Writing/Social Studies/Math/Baking/FUN! - Our Fortunes are Golden

We worked hard over several days to make this afternoon's delicious snack. After learning about the history of the fortune cookie (perhaps the first Asian-American snack - developed here in the U.S., probably in San Francisco, probably by a Chinese or Japanese immigrant), we spent Monday's writing time thinking about and writing fortunes on little pieces of paper. Lots of good ideas came from the book Fortune Cookie Fortunes, by Grace Lin:

Today, we went to work on the actual cookies. They are tricky, but we did our best. They may not have turned out tasting exactly like or looking like a "real" fortune cookie, but we declared them absolutely delicious. And the future looks bright for all of us. 

First came the mixing. Several minutes were spent looking for the "on" button, but alas, we had to use a rotary mixer. Very new and exciting! Egg whites were whipped until they were soft and foamy. 

Sugar was added, and the egg white mixture was whipped some more until soft peaks formed. Then flour, melted butter, and a salt were added. I didn't add almond extract, but if you wanted to, I think it would taste a lot more like a regular fortune cookie.

Here are some of the wonderful fortunes we wrote on Monday.

Batter was spread thinly, using some unusual techniques.

Clean up time! Always an important part of the baking process.

And finally - snack time! We eagerly tore into our cookies and took turns reading the fortune we received. My fortune: "You will have babies." Hm.

Click HERE for the recipe, if you want to do this at home. It is a really fun writing and thinking project, and can lead to some sweet surprises.