Fortune Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons water
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• Optional: food coloring or chocolate
• Pam spray

Method:

1. Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and not more than ½" inch wide. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray two or three 9-X-13 inch baking sheets.

2. 2. In a mixing bowl, on medium speed beat the egg white, extracts, water and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.

3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl.

4. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should be thin enough so that it pours off of a spoon, but not too thick that it won't spread easily with the back of the spoon.

Optional: if you want to color the cookies, add the food coloring at this point, stirring it into the batter. Start with just a little bit, as it doesn't take much to change the color. You can also add a few tsps of melted semi-sweet chocolate at the point. Beat well. You can also divide the batter and try a few different things with it.

5. Place level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Some recipes call for you to tilt the cookie sheet to spread the batter, but I like to use the back of a round Tablespoon to spread it out a bit.

6. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14 - 15 minutes). If you take them out and they are not coming off easily you can put them back in the oven for a few minutes.

7. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, wooden spoon or the edge of a muffin tin. Place the finished cookie in the cup of a muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

To begin with bake only one cookie, then move on to 2, 3 and 4. I don't like doing more than 4, as any more and by the time I get to them they have cooled down and will crack with folding.

These cookies will be hot when you take them out and handle them. Clean, white cotton gloves can be used to avoid injury.