makes
18
prep
45 minutes
cook
1 hour
difficulty
Mid
makes
18
serves
preparation
45
minutes
cooking
1
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 2 extra-large egg whites
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 60 g plain flour
- 95 g caster sugar
- 18 handwritten love notes
- 55 g white compound chocolate
- 55 g pink candy melts (see Note)
- red, pink or white sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then whisk in the vanilla, flour and sugar until well combined.
Spoon 2 teaspoons of batter onto the baking paper and use the spoon to create a 10 cm circle. Make two of these (see Note) and then tap the sheet on the counter to neaten the edges of the circles.
Bake for 5-7 minutes, until browned about 1 cm in from the edges of the cookies.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and, working quickly (see Note), remove the cookies from the tray and place the love notes in their centres. Fold the cookies loosely into half-moon shapes. Place the straight edge of the half-moon over the rim of a drinking glass and fold the two sides downward to create the fortune cookie shape.
Continue baking and forming more cookies.
Melt the white chocolate and pink candy melts to dipping consistency (see Note).
Alternating colours, dip the centres of the cookies into the melted candy and allow to set.
Place a little of each melted candy in a zip-lock bag and snip a tiny piece off the corner. Drizzle white chocolate quickly across the pink-dipped cookies and pink melted candy across the white-chocolate dipped cookies. Add a few sprinkles to each.
Notes
• Candy melts are available at Spotlight and Big W stores.
• Because the cookies set so quickly when you are folding them (they will harden within 45 seconds of being folded), it’s important to bake the cookies in small batches of two or three to ensure that you get all the cookies folded before they become too brittle.
• Choosing the correct chocolate is only half the battle, and the melting process can be tough. Here are my top tips for perfectly melted, smooth chocolate every time, and achieving the proper consistency to drizzle, pipe, dip or mould. Should it be melted in the microwave or on the stovetop? Both are fine, but a stovetop is a gentler method resulting in fewer instances of burned chocolate. The microwave is quick, easy and doesn’t require multiple containers, but if not done right it can burn your chocolate and result in a gritty, lumpy mess.
Stovetop Method: Place candy melts, coarsely broken-up chocolate, or chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl. In a small saucepan, bring 5 cm of water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and place the bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the water does not come directly in contact with the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted.
Microwave Method: Place candy melts, coarsely broken-up chocolate, or chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted. It may not look like much is happening on the initial stirs, but persist – it generally takes between 2 and 3 minutes to fully melt.
Image and recipe from Sweet! Celebrations by Elise Strachan (Murdoch Books, $39.99, hbk).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
