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Homemade Fortune Cookies are sure to bring good luck. They’re the perfect way to celebrate the Chinese New Year or eat as a treat with your Asian dinner!
We love to end our meal with a fortune cookie, and having your own fresh cookies with thought-out fortunes is even more fun! Baked Cream Cheese Rangoons, Fried Egg Rolls, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps make great accompanying appetizers.
New Year Traditions
Our family loves Asian food, but sometimes eating out isn’t always practical, especially when you have a family of 8!!
That’s why I’ve created lots of homemade versions of our favorite Asian dishes, like Orange Chicken, Broccoli Beef, and Fried Rice.
This year, to celebrate the Chinese New Year, we made some of our favorite homemade Chinese food, learned about Chinese New Year, and we even made our own fortune cookies!
My family agrees, these are a fun and flavorful way to enjoy Asian food at home. I suggest giving these a try—I think you’re going to like them 🙂
How to make fortune cookies
PREP. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 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 the egg whites and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and water, and mix until incorporated. Stir in the 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 tablespoon, spread and smooth batter into a 3-inch circle (the 3 inch diameter is the perfect size). Only do two per batch.
BAKE. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are brown. Remove them from the oven and quickly flip over. Fold the cookie in half, into a semicircle. Slip the note into the cookie. Place the semicircle onto the edge of a cup and quickly fold the ends down (see pictures below).
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.
Tips for shaping fortune cookies
Getting that perfect fortune cookie shape may seem to be a little tricky and could take a couple of tries before you get it down. But don’t let that intimidate you, it is actually really easy! To help with a smooth process, here are some tips to consider.
- Spreading them evenly will take some practice but essentially when spreading the batter on the parchment paper you want it to look evenly spread with an equal color throughout.
- Only bake 2 cookies at a time. This will give you enough time to get both of them done without the cookies sitting too long to shape. Once you feel comfortable with 2 you can always try for 3.
- Be sure to have all your tools and supplies within reaching distance before you get started. You will need a spatula for flipping the cookies, your fortunes to put inside of them, a cup/glass for shaping and a muffin tray to place them in for cooling.
- Keep a close eye on them while they are baking. It only takes about 7-8 minutes or until edges are brown. If they over bake they will break when shaping them.
Variations + Recipe Tips
Additional add-ins:
- Add a few drops of food coloring to the batter to make them the color you want.
- To customize your homemade fortune cookies, you can dip the ends in melted chocolate or drizzle some on top! Maybe pour on some sprinkles before the chocolate dries all the way.
This recipe will take some trial and error to get the perfect baking time for your personal oven. Don’t worry about not baking them long enough because they will be sitting out and should harden up some. Avoid overbaking them because then they will be too hard to shape correctly.
Separate eggs by cracking them in your hands, using the suction of the water bottle, or a pre-made egg separator kitchen tool.
FAQ
How to store fortune cookies? Store the homemade fortune cookies in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container for up to 3 months. They can last longer but heat and humidity may cause the shelf life to shorten. So store them in a cool, dry place.
Can you freeze? I have never tried FREEZING homemade fortune cookies but since they do last a long time if stored correctly on the shelf, I don’t think freezing them is necessary. Also, because they can go bad from humidity I would think that they would get soggy when they thaw out.
If you want to store them for a long time, your best option is to store them airtight in a cool, dry place.
These homemade Fortune Cookies taste like they came straight from your favorite Chinese restaurant, and we know you’ll love them!
More Delicious Asian Dishes to try:
Homemade 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!!