Happy Chinese New Year, (or Lunar New Year). We are very excited to celebrate the Year of the Dog. It has been 12 years since the last Year of the Dog so this is the first for Red and second for Wallis.
We researched a lot of interesting facts about the Year of the Dog. For example, in the Chinese zodiac, the dog is symbolic of loyalty, patience, and reliability (but we know that!). Have a look here for some more doggie facts.
Why not celebrate this special year and make fortune cookies for your pooch, doggie friends and their owners!
We have included a fortune cookie recipe and instructions (see below). The best part of making your own fortune cookies is making up doggie fortune messages. Here are a few ideas we came up with:
• A thousand walks
• Dreams of big juicy bones
• Every dog has it’s year! Happy 2018 Year of the Dog.
• Puppy new year
• Woof! Woof!
• Let sleeping dogs lie
• Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole
• Hours of sniffing and licking
• Shady area make good place to sit
We also loved giving the fortune cookies in cute packages using paper treat bags and Chinese red envelopes. We hope you have fun making and giving these Chinese New Year treats.
We wish you good luck, prosperity and much happiness.
x0x0 Wallis and Red
These fortune cookies can be eaten by dogs but remember they are TREATS – not a meal or permanent diet addition for dogs. Use in moderation and like all pet treats, gradually expose pets to new food items. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult your veterinarian.
We based our fortune cookies on a simple recipe adapted from Paula Deen, but we reduced the sugar and we used olive oil.
Ingredients
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour (sifted)
1/4 cup superfine sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
3 teaspoons water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until frothy (but not stiff).
3. Add sifted flour, sugar and vanilla and mix.
4. Stir in 3 teaspoons of water to make a thin batter
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter onto a Silpat* (or a tray lined with baking paper) and spread with the back of the spoon into a very thin 3-4 inch circle. Make 2 cookies per tray. It is important you only make 2 cookies per tray because you will need to work quickly with them once they are removed from the oven.
6. Bake cookies for 4-6 minutes, keeping an eye on them.
7. Once cookies are baked, you will need to fold and shape the cookie while they are hot and before they harden. Firstly, flip the cookie over then placed the paper message inside. Then fold the cookie to create a half circle. To form the fortune cookie shape, gently pull the edges downwards over the rim of a cup or small bowl.*
*You may want to use thin gloves when handling the cookies as they are darn hot!
8. Place the finished cookie in the holes of a muffin tray. This will help to keep their shape while the cookie cool down.
Enjoy!
PS: These cookies were actually a little more tricky than we anticipated. You definitely need patience! Also this video will help when you can see how the cookies are made.