***** Now edited to include recipe! I aim to please...****
Yeah, bet you didn't know about my Cantonese prowess. I had a room mate from Hong Kong pretty much all through senior school. I can also count, swear very fluently and enquire as to who has broken wind. One day these skills will prove useful.
The boys' school has been embracing Chinese New Year - Johnny's class made a dragon and have been parading about scaring away bad spirits. And as our contribution to the festivities, I made some fortune cookies.
It's quite tricky inventing suitable fortunes for 4 and 5 year olds. Apart from the obvious Happy Year of the Ox, we managed the educational Look out for the number 8, the socially aware A smile can make a new friend and the mystical Tuesday will be your lucky day.
Sadly, my favourite, Eat your vegetables! was vetoed by the fortune approval committee.
I offered to make hubby some for work as I thought they could use a bit of cheering up (there's yet another bout of re-structuring on the cards). And I kept thinking of some corkers Beware the letter P and the number 45, but for some reason, he declined.
I really should know by now, that a foodie post without a recipe is not really much good. So here it is - from The Australian Women's Weekly Biscuits, Brownies and Biscotti.
Coconut Fortune Cookies
Ingredients
2 egg whites
55g icing sugar
1 tsp coconut essence
30g butter (melted)
50g plain flour
20g dessicated coconut (toasted)
Write fortunes on slips of greaseproof paper. Preheat oven to 170 centigrade. Have 2 baking sheets to hand (I used my non stick liners which meant no greasing and flouring faff).
Beat egg whites till just foamy. Beat in sifted icing sugar, essence and butter. Stir in sifted flour and mix until smooth. Put a generous tsp of mixture on mat and spread out evenly to make a circle about 8cm wide. Sprinkle with a little coconut. I did 2 circles per baking tray. If you do more, you won't get them shaped before they cool.
Bake in the oven until lightly browned around the edges. Remove and quickly fold in half over a fortune. Bend over the rim of a glass to make the right fortune cookie shape. Once they have cooled for about 30 secs, they will set in position. Work fast!
Repeat until your mixture is used up. I managed about 30 from a batch of mixture.
A warning for those in the UK - coconut essence is very hard to find over here - mine came back from NY with me. But if you can't get hold of any, substitute vanilla or almond, depending on your preference. You can then leave out the dessicated coconut.
Oh I love these, how much fun could you have with those fortunes? May I please enquire as to where you found the recipe?
Posted by: Rebecca | 27 January 2009 at 14:30
Ooh! we have greek and swahili for counting and ordering beer! but no chinese expertise. or fortune cookie making experience. HOW did you do them? Seriously impressive stuff!
Posted by: bigbucketgirl | 27 January 2009 at 14:32
The fortune cookies are great! I loved the suggestion for hubby's work, lol! Mr R works for RBS so all is not rosy for him either! Happy New Year Ali! Love Sal x
Posted by: Sal | 27 January 2009 at 16:57
Brilliant! I love the idea of fortune cookies but never thought of making them at home. Can't think why hubby wasn't keen on the idea of the work ones!
Lucy x
Posted by: Lucy Locket-Pocket | 27 January 2009 at 17:15
That letter 'P' has always been a tricky blighter, hasn't it? As for No.45 ... well, I won't even go there.
Cool cookies - well done you. Happy New Ox Year! x
Posted by: Kitty | 27 January 2009 at 18:28
How fun! And is there a recipe available on line?
Posted by: Thimbleanna | 27 January 2009 at 18:57
Very groovy! We've done Chinese lanterns and lots of noodles but that's as much as I managed.
Hope all works out at hubby's work. Not a fun time.
Posted by: dottycookie | 27 January 2009 at 21:23
Oh, I think fortunes warning about P45s would have had them crying with laughter. Well, maybe just crying...
Posted by: UK lass in US | 27 January 2009 at 21:26
I love the idea of a fortune approval committee. In fact, I would sign up for it, if someone will just tell me where.
frances
Posted by: frances | 27 January 2009 at 21:40
You are such a smart a**. The P45 cookies could have come straight out of an episode of The Office. Gave me a laugh anyway.
Posted by: Megan | 27 January 2009 at 21:42
I think they are a fabulous idea. What a lot of fun could be had with them!
Posted by: Gina | 27 January 2009 at 21:44
How did you make these? If I get enough silly ideas for fortune I could make a batch and send those to my husband and his soldiers in Iraq. They always coul duse some sillyness coming out from a package from home.
Posted by: Nicole | 27 January 2009 at 23:29
Oooh, aren't you cruel??!! I have a similar wicked streak too. A few years ago when made redundant in a company restructure, my mum "consoled" me after the fact with: "Never mind darling, they only get rid of the dead wood when they make redundancies"! Thanks mum!
Posted by: lina | 28 January 2009 at 01:27
I vote that you should put fortunes in all cookies. I like your humor a lot better than "Your kind act will be rewarded" ones.
Posted by: Gina | 28 January 2009 at 02:45
Perhaps you could have a little Home Industry in fortunes for cookies and jokes for crackers (just think - somebody has to do it)
Posted by: Alice C | 28 January 2009 at 07:56
Those look fantastic! How do you make them?
Posted by: The Coffee Lady | 28 January 2009 at 09:28
they look great - and i love your fortunes. Can't think why your hubbie didn't want to take them in ?!?!
Posted by: Julie | 28 January 2009 at 13:25
Fantastic. Can't imagine why he didn't want the fortune cookies? Could really have introduced a touch of humour?! I think a lot of us are suffering from the threat of having our husbands 're-structured'.
Posted by: Julia | 29 January 2009 at 09:26
Your husband is so lucky to have you - what with offering to colour in his greying chest hair and make 'funny' fortune cookies to cheer up his beleagured colleagues!!
My hubby is doing two jobs right now as he's been restructured too and they can't seem to decide which of the two important jobs needs doing the most. Mayeb I should make him some fortune cookies. Not sure I could be trusted to keep it polite though!
xxx
Posted by: Lesley | 29 January 2009 at 13:38
I can't think why your husband didn't want those fortune cookies to take into work! I am very impressed by your making your own!
Posted by: Helen | 29 January 2009 at 14:27
Happy Chinese New Year to you too!
Just 2 fortune suggestions for next year:
'You like Chinese food'
and
'Beware of cookies bearing fortunes.'
I think those were the best I ever got :)
Posted by: Angela | 30 January 2009 at 09:09
Happy New Year to you too! Nice cookies by the way. I like the idea of the Fortune Approval Committee.
Mary
Posted by: Mary | 30 January 2009 at 13:34
you're a genius.
All I've mustered doing was letting the boys eating their pasta with their chopsticks.
I think you win.
Posted by: monica | 30 January 2009 at 14:46
Diversity is certainly the spice of life and the more the better. Love the idea of personalised fortune cookies. I could give some to the teens saying beware the midnight hour, or he who forgets key will be locked out.
Posted by: alison | 31 January 2009 at 03:32
Hello, I love your cookies, especially "eat your vegetables" part. As Rebecca said earlier, could you share the receip with us? Chloe Patricia
Posted by: Chloe Patricia | 31 January 2009 at 07:38
Well Mystic Meg, erm I mean Ali, those look crunchy and delicious. Love the idea of fortunes for littlies and the 'eat your veg' one in particular. Emma x
Posted by: Emma | 31 January 2009 at 17:07
Oooohhh Yum! Thanks for posting the recipe Ali!!!
Posted by: Thimbleanna | 01 February 2009 at 15:22
Ali, thank you for posting the recipe. It looks like very similar to tuille in deed. Thank you once again for sharing. Chloe Patricia
Posted by: Chloe Patricia | 01 February 2009 at 17:11
love your fortune ideas! I want to make some of these now they would be fun for school packed lunches wouldnt they??!!
Posted by: Hannah | 02 February 2009 at 00:18
Hey, Ali! Just trying to see if this comment will work from my husband
s computer. wuzzup?
Posted by: kirsten | 02 February 2009 at 01:50
oh my goodness. what a briliant thing to be able to make. thanks heaps for the recipe!
Posted by: melissa | 03 February 2009 at 11:58