, but random presents are infinitely better.

Fortune cookies are a super versatile present. They are so easy to make! They literally take about five-ten minutes from start to finish. Not only are they perfect girlfriend gifts, but the present possibilities are endless. Why don’t you make them for that cute girl you’ve been trying to ask out, or your friend’s birthday or graduation present? I’m sure your parents would like some with fortunes telling them how great they are. Need to apologize because you messed something up? Do it in a fortune cookie. No one can hold a grudge against cookies. Or you could make them for yourself, too, with affirming compliments, like those Dove chocolates. Convinced? Let’s make some!

FORTUNE COOKIES

Makes approximately six cookies.

Ingredients:

1 egg white (or 3 Tbsp. liquid egg whites)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (*see end for gluten-free instructions)
1/4 cup white sugar

Supplies:

Construction paper
Pen
Glasses (I like to use beer pints but most glasses work — you do you).
Not pictured: Scissors, cookie sheet, aluminum foil, spray oil or butter

Directions:

1. Write your fortunes on three-inch strips of paper. Make them as lovey/silly as you’d like.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F.

3. Whisk egg whites and vanilla extract together until foamy but not stiff. We’re not making meringue here. Sift in flour, salt, and sugar, and whisk together until consistency is similar to glue.

4. Place a tablespoonful of the cookie batter onto greased cookie sheet. Seriously, over-grease the foil, or it will stick and you’ll want to stab your eyes out. I know this from personal experience. We only do two at a time because you need to mold them while they are still warm.

They don’t need to be perfectly round. They probably won’t be, and it’s okay. That’s what we in the fortune cookie biz call “rustic” and it’s in style this season.

5. Bake for about five minutes, or until edges of the cookie turn golden while the center is still pale. This is the hardest part. They take awhile to change color, but when they do, it happens fast. Also, don’t let them stay too pale or they’ll be chewy. Just stand in front of your oven and obsess over them until they are perfect.

Am I stressing you out? I’m sorry. It’ll be okay. Your cookies will be perfect, I’m sure of it.

6. Remove the fortune cookies from the oven, and count to five-Mississippi. Okay, they’re probably perfect to pick up now. Use a spatula to flip them onto a cutting board/plate/something besides the hot cookie pan. Place your fortune in the middle and fold the cookie in half.

7. Place cookie on the edge of a glass to mold it into a crescent shape. Maybe yours will kind of resemble a vagina, too. Put the molded cookie into the glass to hold its shape while cooling down.

8. Remove your cookie from the glass and give it to someone. Or just eat it. And you’re done!

*For gluten-free fortune cookies, use an extra Tbsp. of gf flour to get the right consistency. Make sure your cookies aren’t too thin, or you can try adjusting the oven to 375°F, as they are more likely to burn faster.

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Hansen

Hansen is the former DIY & Food Editor of Autostraddle.com and likes to spend most days making and cooking and writing. She teaches creative writing at Colorado State University and is pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in her free time.

Hansen has written 189 articles for us.

24 Comments

  5. You guys should totally invest in silicone sheet pads … You don’t really need to grease them at all and NOTHING STICKS TO THEM, and you can very very easily mold relatively hot things in them. They come in all shapes, and are not too expensive, considering you’ll never throw out parchment paper or aluminum foin ever again. Also, who knows, maybe they’re even vegan!

  7. I want to make them. But I also want to receive them. Also I want to put the comments from the comment awards on them and just hand them to strangers with no explanation offered.

  8. If I could make them chocolate I would probably never stop making them. Is that a thing I could do?! COULD I MAKE THEM CHOCOLATE?

    • I think you can! You should try it and report back. I think if you add about two tablespoons of cocoa powder, also add two tablespoons of water to make it the same consistency.

      • Thank you for telling my girlfriend how to make me chocolate fortune cookies. I owe you a drink.

        • wait is abby your girlfriend?! is that inappropriate to ask in the comments?! i am learning all about everyone’s love life from autostraddle comments this week!

          • Yes. Abby is my girlfriend. I said it in the comments, so it’s totally fair game. :0)

          • what fantastic news! this means i can meet you AND hang out with abby at the same time?! unreal. also, yay you for getting chocolate fortune cookies #jealous

    • Wait, wait. I’ve been drinking, so don’t trust my previous judgment. Start off with one tablespoon of cocoa powder and water and up it if need be, because they might be a little intense with two.

  9. If someone made me customized homemade fortune cookies I’d probably just keel over from sweetness. Totes adorbs!!!!

  10. Omfg I literally made these last week for a girl.
    Here I was thinking I was being totally original. :P
    Although said girl decided we couldn’t be together the next day, so maybe it was a bad idea. Hmmm.

  12. If I didn’t just put the last of my sugar into some tea, I would be making these RIGHT NOW.

    (I didn’t really put 1/4c of sugar in my tea, I’m just out of sugar. )

  13. Amazeballs. My morning plan consisted of perusing on here and then making cookies to welcome my girfriend home tomorrow. I also picked up a gift the other day that’s a bunch of sex games written on small, handy sized bits of paper… Winner.

  14. There are so many things you can put into fortune cookies! I’m thinking cat pictures or directions to a place like a restaurant or my bedroom.

  15. It’s so mean that you put this awesome recipe up when it is 100 degrees at my house which is way too hot to turn the oven on!

Comments are closed.