Fortune cookie

Hi everybody!

Today, we are going to talk about fortunate cookies.

Fortune Cookies are a well-known feast in the US and around the world. They are known to the general public because of their famous prediction that you can found inside the cake. The fortune is a piece of paper on which we can found a wisdom sentence that can apply to everybody. The funny thing about it is that this cookie is known overseas as a Chinese invention - since its sell in Chinese restaurants - though it doesn't really exist nowadays in China. The roots of this famous "cake" are unclear though Canada, Japan and China are cited as the main creator of it.

There are also a lot of urban legends concerning fortune cookies even though no of them have been proven. For example, in China there is a rumor that fortune cookies were the favorite 'weapon' of spies. It was a good means of communication because nobody suspected that the secrets of the country were written on pieces of paper inserted into cakes.

The date of creation of this treat is also unclear because many sources claim that the fortunate cookies have taken their roots during Antiquity - to give hope to poor people or as an amusement for rich people - or even during the Middle age.

The mystery about fortunate cookies are still opaque, who has created them? When?  Even though these questions don’t have yet a good answer, the mystery doesn't bother the Americans who continue to buy these pastries in hope to win some fortune.

So, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

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

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet liberally with cooking spray. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon into a thin 5-inch circle; repeat on the other half of the sheet. Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, about 8 minutes.

4. Transfer baking sheet to a heat-resistant surface. Working as quickly as possible, slide a spatula (an offset spatula, available at specialty kitchen shops, works best) under one of the cookies. Lift it up, and place it on a clean kitchen towel. Using your fingers, fold the cookie in half, pinching the top together to form a loose semicircle. Hold the cookie with your index fingers inserted at each open end, and slide your thumbs together along the bottom line. Press into the center of the cookie while bending the two open ends together and down to form the shape of a fortune cookie. This whole process should take about 10 seconds. Once the cookie hardens, which begins to happen almost immediately, you cannot fold it. Place the fortune cookie on the kitchen towel to cool, and shape the second cookie. Repeat until all the batter is used up. To speed up the process, bake four cookies at a time, staggering two cookie sheets by 4 minutes to give you time to shape. To avoid wasting batter, practice folding with a circle of paper first.

5. Write your message on a long strip of sturdy art paper, such as Japanese moriki. Thread the fortune through the cookie when it has cooled.

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