RBE

January 1, 2017

{The Final RBE}: Homemade Toasted Raviolis.

I realize that I’ve been more neglectful than usual toward my poor blog. But if I’m being honest, the past ~6 months have really thrown me for a loop. I haven’t felt inspired to write here at all, and I have been crazy busy with all of life’s wonderful ups and downs. Sometimes, blog neglect just happens.

Anyway, luckily I am starting to feel a bit better mentally {although I am fighting off a nasty cold right now, so I don’t feel the best physically!}, and I’m feeling a bit more inspired to write about my foodie adventures these days.

All that to say, I feel that now is as good of a time as any to talk about homemade toasted raviolis, aka toasted ravs, aka t-ravs. {Sorry ’boutcha New Years diet. #yolo}

Back in June 2016, my [now former] roommate and I were nosing around in a used bookstore on South Grand Avenue in St. Louis. Our two year roommate-relationship [roomieship? I don’t know, haha] was coming to a close, and we were both trying to decide what our final Roommate Baking Endeavor {RBE} project should be. We’ve always had a lot of fun devising a baking/cooking project and then working on creating something together. So we knew that our final RBE as roommates had to be epic.

As we were pacing around in the basement of this bookstore, we both were hit with inspiration: It should be St. Louis-themed! Except neither one of us love gooey butter cake [gasp!], so we were then trying to come up with something else.

Then it hit me: homemade toasted raviolis!

cooperandwallravs — {Cooper couldn’t have picked a better day to wear his STL-themed t-shirt! Thanks for being my faithful hand model, yo.}

In case you weren’t aware, toasted raviolis are a total staple in St. Louis cuisine. And since we enjoyed two years in the city as roomies together, they couldn’t be more perfect for our final RBE. It was also the perfect opportunity for us to try out Dani’s KitchenAid mixer pasta rolling attachment. Homemade t-ravs are a bit of ahem… well, a labor of love. But if you have some spare time, and aren’t afraid of frying oil, then you should try these out. It was a fun afternoon project, although there was definitely a learning curve with making these bad boys.

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Homemade Toasted Raviolis.

Ingredients:
For the Ravioli Dough:
– 1 cup semolina flour
– 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
– Pinch kosher salt
– 2 large eggs
– 1 teaspoon olive or vegetable oil

For the Filling:
– 1 pound shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese
– 1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and drained of excess oil
– 1 tablespoon minced garlic
– 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
– Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Ravioli Assembly:
– 4 eggs, 1 lightly beaten for egg wash
– 1 cup heavy cream
– 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
– 1/8 cup grated Parmesan
– Canola oil, for frying

+ Instructions {I didn’t feel like reinventing the wheel with the instructions here. So please keep in mind that this is copied from the Food Network’s website. Just giving credit where it’s due!}:
1. For the dough: Sift the flours and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Whisk together the eggs, oil, and 2 tablespoons water in a separate bowl. Pour the flour mixture onto a clean dry work surface and form a small well in the center. Pour half of the egg mixture into the well and, using a fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Once absorbed, incorporate the remaining egg mixture and knead by hand until all of the liquid is absorbed, 5 to 6 minutes, flouring your work surface as needed to ensure the dough doesn’t stick. Roll the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. For the filling: Mix together all of the ingredients until fully incorporated in a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour.

3. To assemble: Divide the rested dough into 2 equal-size pieces and roll out on a floured work surface to a thickness of 1/8-inch. On 1 dough sheet, distribute tablespoon-sized portions of the filling, at least 2 inches apart. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Carefully lay the second sheet of dough on top and press the edges shut with your fingertips. Use a round 1 1/2-inch ravioli cutter to portion out ravioli pieces, pinching the edges shut to ensure no air is trapped inside.

4. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F.

5. Whisk the remaining 3 eggs and cream in a shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs and Parmesan into another shallow bowl and stir to combine. Dredge the ravioli in the egg mixture, followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Working in batches, carefully drop the ravioli into the saucepan and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, making sure that the oil comes back up to temperature in between batches. Place directly onto a cooling rack lined with aluminum foil to drain any excess oil.

6. Serve with warm tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

// Our RBE Notes:

+ There is a bit of a learning curve with rolling out the pasta dough. It’s kind of a pain, but be patient and keep at it. Pasta is relatively simple, but since we were new to making it, we weren’t sure what the consistency was supposed to be like.

+ I personally found the filling to be a bit bland. Next time I’d add some kosher salt or perhaps garlic salt.
+ Feel free to experiment with your fillings; all cheese would be tasty, and I’m betting that Italian sausage would be delicious!

+ Toasted raviolis taste the best on the day they’re made. But if you want to reheat leftovers, I’d advise reheating them in your oven on a lower temperature to avoid sogginess.

// Recipe Sources:
+ Ravioli dough, filling, and coating recipe from The Food Network.
+ Homemade marinara sauce recipe from The NY Times.

December 8, 2015

RBE // Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Doughnuts.

I’m very fortunate and grateful to be able to say that I had a good childhood. In fact, one of my fondest childhood memories involves doughnuts. [Then again, any memory that involves doughnuts should be classified as a good one!]

chocdonescover — {Yes, we made a “D” doughnut. D is for Dani, Darcie, and Doughnuts!}

When I was a kid, nearly every Sunday before or after church, my parents would take us to this little local doughnut shop called Royal Donut. And every time we went there, I always consumed three doughnuts in one sitting (RIP Darcie’s childhood metabolism). Out of the three doughnuts I snarfed down, one of them had to be a double chocolate fried cake doughnut. Yes, every time I visited this doughnut shop (which was frequently), a double chocolate was a requirement.

clearglazedchocdone — {Doughnut with clear glaze.}

These fried chocolate cake doughnuts are reminiscent of my childhood. My favorite recipes are those that tend to have some kind of sentimental value. Whether the recipe is one that I actually did grow up making, or if the recipe reminds me of something I ate as a kid, there’s just something extra special about these kinds of recipes.

My roommate, her boyfriend, and I whipped up these doughnuts as an “RBE” (roommate baking endeavor) one Sunday a few months back. While I didn’t like them quite as much as I enjoy the old-fashioned sour cream doughnuts, this chocolate version is still pretty fantastic. They’re rich and cakey, and they fry up beautifully. The glaze is probably what makes them, as it seals in the moisture. We made a clear glaze to dip the entire doughnut in, plus I had to make a slightly thicker chocolate glaze to go on top of some doughnuts. The end result reminded me of my childhood, and I think that’s my favorite part about these doughnuts. I wish I could still inhale three doughnuts and not gain ten pounds, but alas. It’s still super neat that you can fry up a relatively small batch of doughnuts in your own kitchen – and let it take you back to your childhood.

doneholetrio — {Cute little doughnut holes!}

chocdonesaerialview — {An aerial view of our dones.}

Isn’t it just beautiful how recipes and food can evoke so many pleasant memories? <3

doublechocsprinkles — {This is the doughnut that basically symbolizes my childhood: A fried chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate glaze + sprinkles.}

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Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake Doughnuts.

Yield: About fourteen doughnuts, plus doughnut holes.

Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
– 2 cups (226 grams) cake flour [We used a cake flour substitute.]
– 1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
– 1 1/2 tsp.baking powder
– 1 tsp. fine salt
– 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 3 TSBP. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 large egg yolks
– 1 cup (full fat) sour cream
– Canola oil, for frying
– Equipment needed: deep-fry thermometer
For the clear glaze:
– 3 1/2 cups (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
– 1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup hot water

For the chocolate glaze:
– 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
– 4 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa powder
– 3 TBSP. milk or water
– 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

Make the doughnuts:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until a sandy consistency is achieved. Add the egg yolks, and mix until light and thick.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl in three editions, alternating with the sour cream, and ending with the dry mix. The dough will be pretty sticky.
4. Once the cohesive dough has formed, remove the dough from the mixer bowl and form a disc of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap up the dough tightly, and chill for at least one hour, or until it’s a bit more firmed up.
5. When ready to make the doughnuts, roll out the chilled dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter (or two different sized biscuit cutters) to cut out as many doughnuts as possible. Dip the cutters into the flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. {Note: Don’t worry about imperfections; these things are not meant to look perfect.}
6. Pour two inches of canola (or vegetable) oil into a heavy-bottomed pot, and attach the thermometer to the pot. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F.
7. Fry the doughnuts a few at a time; be careful to not overcrowd the pot. You’ll need to fry each doughnut on each side for about two minutes. Allow the doughnuts drain on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.

Make the glazes:
1. For both of the glazes, the process is basically the same: Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Feel free to add a bit of corn syrup to the chocolate glaze for extra smoothness/shine.
2. As your doughnut are fried, immerse each doughnut into the glaze of choice.
3. Place the glazed doughnuts on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch any excess glaze. Allow them sit for 20 minutes until glaze is set.
4. Doughnuts are best served the day they are made, but may be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few days. Enjoy!

+ Old-fashioned chocolate doughnuts recipe from Handle the Heat.
+ Chocolate glaze recipe from Joy the Baker.

September 25, 2015

RBE // Homemade Mini Corn Dogs + French Fries!

I keep typing the word “homemade,” and it’s beginning to look really strange. Don’t you hate it/get weirded out when that happens? Sheesh.

Anyway. That’s right. The roomie and I made homemade (ugh, that word) miniature corn dogs and french fries! We like to try to cook something new every month or two together as a “roommate date.” It’s a lot of fun every time, and this time was no exception. It’s similar to our “RBEs,” – or Roommate Baking Endeavors – except I don’t typically document our dinners on this blog. Well, this time I just had to document it because of how awesome everything turned out.

I mean, homemade corn dogs! In miniature form? Who wouldn’t like that?! I might be biased, but they’re so adorable, aren’t they? Plus, anyone who doesn’t like fried potatoes is probably crazy and shouldn’t be trusted.

It’s important to note that making homemade corn dogs and french fries is surprisingly easy and simple. It is a bit labor-intensive and time-consuming. And your entire apartment/house will smell like a fast-food joint for a day or two. But all that aside, it’s a super fun Saturday afternoon project that you can easily accomplish with one or two other people. Below I’ve listed the recipes for both the corn dogs + the french fries, plus some tips/tricks from our experience. Make these soon; it’s really fun! Go all out and FRY ALL THE THINGS! {Then maybe have a salad or go on a juice cleanse afterwards…} 😉

handmodelcooper — {Thanks to Cooper for being a good sport with my food photography shenanigans. Also, you’re an excellent hand model. Add that to your resume.}

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Homemade Mini Corn Dogs + French Fries.

Yield: About 12-14 mini corn dogs, and fries are enough to serve 2-3 people. We had plenty of food for the three of us, plus a little extra for another friend.

// For the corn dogs:

Ingredients:
– 1 (12-oz.) package hotdogs
– 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
– 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
– 2 TBSP. granulated sugar
– 2 tsp. baking powder
– 1/8 teaspoon salt
– 1 large egg
– 1/2 cup whole milk [We used 2%, which is fine. I wouldn’t use less than that fat percentage, however.]
– Vegetable oil, for frying
– Special equipment needed: lollipop sticks [I found mine at Michael’s]; deep-fry thermometer

Instructions:
1. Cut each hotdog in half, and insert a lollipop stick into the cut end of each hotdog half. Pat with paper towels, and ensure that the hotdogs are completely dry.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the egg and milk in a liquid measuring cup, and whisk until combined.
4. Next, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and using a spoon or spatula, stir until combined.
5. Add about four inches of the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Attach the deep-fry thermometer to it, and then heat the oil over medium high heat. Heat until the thermometer reaches 360ºF. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels or paper bags and set aside.
6. Dip each hotdog into the batter until it’s coated, then lightly shake off the excess. Lower the corn dog into the hot oil, and fry until golden and crispy, about three minutes. Transfer it to the paper towel/paper bag-lined cookie sheet.
7. Repeat the breading and frying process with the remaining hotdogs. Serve immediately.

// Dani + Darcie’s Notes:
– Fry only one corn dog at first until you get an idea of what you’re doing, especially if you aren’t experienced with frying food in oil.
– Add two or three at a time to fry once you feel comfortable with it.
– You can just (carefully) toss the corn dogs into the oil; the lollipop sticks can be fried, so it’s fine if the entire thing is immersed.
– The corn dogs actually float in the oil pretty well, and they’re “self-correcting.” That is, they pretty much flipped themselves over, ensuring that all sides of the breading were browned evenly. That’s pretty neat!
– It’s easiest to dip the hotdogs into the batter when it’s poured into a tall glass. That is, until you get to the end of the batter… Then you might struggle with dipping the last few hotdogs and getting them coated evenly.

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// For the fries:

Ingredients:
– 3 large Russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled
– 1 quart vegetable or canola oil
– salt, pepper, and ketchup

Instructions:
1. Wash each potato and peel as much or as little skin off as you’d like. We went the “lazy peeling route,” meaning we peeled most of the skin off, but we were fine with some remaining.
2. Set each potato on the cutting board lengthwise, facing yourself. Slice off about 1/4 inch of the bottom off the potato, in order to create a stable surface. This will help you to continue slicing the potatoes.
3. Slice each potato (with the bottoms sliced off) into 1/4 inch planks. Stack two or three of the planks on top of each other, and then slice them into 1/4 inch “batons,” or strips of potato. Continue until all of the potatoes are sliced into fries.
4. Next, place the fries in a large bowl filled with cold water. This will wash off some of the starches, which prevents the fries from sticking together during frying.
5. Pour one quart of oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pan (or reuse the oil from your corn dogs if you’re doing this all at once like we did!). Heat until the oil reaches about 250º F. In the meantime, line two large baking sheets with several layers of paper towels or paper bags.
6. Once the oil has gotten to 250º, carefully drop small batches of the potatoes into the oil. Gently stir the fries so that they don’t stick together or to the bottom of the pan. Fry them until cooked through, for about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the fries from the oil and allow to cool on prepared sheets. Continue until all fries are cooked.
7. Allow the fries to cool to room temperature, then heat the same oil to 350º F. Add the once cooked fries to the oil again in small batches. Gently stir until golden brown, for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
*NOTE: Frying them twice is essential for crispy, typical fries. You fry them twice to cook the starches all the way through, which ensures that they won’t be soggy.

// Recipe Resources:

+ Homemade mini corn dogs recipe from Just a Taste.

+ Homemade French fries recipe from Joy the Baker.

September 7, 2015

RBE // Homemade Lucky Charms Cereal!

The roommate and I have officially lost our minds. This installment of “RBE” {Roommate Baking Endeavors} entails – as you have probably gathered – making homemade Lucky Charms. Oh yes.

I have been told by more than one person that I’m “crazy” for doing this. And you know what… Those people aren’t wrong. I’ll tell you one thing: I will NEVER make homemade Lucky Charms again. Ever. The amount of work involved was kind of insane. It took a lot of time, attention to detail, patience, frustration, and sore hands to accomplish. Making homemade Lucky Charms isn’t for the faint of heart. All that to say, I am glad that we did it. It’s a fun accomplishment, even though it’s kinda whack.

Now, this is going to be one of those posts where I’m not about to reinvent the wheel with detailed instructions and recipes on here. At the end of this post, I’ve listed all of the resources for recipes. Brave Tart, The Cupcake Project, and Kath Eats are all fine blogs who have already done the footwork for me here. Instead, I just wanted to share photos, some fun facts on the original Lucky Charms cereal, and some tips/tricks/warnings from the experience that Dani and I had. Just in case you’re actually whack enough to attempt this challenge on your own. 😉

PS: Shout out to Cooper for helping us with the marshmallows. You’re a champ. (Just no more shenanigans with my kitchen/living room decor, got it? :P)

fortunatetrinkets — {I thought it would be fun to put our marshmallows and cereal in these little peach bowls that were my Grandma’s. I think they’re ice cream bowls, but hey, they look nice holding homemade cereal, too. If Mamaw were here, she’d probably think I’m nuts for making homemade cereal. But “nuts” in the best way. :)}

spilledmilk — {No need to cry over spilled milk when you’ve accomplished making homemade Lucky Charms!}

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Homemade Lucky Charms [Aka Fortunate Trinkets].

+ Dani and Darcie’s Baking Notes [Tips/Tricks/Warnings]:
– Dani actually researched the marshmallow to cereal ratio (yes, she’s that dedicated to our RBEs). We determined that the best ratio is 3:1. Therefore, you’ll need about three pieces of oat cereal to each single marshmallow.
– Enlist a few brave people to help you cut out the marshmallows. All of your fingers/thumbs will be sore. {Or maybe find someone you don’t like so you can torture them? Juuust kidding. Maybe.}
– Don’t overcook the homemade corn syrup, or it will get crystallized real fast. It still worked out fine, but I was worried for awhile.
– Have your food coloring [preferably the good quality gel coloring] ready to go when you divide up your marshmallow “batter.” You’ll need to color everything very quickly to get the marshmallow paste to spread out before it gets more solid.
– Try to spread your layers of marshmallow as evenly as possible. It’ll make the cutting out process much easier later on.
– For the oat cereal: Maybe I did something wrong [entirely possible], but the dough was a pain in the arse to roll out. It’s maddening. You need just the right amount of moisture so that the dough will stick together, but not too much, or else it will get overly sticky.
– You can use a skewer to poke the holes in the oat cereal and shape them around the skewer. It’s a very tedious process, so only attempt this if you really like tedious processes. 🙂
– Think of a clever name for your cereal if you do attempt this. Dani came up with “Fortunate Trinkets,” which I think is entertaining. 🙂

+ Lucky Charms Fun Facts:
– These facts and more can be found here.
– Lucky Charms cereal first debuted in 1963. I didn’t realize it was that old!
– The marshmallows in Lucky Charms are actually called marbits. Interesting word.
– The only original “marbit” that is still in the modern version of Lucky Charms is the heart shape.
– Lucky Charms featured a mail-in order for a free, real tree in 1991. My only response to that is: Lolwut.
– I told Dani that the marshmallows reminded me of those nasty, sawdust-esque circus peanuts that all of the older folks loved buying at the hardware store I used to work at. Turns out I was spot-on with that assessment, because… “The cereal was created by product developer John Holahan. He developed the original prototype based on Cheerios cereal pieces and chopped up pieces of his favorite candy – Circus Peanuts,” according to the General Mills website.

+ Recipe Resources:
– Inspiration for this crazy endeavor is from The Cupcake Project.
– Crispy cereal marshmallow recipe and instructions from Brave Tart.
– Oat cereal recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.
– You can find the Ateco cutters for the marshmallows on Amazon. I found mine in Germany, but I’m pretty sure they’re the exact same as the Ateco cutters here.

April 2, 2015

Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts.

Oh man. These doughnuts. I just love them. I was fortunate enough to try them several months ago when my roommate made them for two other girls and myself. I think I exclaimed, “Holy crap, that’s GOOD!” when I first tried them. So I asked my roommate if we could make them together as a Roommate Baking Endeavor [RBE] sometime, and that’s what we did last weekend.

heartdonuts — {I found a heart-shaped doughnut (?) cutter that my aunt shipped me from an antique store in Colorado, so of course I knew I needed heart-shaped doughnuts!}

These doughnuts are just like what you’d get at a doughnut shop if you were to order an old-fashioned, fried cake doughnut. Except they’re better. They are also incredibly easy to make [Minus the frying part – that still scares me a bit, but my roomie is responsible for most of the frying duty, and she’s got it down pat.]… Plus it’s just plain cool to know that you can make doughnuts at home! I would not advise eating these on a regular basis, as they’re not remotely healthy. But hey, everything in moderation, amirite?

donutholes — {Doughnut holes on a scale!}

These are seriously an amazing treat! They are light, cakey, and the nutmeg flavor just adds a lovely oomph to them, if you know what I mean. The glaze is also what makes these; it seals in the moisture and they just melt in your mouth. If you’ve got some spare time on the weekend, just TREAT YOSELF. That’s all I’ve gotta say.

donecloseup — {Mmm. Those beautiful innards.}

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Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Doughnuts.

Yield: It really depends on how small/large you cut your doughnuts; it can vary.

Ingredients:
For the doughnuts:
– 2 1/4 cups (255 grams) cake flour [Note: You can also substitute all-purpose flour sifted with cornstarch; Google a substitution method for more details.]
– 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
– 1 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup granulated sugar
– 2 TBS. unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 2 large egg yolks
– 1/2 cup sour cream [full fat]
– Canola oil, for frying

For the glaze:
– 3 1/2 cup (350 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
– 1 1/2 tsp. corn syrup
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup hot water

Instructions:
For the doughnuts:
1. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until they form a sandy consistency. Add the egg yolks, and beat until the mixture is light but thick.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream. You should have about three additions total; be sure to end with the flour. The dough will be sticky; this is normal. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.
4. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a doughnut cutter [or two different sized biscuit cutters] to cut out all of your doughnuts. Dip your cutters in flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. You should get approximately twelve doughnuts and holes, but again, we found that this varies.
5. Pour two inches of canola oil into a pot with a thermometer attached. Heat the oil until it’s reached about 325 degrees F. You may need to monitor the temperature of the oil, depending on your stove. Just use caution, as the oil temperature can change very quickly.
6. Fry several of the doughnuts at a time, but be careful to not overcrowd the pot. Each doughnut should take about two minutes on each side to fry; be careful to not let them burn. Allow the cooked doughnuts to sit on a paper bag to soak up the excess grease.

For the glaze:
1. Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth glaze forms.
2. Immerse each doughnut into the glaze, and place them on a wire rack above a sheet pan to catch excess glaze. Allow the doughnuts to sit for about twenty minutes until the glaze is set. Note: Doughnuts are the best served the day they’re made, but these doughnuts keep well for several days in an air tight container at room temperature.

– Recipe from Handle the Heat.

January 14, 2015

Homemade Fortune Cookies.

We’ve officially had another successful RBE {Roommate Baking Endeavor (or perhaps we should call it a challenge?)* for the books!

This time, the roomie and I decided to make homemade fortune cookies. Yeah, it can actually be done. It was – once again – a very interesting experience.

Making homemade fortune cookies was fun, and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be. However, I have to admit that there is definitely a slight learning curve with making them. [But of course, I will add our notes and lessons learned below the recipe just for you. That way you can make homemade fortune cookies and learn from Dani’s and my amateur blunders.]

Anyway. I hunted around online for some decent fortunes, and I came across some interesting ones [you can Google “fortune cookie fortunes/sayings,” and you’ll find several “fortune cookie message generators” online]. I printed out fortunes and cut them to fit in our cookies. After all, a fortune cookie is not a fortune cookie without some cool fortunes in them, amirite?

This one is my personal favorite; I would like to dedicate it to my brother, as he has a bottomless pit when it comes to food [and of course, he’s like 6’5″ and has great metabolism…]:

Seems about right. 😀

And here are some of my other favorite fortunes and messages:

We even made “monster” sized fortune cookies! Check out how big this mama cookie is compared to her baby cookie. Haha.

Overall, I’d say it was a worthwhile experience. I’m not sure I will ever make them again, but it was cool to see how simple they are to make [minus the first-timer blunders]. If you have a spare hour or two on a weekend and you’re making orange chicken or something, make these for dessert! It was also pretty awesome to know that I can now fold those glorious cookies so that they look like what you get at Asian restaurants! Another RBE crossed off the bucket list. 😀

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Homemade Fortune Cookies

Yield: Sixteen fortune cookies.

Ingredients:
– 2 egg whites from extra large eggs [see notes on this below]
– ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
– ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
– ½ cup all-purpose flour
– ½ cup sugar

Fortunes/Optional Decorations:
– Handwritten or typed fortunes [not optional, IMHO!]
– 1 cup chocolate chips
– Sprinkles, for garnish

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together: egg whites, vanilla extract, cinnamon, flour, and sugar.

3. Scoop about one tablespoon of batter from the bowl, and place it onto the lined baking sheet. To smooth the batter, use the back of a spoon to flatten it into a very thin circle. The circle should be approximately ~3 inches in diameter.

4. Repeat step 3 a few more times until you have two or three circles of batter on the sheet. Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes. The edges of the cookie should just start to brown.

5. Once the cookies are done, place the fortunes in the center of the cookies. Using a flat spatula, carefully (so as not to tear the cookie) lift the cookie from the sheet.

6. To form the fortune cookie shape: fold the circle in half toward the top [over the fortune]. Then pinch the edges of the semi-circle inward to create the shape. [NOTE: I didn’t get photos of this part, but if you see the blog where I found this recipe (listed after the instructions), Kelly has better instructions/photos on the folding technique. I also have tips for folding them successfully below.] The cookies will harden quickly, so you must work fast to fold them into their signature shape.

7. If you want to dip some of them in chocolate (or all, I won’t judge), melt the chocolate chips in the microwave at 20-30 second intervals. Stir it to ensure that it’s properly melted, then dip the cooled cookies into the chocolate. Immediately decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

**Bonus: Darcie + Dani’s Lessons Learned:
– It’s best to bake and fold the cookies in batches. It probably seems tedious, but even with two people working on them at once, it’s just easier to work with a few at a time. They will harden quickly, thus ruining your chance to fold them nicely.

– We found that flipping the cookies over carefully ensured that their “pretty” side [the side against the cookie sheet that looks much smoother and shinier] would be on the outside once folding them.

– As Dani said, “If you’re not burning your fingers a bit, you’re not doing it right.” In order to work quickly and get that signature fortune cookie shape, you have to work fast, and you may burn your hands a bit. It’s nothing crazy or super painful, of course… Just a forewarning. 🙂

– You really do need “extra large” eggs. I didn’t even know this, because I always mindlessly buy “large” eggs at the store. Apparently, the amount of ounces per egg does vary [Don’t quote me on this, but there’s at least a ~0.5-1.0 oz. difference between egg sizes] significantly. So if you use large eggs – which you probably do – you will need more than two to have enough whites.

– Don’t put the fortune cookies in the fridge. I know this might seem goofy, but I packed a few cookies in my lunchbox for work the other day. I always put my lunchbox in the fridge to keep my more perishable food cold, obviously. Well, the fridge made the cookies extremely chewy… So I would advise against refrigerating them. 🙂

– Get creative with your fortunes! Make them funny. Make them inspiring. Whatever; it’s up to you. Just make them fun.

– Fortune cookie recipe from Kelly of Just a Taste.

*Our “Roommate Baking Endeavors [RBEs]” are a thing now. Just so ya know. 🙂