In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.  Add salt.  Gradually beat in sugar.  Blend in melted butter, flour, almond extract & water.  Let batter sit for 1 hr.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Write 16 fortunes on 1/2″ by 3″ strips of paper.  Fold each in 1/2 and put near work area.  Drop 2 tbsp. of batter on non-stick cookie sheet & spread with back of spoon to form a 5″ circle.  Repeat to make 3 or 4 cookies per sheet.  Bake for 7-9 min. until edges are pale browned.  Work quickly with metal spatula, CAREFULLY remove 1 cookie and place on flat surface.  Place fortune in center of cookie, bring edges of cookie together around fortune to fold cookie in 1/2 w/ out flattening it.

(makes 14-16)

(Aimee 1990)