Preparation time: 15 minutes
Waiting time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Fortune cookes always contain a message or a quotation. In China they're part of the traditions associated with New Year, weddings, etc.

Start by making only one or two cookies. The instant the cookies are removed from the oven, the race begins: you have twenty seconds at most to add the fortunes, fold the cookies in half and then shape them into the standard fortune cookie shape. 

Fortune cookies tend to turn out best when you start with a cold baking sheet. It’s best to use two baking sheets so you don’t need to wait before baking the next batch of cookies.

Dough

1. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white until frothy, but not stiff, and mix in the sifted icing sugar.
2. In a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the butter and mix into the egg white/sugar mixture. 
3. Add the sifted flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon.
4. Let rest 15 minutes.

Baking

1. Onto a buttered or oiled baking sheet (or buttered parchment - this will make removing the cookies easier), place level tablespoons of batter to form circles about 9 cm (3 1/2") in diameter. The batter should be even and fairly thin. Many recipes suggest 8 cm, but this size is easier to work with and allows you to place a cookie into each cup of a muffin tin after baking. 
2. Bake in a 180° C (350° F) oven for about 5 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden. If you cook them longer, they willl no longer be pliable. The middle part of the cookie remains quite light in color.

Folding

1. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand.
2. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie.
3. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half. Stick just the edges, not the center, together with your fingers.