showed me how to shape these delicate tuile disks into the iconic Chinese-American treat. That’s right an Italian kid who grew up in New York showed me, a Chinese-Thai kid who grew up in Asia, how to make fortune cookies.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3⁄4 cup (4 ounces/115 grams) all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup (31⁄8 ounces/90 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1⁄4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (1 1⁄8 ounces/32 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄2 cup (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites
36 fortunes written on
3 × 1⁄4-inch strips of paper, optional

Method:
1. Sift together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa powder and set aside.

2. Put the butter, corn syrup, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed just until well combined, about 3 minutes. Turn the speed to low and add the flour mixture, then the egg whites, mixing until the dough comes together, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a 1-inchthick disk, and wrap tightly in the plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a tuile cookie pan or empty egg carton to use as a cooling rack for the cookies. You will also need a 4-inch round cookie stencil.

4. To make your own, take the plastic lid of a large yogurt or similar container and cut off the rimmed edge. Using a razor blade or similar instrument, cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of the lid, taking care not to cut through the edge of the lid.

5. Set the cookie stencil on a nonstick baking mat and use a small offset spatula or a table knife to spread 2 teaspoons of dough evenly inside the stencil, spreading the dough into a very thin, smooth circle, about 1⁄16 inch thick. Continue making the circles, setting them 1 inch apart, until the mat is full.

6. Transfer the mat to a baking sheet and bake until the tops of the cookies are dry, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, working very quickly, shape the cookies: one at a time, set a paper fortune, if desired, in the center of the cookie, fold the cookie in half, and, holding the cookie with the folded edge facing up, bring the 2 pointed ends upward so that they come together above the folded edge.

7. The cookies should still be hot to the touch as you work; if they cool too much before you fold them, they will break. If necessary, you can reheat them in the oven for about 30 seconds to make them pliable again.

8. Set the cookies in the tuile pan or egg carton to cool, so that they will hold their shape, and cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

CHEF’S TIP:
If you are inserting fortunes into these cookies, be sure to use inks that will not bleed when heated, as the cookies will be hot when you fold them.

CHOCOLATE FORTUNE COOKIES