January 26th is Chinese New Year, and what better way to celebrate than with a batch of homemade Fortune Cookies?  These fun and tasty treats are bound to be a hit with family and friends, and make a wonderful (and cheap) gift for birthdays, anniversaries or any other occasion.  They are also a really fun project for kids.

You can match the fortunes to the event,  making then fun, humorous, wise or romantic.  Include famous quotes, bible verses or short poems.  You can even tailor your messages for a specific person.  Send your kid to college with a batch of cookies filled with reminders to 'Call Mom', 'Work Hard' or 'Do your laundry'.  Or use inspirational and encouraging messages to support someone going through a difficult time to remind them that you care.

Once you have mastered these easy to bake novelty cookies, the possibilities are endless.

Bake Your Own Fortune Cookies
The key to this recipe is timing.  You need to bake the cookies long enough so that they become crisp and firm,  but need to take them out of the oven before they are too rigid to bend into classic fortune cookie shape.  You may need to experiment a few times to find just the right timing for your own oven.

Fortune Cookie Recipe
(Makes roughly 4 dozen fortune cookies)

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons water

Preheat your oven to 375º F  or 190º C.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place it in the oven. Have your fortunes cut up and close at hand.  In a large bowl, whip the egg whites and sugar until the are frothy.  It is best to use an electric mixer on high speed for this.  Stir in the melted butter, vanilla, almond extract, water and flour one ingredient at a time, mixing well after each addition to keep the mixture smooth and lump-free. When the mix is the consistency of pancake batter spoon it into circles about 3" in diameter on the cookie  sheet.  Be sure to leave at least 1" between circles.  Bake the cookies for 5 - 7 minutes.  If you are making the cookies for the first time, the check on their color every couple of minutes until you begin to see the edges turn brown. Remove the cookies one at a time, place a fortune in the center, and fold the cookie half, then half again to make a traditional fortune cookie shape.

Tips to Get the Perfect Fortune Cookie

• Wait until your oven is fully preheated to ensure a consistent temperature.
• Bake the cookies in small batches so that you can easily remove and assemble them quickly.
• Leave the cookie tray in the oven while it is preheating so that it is warm for you to place the cookie batter on to.
• If your cookies don't want to stay in shape after they are bent,  pop them into metal muffin trays, inside round cookie cutters, or under an upturned glass to hold their shape until cooled.

Don't have the time or patience to make your own fortune cookies?  You can buy custom fortune cookies from  Fancy Fortune Cookies or a bouquet of fortune cookie flowers from Custom Fortune Cookies.