Five-Spice Fortune Cookies

Directions

1. 1
   Write fortunes on strips of paper.
2. 2
   Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 400F.
3. 3
   Butter a 6-inch-wide strip lengthwise across middle of 2 baking sheets (from one short side to the other).
4. 4
   Sift together flour, five-spice powder, and a pinch of salt into a bowl and stir in sugar.
5. 5
   Whisk egg whites in a bowl just until foamy.
6. 6
   Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
7. 7
   Put 2 teaspoons batter on 1 side of buttered area of 1 baking sheet and spread evenly into a round about 3 1/2 inches in diameter using back of a spoon or a small offset spatula.
8. 8
   Place 2 teaspoons more batter on other half of buttered area and form another round.
9. 9
   Bake rounds until golden around edge and paler gold in center, 5 to 6 minutes.
10. 10
    Remove rounds from oven and, working quickly, flip 1 cookie over on baking sheet with a spatula.
11. 11
    Transfer same cookie to a work surface, then put a fortune in center of inverted cookie and fold cookie in half (cookie will be hot).
12. 12
    Lift up cookie with both hands by corners and press center of folded bottom edge perpendicularly against the edge of a countertop, making a crease.
13. 13
    Continue folding in same direction to bring corners together to create a C shape.
14. 14
    Hold for a few seconds while cookie cools and shape sets, then set aside to cool.
15. 15
    Quickly invert and fold second hot cookie, this time working on baking sheet to keep cookie warm and malleable.
16. 16
    Make 2 more cookies in same manner on second buttered baking sheet, then continue with remaining batter, using a buttered cool baking sheet for each batch.
17. 17
    *Available at Asian markets and specialty foods shops.