Next Year's Fortune Cookies    "Good fortune comes to those who write the fortunes," read the tiny slip of paper.
   At year's end, the time is ripe for making fortune cookies. Here's your chance to predict the future, reveal a secret, or hint at something really juicy.
   Just for the fun of it, instead of the traditional fortune cookie shape, these delicate, orange-scented cookies are rolled, cigarette-style. So, after you've written your prophetic message, just roll it up and tuck it into the cookie's hollow center. For best results, use a reusable nonstick baking sheet liner, such as a Silpat. It completely prevents these cookies from sticking.
  MAKES 12 TO 16 COOKIES
Buckingham Palace Shortbread  
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon grated orange zest (about ½ medium orange)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with a reusable nonstick sheet liner or parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until well blended. Add the oil, egg whites, liqueur, vanilla, and orange zest. Beat at high speed until smooth.

3. Start with just 2 cookies at a time, dropping the batter by level tablespoons about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, spread each portion into a 4-inch-diameter cookie. Bake until the edges start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Using a wide, thin, flexible spatula, lift each cookie off the baking sheet. (If it begins to bunch or tear, let it cool for another 15 to 20 seconds. Or if it cools too much on the pan, return the pan to the oven to resoften for about 1 minute.) Using your fingers, roll the hot cookie into a cylinder. Have a bowl of ice water close by to keep your fingertips cool. Place seamside down on a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter. Before serving, slip a fortune into the hollow center of each cookie.

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