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Fortune Cookie

May 23rd, 2010

Fortune Cookie Cupcake – soft, caramel cupcake iced with ganache and topped with white chocolate coated fortune cookie. Price available upon request.

what’s your fortune today?

I had been thinking about making this cupcake for so long but I could not find the right recipe. For this project, I figured caramel flavor goes with fortune cookies. I know I could be wrong but I like caramel so caramel it is. I tried lots of recipes but they did not yield the flavor I was looking for.

Just as I finished one test, I thought of just using a basic recipe that I had successfully adapted to create different cupcake flavors. I was glad that once again, that recipe did not fail me. The resulting cupcake was heavenly—soft and caramel-y.

Initially, I planned this to be a fortune cupcake, literally. Instead of the cookie, the fortune will be buried in the cupcake with one end tied to a ribbon to facilitate its pulling out. But I was wary of the ribbon as it is not food grade. Besides, I will be breaking my cupcake cardinal rule—everything on the cupcake I bake must be edible.

Caramel and chocolate is a tried and tested combination so a ganache icing is the best thing. The ganache is not overpowering and one can still taste the caramel flavor of the cupcake. I’m glad I was able to find fortune cookies to use as toppers—what’s a fortune cookie cupcake without real fortune cookies? To make them special, I dipped the cookies in white chocolate to create a protective albeit delicious shell.

I first dipped a cookie in dark chocolate but when this is put atop a cupcake, it “disappears” in the darkness of the ganache. The white chocolate coated ones look better and the vanilla notes of the chocolate complements the vanilla-almond flavor of the cookies.

These cupcakes are fun treats to serve at weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. Guests will love cracking open a cookie to find out what their “fortune” is. My fortune cookie supplier can also customize the messages to fit the occasion. Who knows, the lucky numbers at the back of the fortune might pave the way for a future lotto jackpot winner!

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un-made in China

Nowadays when you acquire a gadget, apparel or toy, chances are they are made in China. Astonishingly, the one item we believe to be of Chinese origin—the fortune cookie—did not have its roots in China and is in fact almost—gasp!— unknown in that country. It is said to be of Japanese origin which eventually found its way to the US. Check out this amusing video made by Jennifer 8. Lee as part of her research for her book “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles”.

Entry Filed under: All About Cupcakes,Children's Cupcakes,Chocolate,Cookies,Wedding Cupcakes,Whimsical