Fortune Cookies

I remember being SO amazed when I discovered I could make my very own fortune cookies. How cool is this! Homemade fortune cookies taste nothing like the ones at restaurants, by the way. They are buttery and delicious and decadent. So, if you’re feeling nostalgic for some classic restaurant taste, then homemade is not the way to go. But, if you’re up for some lovely, homemade awesomeness, look no further. (Recipe link)

Making this batter is ridiculously simple. (Just be sure to spread the batter VERY thin– thinner than you think.) So, the tough part is the time it takes. Because you have to form the shapes while they are fresh from the oven, you can only make about two or three at a time. eeps! I find having helpers are a good thing. (And sometimes…not.) Also, putting two trays in at staggered times so you’re not in the kitchen all day is helpful. I’m wondering if some sort of oven gloves (or even thin winter gloves?) would help too with the burning hot cookies you need to handle. I find that the first 3 or 4 cookies are always my “test” cookies that come out a bit too thick and crumbly. But, by the end, these look gorgeous!

Writing the fortunes is so much fun. The first time we made these for Lunar New Year, I asked my then-four-year-old daughter to help with the messages. She said awesomely hilarious things like:

Garbage is good for garbage cans.

Birds go in nests, of course.

The window is closed at nighttime.

Your walls will be down.

The stage is for dancing on.

You can see stars and the moon through a telescope.

School is about playing.

I mean, only a four-year old could think up such profound words. Seriously.

I’ve compiled some of my favorite quotes from authors, poets, etc. into pages of fortune cookie papers and posted them as a digital download on my shop, if you’re interested! Some famous quotations, while others are ones I’ve gathered while reading my favorite books.

Making fortune cookies is definitely not an everyday sort of baking project, at least for me, but it is fun to do once in awhile. I also highly recommend making these as a paper craft project!

(You can also watch the San Francisco Fortune Cookie Co. at work or here)