Valentine’s Day Fortune Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a piece of parchment paper, trace 4-5 inch diameter circles, spacing them at least 1 inch apart. Turn parchment paper over and place on a sheet pan, so the pencil marks are facing down.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, blend the egg whites and sugar on medium speed until well blended and foamy.

On low speed, add the flour and blend well, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides occasionally.

Add the butter, cream, and vanilla, and blend on low speed until well combined.

Remove approximately ¼ of the batter, and place it into a small bowl. Using a spoon, blend in some red food coloring.

Place the red batter into a pastry bag fitted with a small, plain tip and set aside in a large glass.

Remove the parchment paper from the sheet pan and place a small dollop of the plain batter in each of the four corners of the pan. Replace the parchment paper, pressing on each corner to adhere the paper to the pan and make the paper lie flat.

Using an offset spatula, spread one heaping teaspoon of plain batter in the center of one of the circles. Smear the batter so it evenly fills the circle. It should be a very thin layer. Repeat one more time in another circle. You will only want to fill a few circles at a time.

Using the red batter in the pastry bag, decorate each circle as desired.

Bake cookies for 6-8 minutes, rotating the pan every 3 minutes or so, until the cookies are barely light brown. Depending on your oven, you may need slightly less time – the cookies should not brown too much!

Place a glass (like a tumbler) nearby. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Using an offset spatula, gently lift one of the cookies off the parchment paper (it will be hot!) and place upside-down on a plate. Place a fortune across the middle, and quickly fold it like a taco. Place the taco with the closed side onto the edge of the glass, pinching the open edges down, so that one side of the now fortune cookie is on the inside of the glass and one side on the outside. Allow the cookie to cool in this position until it has firmed. Remove the cookie and place on a plate.

Repeat step 8-11 until batters are used up. If more than one cookie is baked at a time and one becomes hard, you can put it back in the oven to soften for no more than 1-2 minutes. Then continue with step 11.