Back in my pre-vegan days, I used to love a good cookie swap party. Now that I’m vegan and don’t have many vegan friends close-by, I’m bringing the cookie swap party to Keepin’ It Kind! Each day, for 25 days, one of my favorite bloggers will visit and share one of their favorite holiday cookies! That’s 25 Days of Cookies, my friends! Happy Holidays!
Cara of Fork and Beans is one of those people who exude warmth and positivity all the time. Just one look from her is like a welcoming hug from an old friend. And her blog! Oh my word! I know I’m not alone in admitting that I’ve spent hours drooling over all of the delectable vegan and gluten-free treats she’s shared and I absolutely cannot wait for her book to come out! When Cara told me what she was bringing today, I was simultaneously blown away and ecstatic. I am just overjoyed to have Cara here today sharing these amazing treats!
We've all been baking like crazy elves over here at Keepin' It Kind--consider it our goodwill to vegan mankind--for this amazing cookie swap party. I love a good party, especially ones that are thrown by extremely beautifully-spirited, creative and passionate people (cue our hostess with the mostest: Kristy!) I'm a big fan of this girl--who wouldn't want to bake her something special?
These fortune cookies aren't for the faint of heart, I'm just putting that out there right now. The first (and second) round had me in such an angry frenzy, even my cat was afraid to be around me. Okay, I actually don't have a cat but if I did, well...you get the point.
Making fortune cookies requires a lot of patience (which I don't typically have) but I guarantee the final product is worth it. Drizzled with non-dairy white and semi-sweet chocolates, these secret message-filled cookies are so much fun to give away to someone special for such a special occasion.
Here are some tips on how to make a successful fortune cookie:
- Use a Silpat to line your cookie sheet. I tried greasing the heck out of a naked baking sheet, I used a piece of parchment paper and then finally tried the Silpat and found the Silpat to be the only success.
- When you pour the batter onto the sheet, make sure it spreads evenly. If the middle has more batter than the sides, the sides will burn and the middle will be chewy. You want an even bake.
- Careful when you are handling the cookies out of the oven when folding. They will be HOT and you will have to work quickly.
- Have a muffin tin ready to place the folded cookies into to keep their shape.
- If you find that the middles are still a little chewy, place the entire muffin tin with the cookies inside into the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes to firm up some more.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. Cara's Gluten-free Flour Mix
- 1/3 c. powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer + 4 Tbsp. water, whisked until frothy
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Melted chocolates
- 10 strips of paper with fun messages inside
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix all of the ingredients together to create a thin batter that easily drizzles off of the spoon.
- Line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Baking 2 cookies at a time, distribute the batter onto the sheet to create 4" circles. Make sure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from heat and work quickly but diligently to not burn your fingers.
- Place the strip of paper on top of the circle cookie and fold it like a taco. Make an indent in the middle with the mouth of a cup to make that classic fortune cookie shape. Place into an empty slot of a muffin tin and allow to fully cool.
- Drizzle with melted chocolate or however you'd like.
Notes
Gluten, egg, and dairy-free Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe (and every other Fortune cookie recipe out there)
Cara is the crazy person (no really, she's nuts folks) behind the site Fork & Beans--a place dedicated to all your gluten, egg, and dairy-free baking fantasies. She even has an obsession for candy-making, from homemade Health Bars, Kit Kats, to White Chocolate Candy Cane Kisses--nothing is off-limits to this girl. Come join the fun where imagination is unleashed and there is no such thing as food restrictions. (You can even pre-order her newest cookbook: Decadent Gluten-Free Vegan Baking here).
Emily - It Comes Naturally Blog
Wow, they look amazing. I tried to make fortune cookies once but I didn't make them thin enough 🙁
Cara
Thank you Emily! Yeah, they are a real patience-tester, that's for sure. It took me SEVERAL attempts to finally get them the correct consistency. xo
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete}
Holy moly! Cara with a slam dunk, yet again! These are absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait for the cookbook, it is going to rock!
Cara
Thank you so much Anna! They were super fun to decorate (the making part, well...) And thank you for the cookbook anticipation--I needed that. I'm in the last week of finishing it so I'm getting frazzled :/
Lauarel
Dern girl, another Home Run. Your imagination really holds no bounds. Applause, applause, applause. Color me impressed. xo
Laurel
Hey, that's not even my name. I couldn't type and break open fortune cookies at the same time. 🙂
Cara
I thought maybe for Christmas you were giving yourself a name change 😉
*Taking a bow*
xoxo
Brooke (Crackers on the Couch)
These look awesome, Cara! Thank you for braving insanity for gluten-freers everywhere.
Cara
Insanity is the operative word! xo
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Are you kidding me?!? Fortune Cookies! With Chocolate! I love you, Cara.
Cara
I am not kidding--there are no jokes when it comes to fortune cookies 😉 Oh and I love YOU Jackie. <--true story. xo
Richa
i just love the way you roll Cara. these fortune cookies, with that gorgeous chocolate drizzle... brilliant! super awesome!
Cara
After all these baked goods, all I do is roll 😛 Thank you so much Richa! xo
Kim
These are so pretty! They look so tasty?
Cara
Thank you so much Kim! xo
Kelli
These are brilliant! I tried to make fortune cookies once, I think they came out of the Nancy Drew cookbook. They were soft & greasy and the fortunes were all greasy. Not a pretty story. These on the other hand.... Love the drizzles ~ they bring something we're used to into a whole new category!
Cara
I think Nancy should stick to solving mysteries instead of posting recipes 😉 But what a fun thing to incorporate into a book--too bad they didn't work out 🙁
Shannon
These are so beautiful! I can't wait for Cara's book.
Cara
What a super sweet and kind thing to say Shannon. I really appreciate it deeply! xo
Randi (laughfrodisiac)
Amazing! Congrats on getting through it - that takes a kind of painstaking attention to detail and patience that I do not have. I'll just hire you to make my fortune cookies, okay?
Cara
I would love to be your hired fortune cookie maker 🙂 Done!
Maggie Muggins
Those are super impressive, I don't know if I have the patience to pull these off but they look totally worth the effort.
Cara
You can hire me like Randi (read above) is going to and I will also be your homemade fortune cookie maker. Just throwing it out there 😉
June Siegel
Can you describe a little more in detail? I'd like to make these great looking cookies. Just don't know what you mean about using a cup. If the cookie is folded in half, I cannot picture what I should be doing. Thanks.
Cara
I apologize for not including pictures--it's such a difficult process to make them and take photos when you are alone without a tripod 😛 Here is a link to help you visually see the process: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fortune-Cookie
Hope that helps, June! xo
Heather
Oh man these are so neat! I absolutely love Cara, she is one of the most creative bloggers out there! My book is pre ordered and can't wait until it is released!!!!
Cara
Is that my girl Heather??! xo
I cannot believe that you already preordered the book--I cannot even express my gratitude, for reals. You are seriously the sweetest!
Elisa Hernandez
I absolutely LOVE this! I had no idea that you can actually make homemade fortune cookies, and it's absolutely amazing that there is a vegan recipe available. I'm loving the chocolate topping you added to the recipe.