Free Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen by Scott Cunningham Page B

plain. Bake in preheated 375°F (190°C). oven for about 30 minutes. Yield: 2 loaves.
    Cookies
    Cookies are sweetened, distant relatives of the flat breads served by our Neolithic predecessors. Cookies have always been baked into specific shapes for ritual and magical purposes.
    Sugar Cookies
    Many of us have eaten cut-out sugar cookies at Yule. As mentioned in chapter 7 , bell-shaped cookies were once eaten for protection and to drive away evil. Cookies in the shapes of animals represent the sacrifices that were once offered to the goddesses and gods.
    If you make simple sugar cookies, cut them into specific shapes representing your magical goals. Such cookies make strong magical tools. Remember to visualize as you mix, cut, and slide them into the oven (see Symbols, page 341 , for more ideas).
    A wide variety of cookie cutters is available. Specialty cutters available at Yule and Halloween offer a wealth of possibilities. Crescents, stars, brooms, “Witches,” suns, and many other styles are available. Use your imagination (and, if all else fails, a sharp knife) to carve your magical symbols.
    Fortune Cookies
    Ah yes, those ancient Chinese divinatory devices! Actually, fortune cookies were probably invented to advertise a Chinese restaurant in California during the 1920s. Still, they bear a resemblance to an ancient Roman practice. This method, known as aleuromancy, consisted of writing messages on slips of paper that were enclosed in balls of flour paste. These were mixed together and randomly distributed in order to reveal their receiver’s fortunes.
    The modern version is more pleasing to the palate. Making your own gives you the opportunity to truly personalize the fortunes, and it’s a good way to spend a rainy afternoon. Try it—your fortune cookies will be the hit of your next party, dinner, or ritual gathering.
    Take a large piece of clean white paper. Cut into 48 strips of paper, each about 1 ⁄ 2 inch wide and 3 inches long.
    Sitting before them with a pencil, close your eyes and clear your mind. Contact your psychic awareness. Allow it to send messages to your conscious mind.
    Then start writing the fortunes. Write whatever pops into your head. Write neatly. If nothing comes to you, here are some samples that you can use to spark your imagination:
    â€”Those who wait, do not
    â€”Luck lies around the corner
    â€”Speak not to strangers
    â€”Wait until the wind rises
    â€”Happiness is found within
    â€”You will not want
    â€”Love is on the breeze
    â€”Rippling water answers you
    â€”The stars shine upon you
    â€”You are blessed
    â€”Wealth lies before you
    â€”Do it!
    Or, if you’re as bad at writing fortunes as I seem to be, draw one magical symbol on to each slip of paper.
    Now, to making the cookies. The “secret” here is to use soft, clean cotton gloves. These are indispensable (unless you’re really into pain) for the process of folding the cookies. Cardboard ( not plastic ) egg cartons are also essential. Here’s how to do it:
    Fortune Cookies
    1 ⁄ 2 cup melted butter
    3 egg whites
    3 ⁄ 4 cup sugar
    1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon salt
    1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 cup flour
    1 teaspoon instant tea
    2 tablespoons water
    The fortunes
    Burn a light blue candle in the kitchen as you work. Mix together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir in vanilla, flour, tea, water, and melted butter individually. When well mixed, chill for at least thirty minutes. Heat oven to 350°F (177°C).
    Drop a rounded teaspoon of the chilled dough onto a greased baking sheet. Using the back of the spoon, spread the batter until it makes a thin, 3-inch circle. Repeat to form a second circle—but form no more than two at a time. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until the edges turn brown. Just before they’re done, put on the cotton gloves. Remove the pan from the oven. Using a spatula, lift one cookie from the sheet. Place on a clean, unfloured