White Elephant Fortunes

Are you one of the probably millions of people who are involved in a White Elephant Christmas party every year?  We are!  It sure is fun but sometimes I get tired of the same thing every year...you, too?  Well, put a new spin on it!

Instead of pulling random numbers out of a bag or jar, why not put the numbers inside a fortune cookie?  Then people receive their numbers AND a sweet goodie all in one!

Check out this recipe I adapted from a Southern Living cookbook I recently purchased:
Sidenote: Dillard's is selling these books for only $10 in support of Ronald McDonald Houses - definitely a worthy cause to buy a new cookbook! :)

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
3 T. vegetable oil
1/4 c. flour
1 1/5 t. cornstarch
1/4 T. sugar
4 t. water

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 F.  Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Separate eggs.  Whisk egg whites.  Add extracts and oil and whisk again until the mixture becomes a little foamy.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a kitchen aid mixing bowl and stir in the water.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.  Completely mix until the batter is smooth and slightly runny.

Use a Tablespoon to place the batter onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.  Spread slightly with back of spoon - the baking with further spread the circle.  I highly recommend beginning with 2 cookies at a time until you become skilled at the next step.

Bake for 9 minutes or until the edges of the cookies start to turn a golden brown and the cookie starts to pull away from the cookie sheet.

(Do this step very quickly.)  Remove sheet from the oven.  Remove cookie with a spatula and place cookie on a plate.  Place the pre-cut fortune (or white elephant numbers!) in the middle of the cookie.  Fold the cookie in half, pinching the 2 outer points together.
Grasp each end of cookie and place over the edge of a mug or bowl, drawing the edges down to form a crease.  Place the folded cookie into one of the cavities of a muffin tray and leave to cool.

And, for even more fun, I put 10 Christmas jokes in 10 random cookies - before they could pick out their gifts to open, they had to read the joke to the group!

If you try this, let me know how it goes!