We love to end our meal with a fortune cookie, and having fresh homemade fortune cookies with thought-out fortunes is even more fun!
Every year, to celebrate the Chinese New Year, we make some of our favorite homemade Chinese food, learn about Chinese New Year, and make our cookies. It’s one of our kids’ favorite traditions!
The best part is this fortune cookie recipe is SO easy to make! The batter is super simple and they bake up in only 15 minutes. You’ll be reading your fortune in no time!
We think you’ll agree this treat is the best ending to your Asian meal!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- A less expensive option. Our family loves Asian food, but sometimes eating out isn’t always practical, especially when you have a family of 8!!
- A perfect ending! These are a fun and flavorful way to enjoy Asian food at home.
- Ready in 15 minutes! The batter is simple and these are ready to enjoy in no time!
Fortune Cookie Ingredients
- Egg whites, room temperature (3) – The egg whites whip into stable foam for light, crisp cookies; room temperature egg whites aerate more easily. See How to Separate Egg Whites.
- Granulated sugar (¾ cup) – The sugar sweetens and helps the whites whip to glossy stiff peaks for structure.
- Salted or unsalted butter, melted (½ cup) – The butter adds richness and the classic delicate snap as the cookies cool.
- Vanilla extract (¼ teaspoon) – This rounds out the warm sweetness of the cookies.
- Almond extract (½ teaspoon) – This extract gives the signature toasty and nutty fortune cookie flavor. Use lemon extract, raspberry extract, or orange extract for a fun twist.
- Water (¼ cup) – Water thins the batter to a pourable consistency so it spreads into thin rounds.
- All purpose flour (1 cup) – The flour provides the tender, crisp structure once baked. See How to Measure Flour.
- Cornstarch (1 teaspoon) – Cornstarch promotes extra crispness and a delicate bite.
- Slips of fortune papers – Tuck a slip of paper inside each cookie for the classic surprise.
- Optional, melted chocolate and sprinkles – Dip half the cookie for a pretty finish and added sweetness; sprinkles add color and crunch.
How to Make Fortune Cookies
PREP. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat; have fortune strips ready.
BATTER. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat egg whites and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes.
- Add melted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and water, and mix until incorporated. Stir in flour and cornstarch, and mix just until combined.
SPREAD. Using a tablespoon, spoon the batter onto the prepared baking sheet or silpat-lined baking sheet. Using a spatula or the back of a tablespoon, spread and smooth the batter into a 3-inch circle with an even thickness throughout. Leave room between each circle for spreading, and only make two per batch. (If you have people to help fold, then you can make more per batch.)
BAKE. Bake for 7-8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and, working quickly, turn the cookie over (to avoid the fortune from sticking).
- Place a fortune in the center and gently fold the cookie in half to resemble a semi-circle. Place the semicircle onto the edge of a cup and quickly fold the ends down to form a horseshoe shape.
COOL & REPEAT. Place the cookie in a muffin tin to let it cool and hold its shape. Repeat the process with the rest of the cookies.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Do not overbake; otherwise, they will be too crisp to fold. Some ovens may bake more quickly, so adjust accordingly.
- If by chance the cookies have browned edges, but are not quite done in the middle, then form the fortune shape, place them in the muffin tin, and place them in the oven to finish baking.
- Unless you have a helper, only bake 2-3 cookies at a time so that you are able to shape them before they cool.
- Have all the needed supplies ready to go as the final steps need to be done swiftly.
How to Make Fortune Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup salted or unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat; have fortune strips ready.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the melted butter, vanilla, almond extract, and water. Mix until incorporated. Add the flour and cornstarch and mix until just combined.
- Using a tablespoon, spoon the batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Using a spatula or the back of a tablespoon, spread the batter into a 3-inch circle. Only do two at a time!
- Bake for 7-8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and, working quickly, flip the cookie over, place a fortune in the center, and gently fold the cookie in half to resemble a semi-circle. Place the semicircle onto the edge of a cup and gently press the ends down to form a horseshoe shape.
- Place the cookie in a muffin tin to let it cool and hold its shape.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
Notes
- Do not overbake; otherwise, they will be too crisp to fold. Some ovens may bake more quickly, so adjust accordingly.
- If by chance the cookies have browned edges, but are not quite done in the middle, then form the fortune shape, place them in the muffin tin, and place them in the oven to finish baking.
- Unless you have a helper, only bake 2-3 cookies at a time so that you are able to shape them before they cool.
- Have all the needed supplies ready to go as the final steps need to be done swiftly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Sometimes the slips of paper can stick to the fortune cookie if it isn’t baked well enough. Since the “bottom: of the cookie tends to bake a little more done than the top, that is the side we fold around the paper to keep it from sticking.
Store the homemade fortune cookies in an airtight container or bag for 5-7 days, or freeze for 6-8 weeks. Open the container to thaw so any moisture can evaporate. Crisp up in a 200°F oven.
Complete The Meal
Main Dishess
Chinese Lemon Chicken
25 mins
Moo Goo Gai Pan
50 mins
Beef Lo Mein
17 mins
Beef and Broccoli Recipe
30 mins
Appetizers
Egg Roll Recipe
20 mins
Cream Cheese Wontons
15 mins
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Recipe
20 mins
Baked Cream Cheese Rangoon
17 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published February 2016.
Measurements are wildly off especially if you do 3xs. You wind up with 72 cookies. I scrapped them and chose a different recipe. What a waste of ingredients.
Love this recipe!
These were very easy to make. Took longer to bake them all but quite tasty. Tastes similar to a pizzelle. I found that 350 degrees F. worked better for my oven. Made them crispier. Some of them were still soft in the center so I did place the cookies back into the oven for a few and they crisped right up! This was my first time making these and I will save this recipe!
It’s definitely trial and error figuring out how thin to spread the batter and then folding them without them collapsing on itself, but once you get the hang of it, you celebrate with each perfect cookie you make. The taste is absolutely delicious! Definitely my go to recipe for fortune cookies!
Never made before so I used a couple modifications and by the third batch (5th & 6th cookies) I was on a roll …. First, I used a regular pencil and drew a perfect 3″ circle on backside of paper so I could see it thru and shape Mt batter pretty dang close to perfect. 2nd I used a 1 TB ice cream scoop with the squeeze handle to empty batter and that was sooo much easier and consistent for sizing. For the recipe, I wanted a little variety, so I began exactly as printed and after a dozen cookies, I added 1/4 tsp of raspberry extract to batter. Then after another dozen cookies I added 1/4 tsp of lemon extract to the raspberry almond batter. All three mixtures were super yummy with just enough difference to appreciate! Lastly, I have a small, toaster oven size Black & Decker oven that has a convection feature and that made all the difference in the world! I reduced the temp to 350 and used the convection fan and every batch took exactly 9 1/2 minutes to be totally perfect! Will make these many times from now on!!
I always complain the fortune cookies are usually just neat quotes and not a fortune. Now I can make my own fun fortunes. My kids will love these for valentines.
Am I the only one that doesn’t see any d*** (pictures below). Surely theres a better way to explain / execute the shaping process than direction #4.
Lol 😆 🤣
I really want to try making these at home. Thanks for the recipe.
Where do you get the fortune strips?? Or you you make up your own?
We just make our own. There are free printables and ideas if you search on the internet too!
A great time to try making my own fortune cookies. My husband loves these cookies.
These are really fun to make! Thanks so much! I’ll make it again soon!
These are so fun to make when we do chinese night! Tastes great too!
I think these will be perfect for a celebration of any kind. All the tips included are very helpful. Thanks
I’ve always wanted to make my own fortune cookies & your recipe made it so easy!!