Making Vegan Fortune Cookies: A Tutorial!

Last weekend was Musty's 40th birthday (woot!) He doesn't really like stuff, but he loves food, so I decided to make him a big batch of personalized fortune cookies. I did some searching around and found a recipe on about.com. I tweaked it a bit, veganized it, and began experimenting. Let me say that making fortune cookies is a bit of a challenge!


For this post, I present you with the recipe I used, a photo tutorial, and a *bonus* video tutorial!


First, get your fortunes ready. I used a combination of old standards ("You will attend a party where strange customs prevail") to personalized ones.


Now mix up the batter. It should be pretty thin, as you can see.


Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet. Use 1 Tbsp per cookie. Don't try to make more than 2 cookies at a time, or it will only end in heartbreak. I tried many different things here: tilting the cookie sheet every which way to spread the batter, using a spatula, using my fingers (what the heck, they were for my boyfriend!)... I finally settled on the spatula. Also, I tried using a heavily greased cookie sheet (no good), natural parchment paper (no good), and in the end found no big difference between using my silpat (silicone baking sheet), traditional parchment paper, or a lightly greased cookie sheet. (Hint: in the video tutorial, I put in a batch using one method and take out a batch using a different method! Incongruity error!)

Now cook 'em for about 14 minutes. They should be golden around the edges.


Quickly remove them from the oven and use a firm spatula to loosen them from the cookie sheet.


Flip it over in your hand, and lay a fortune down in the cookie.


Fold it in half like a taco!


Pinch the corners and bend it over the edge of a bowl or mug.

Then lay it in a muffin tin or mug so that it can harden without springing back open. Quick, do the other one!


Here you see them all resting in the muffin tin. I think I made about 20-25 in all. It was project, but lots of fun!



Here is a little video I made. Special shout out to my mom who did the masterful camera work!


Here's my version of the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 tsp EnerG Egg Replacer + 1/4 c warm water, whisked together
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6-8 teaspoons water
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar

First, get your fortunes ready - either type or write on pieces of paper about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Preheat oven to 300 F. Get your baking sheet ready. Either lightly grease it, or use a silpat, or traditional parchment paper. If using parchment paper, you will need a fresh piece for each batch.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg replacer, vanilla extract, almond extract, vegetable oil until frothy. Add in the water.

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

Combine the wet and dry mixtures and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should be on the runny side.

Pour 2 level tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter.

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). Use a firm spatula and act fast. You may need to "scrape" them off a bit... just keep at it!

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 the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Do the other one.

If you are inspired to give it a try, please let me know if you develop any useful tricks or insights!