Fortune cookies are a favourite among all ages. Their small riddles and Chinese proverbs get you thinking with each one you eat. This Chinese New Year, get into the festive feeling and whip up a batch on your own. So easy to make, they are a fun and quick way to celebrate.

Ingredients

• 60g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
• 2 eggwhites, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
• 45 messages on 1 x 5.5cm pieces of paper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place butter and sugar in a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, combine well. Add eggwhites, 1 at a time, stirring until smooth. Stir in flour and a pinch of salt until smooth.
2. Using an 8cm pastry cutter as a guide, trace 4 circles, 4cm apart, on to a sheet of baking paper. Flip paper over and place on a greased oven tray. Using a metric measuring spoon, spoon a slightly rounded tsp of mixture on to each circle. Use the back of a spoon to spread batter to fill circles.
3. Bake for 6-7 minutes or until cookies begin to brown around edges. Working quickly, slide a spatula under each cookie to loosen, then place a message on top of each. Fold hot biscuits in half to enclose, pressing edges together, then bend in half the other way, over the edge of a glass, to create crescent shapes. Hold for a few seconds. Place on a wire rack to cool.
4. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Some great Chinese proverbs that you can use on your messages include;

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves their mark.”

“Do not fear going forward slowly, only fear standing still.”

“Dig the well before you are thirsty.”

“Not until just before dawn do people sleep best; not until people get old do they become wise.”

“Teachers open the door, you enter by yourself.”

“Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind.”

“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”