• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Cooking Basics
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Snacks
    • Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
    • Food Holidays
  • US Travel
    • One Day in...
    • Pacific
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
    • Hikes Near & Far
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cozy Living
  • Road Trips
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cozy Living
    • Road Trips
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sweets

    Homemade Fortune Cookies (+Printable Fortunes & Takeout Box)

    February 12, 2015 • Updated: January 31, 2022 • by Renée • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Homemade Fortune Cookies {with FREE Take-out Box Pattern & Valentines Day Fortune Printables} | The Good Hearted Woman

    Easy, step-by-step directions for how to make homemade fortune cookies from scratch. Perfect for Valentine's Day, or any time you want to give someone a little something special.

    Fresh fortune cookies in a maroon and pink Chinese takeout box.
    Jump to:
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Prepare the Fortunes
    • How to Make the Fortune Cookies
    • How to Make a Take-out Box
    • Expert Tips & FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • Homemade Fortune Cookie Recipe

    No matter how old you are, the moment when you crack open a fortune cookie still holds a little magic, and personalized fortune cookies are a great way to say I Love You! Surprise someone special on Valentine's Day, or St. Patrick's Day, or any day you want to celebrate.

    What Goes into this Recipe

    Fortune Cookies are made with a simple list of common ingredients.

    • Butter: If you use salted butter, you can leave out the added salt in the recipe.
    • Egg whites
    • Sugar
    • Heavy Cream
    • Flavorings & Seasonings: almond extract, vanilla & salt

    This post also includes everything you need to create custom fortune cookies, including printable fortunes and an adorable, easy-to-make Takeout Box!

    • Fortune Cookie recipe & step-by-step instructions
    • Printable Valentine's Day fortunes
    • Chinese Takeout box DIY (aka Oyster Pail)

    How to Prepare the Fortunes

    Personalized fortune cookies are perfect for kids, friends, family, teachers, and anyone else you want to surprise! 

    It is vital that you prepare the fortunes before you bake the cookies. You will not have time to do it when they come out of the oven!

    Four cut out fortunes for fortune cookies laying on a wooden table.

    Below are plenty of printable fortunes for your sweetheart, plus a page full of blanks for you to personalize! 

    TIP: Look to your favorite songs for fast fortune-writing. 

    How to Make the Fortune Cookies

    Following the fortune cookie recipe below, it will take about 40 minutes to make 24 cookies. (Add about 15 minutes plus cooling time if you want to dip them in chocolate.) 

    IMPORTANT: No matter how crafty you are, plan on a few broken cookies. They are going to happen – accept it. It’s OK though – just dip them in chocolate and enjoy.

    Before you make the first cookie:

    Preheat oven to 375°F [190°C].

    Gather your materials: you will need a cookie sheet, a silpat mat or parchment paper, a cutting board, a coffee mug, and a muffin tin.

    Mix the batter

    In a blender or mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Beat for one minute, and then add flour and salt and beat another 30 seconds. (I do this all in my blender.)

    Add melted butter, heavy cream, and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until mixed.

    Bake the Cookies

    Be sure to have everything ready before you put the first cookie in the oven. (I know I already said this. I’m saying it again.)

    Spoon 1 tablespoon of dough onto silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. (I use a Silpat sheet.)

    Spread batter with the back of a spoon into a thin 4-5 inch circle. 

    Start by making 2 circles at a time. (I don’t ever do more than 3 at a time.) DO NOT try to make more than 3 or 4 cookies at a time, no matter how awesome you are. It won’t work. Really.

    Bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven.

    Collage: Fortune cookie batter in blender; spread in circles on Silpat mat; and baked.

    These cookies are HOT when the come out of the oven. (Can a get a “Duh”?) You can wear non-cotton gloves if you want, but I find that very cumbersome. Instead, I use my fingernail to peel the cookie off the Silpat sheet, and then handle them gingerly with the tips of my fingers. Either way, you have been warned.

    Fill & Form the Cookies

    Immediately take one cookie and place it on a wooden cutting board. Keep bottom (the side that was "down" while cooking) down.

    Place a fortune in the middle of the cookie and fold in half.

    Place the middle of the flat side over the edge of a coffee mug.

    Pull the corners down to shape.

    A warm fortune cookie being formed on the rim of a flowered coffee cup.

    If your cookies cool too fast, 15-30 seconds back in the oven will soften them… a little.

    Immediately place the formed cookie into a muffin cup and allow it to cool completely.

    Fortune cookies cooling to shape in muffin tin.

    OPTIONAL: Dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate and decorate with festive sprinkles!

    Wait until the cookies are completely cool before attempting to dip them in chocolate. This just makes sense, but some people try to rush the process. Don’t be one of them.

    How to Make a Take-out Box

    NOTE: One takeout box will take the seasoned crafter about 5 minutes (and those with four thumbs about 15 minutes). 

    Print out the Chinese Takeout Box pattern. Be sure to hit “fit for page” before you print.

    Chinese Takeout Box Template

    Trace the pattern onto the back of a piece of heavy scrapbooking paper or cardstock. 

    Use scissors to cut along the SOLID BLACK lines.

    Take-out box cutting outline.

    Valley fold along the DOTTED BLUE lines. - In a valley fold, the crease is at the bottom and the paper is folded forward into itself. The paper should form a "V" when you unfold.

    Illustration of Valley Fold - Takeout Box.

    Mountain fold along the SOLID ORANGE lines. A mountain fold is the opposite of a valley fold. The paper folds to the opposite side.

    Illustration of Mountain Fold - Takeout Box

    Expert Tips & FAQs

    Color Code your cookies!

    Chocolate and sprinkles aren't just for fun! You can use them to avoid fortune-awkwardness (like giving your daughter a fortune that says "You are my Knight in Shining Armor").

    Use different sprinkle combinations for your Sweetheart, kids, friends, etc. (If you choose to leave them plain, you're on your own.)

    Make the fortunes before you start the cookies.

    This bears repeating: It is vital that you prepare the fortunes before you bake the cookies. You will not have time to do it when they come out of the oven.

    Fortune cookies and takeout boxes with pink, white, and purple sprinkles.
    Where did fortune cookies originate?


    Fortune cookies as we know them originated in somewhere California, most likely introduced by Japanese immigrants to the United States in the late 19th or early 20th century.

    (For more about the background of these unique treats, check out The History of Fortune Cookies.)

    Related Recipes

    • Cranberry Meyer Lemon Shortbread Hearts
    • Best Classic Shepherd's Pie
    • Pan-Seared Sturgeon with Chanterelles & Baby Yukons
    • Classic Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies

    For more recipes and cozy living tips, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for all of the latest updates.

    Fresh fortune cookies in Chinese takeout box.
    5 from 1 vote

    Homemade Fortune Cookie Recipe

    Easy, step-by-step directions for how to make homemade fortune cookies from scratch. Perfect for Valentines Day, or any time you want to give someone a little something special. 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course: Sweets
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time:35 minutes
    Cook Time:5 minutes
    Total Time:40 minutes
    Servings: 24 Cookies
    Calories: 74kcal
    Author: Renee

    Equipment

    • 1 Cookie Sheet
    • 1 Silpat Mat or parchment paper
    • 1 Standard Muffin Tin

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 5 tablespoons butter melted
    • 4 large egg whites
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 1 cup all-purpose
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
    • 1 teaspoon almond extract
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    Optional:
    • Dipping Chocolate
    • Sprinkles

    Instructions

    Before you make the first cookie:

    • Be sure to prepare the fortunes before you bake the cookies. You will not have time to do it when they come out of the oven!
    • Gather your tools: you will need a cookie sheet, a Silpat mat or parchment paper, a coffee mug, and a muffin tin.
    • Print out and cut fortunes.
      Be sure to do this before you bake the cookies. You will not have time to do it when they come out of the oven!

    Mixing the batter:

    • In a blender or mixer, combine egg whites and sugar.
      Beat for about a minute, and then add flour and salt and beat another 30 seconds. (I do this all in my blender.)
    • Add melted butter, heavy cream, and vanilla and almond extracts and beat until mixed.

    Making the cookies:

    • Spoon 1 tablespoon of dough onto silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. (I use a Silpat sheet.)
      Spread batter with the back of a spoon into a thin 4-5 inch circle.
      Start by making 2 circles at a time. (I don’t ever do more than 3 at a time.)
    • Bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
    • Remove from the oven.
      Immediately take one cookie and place it on a wooden cutting board.
      Keep bottom (the side that was "down" while cooking) down.
    • Place a fortune in the middle of the cookie and fold in half.
      Place the middle of the flat side over the edge of a coffee mug.
      Pull the corners down to shape.
    • Immediately place the formed cookie into a muffin cup and allow it to cool completely.
    • Repeat process until all the batter has been used.

    Notes

    • No matter how crafty you are, plan on a few broken cookies.  They are going to happen – accept it.  It’s OK though – just dip them in chocolate and enjoy.
    • Be sure to have everything ready before you put the first cookie in the oven. I know I already said this. I’m saying it again.
    • Cookies are HOT when the come out of the oven. (Can a get a “Duh”?) You can wear non-cotton gloves if you want, but I find that very cumbersome. Instead, I use my fingernail to peel the cookie off the Silpat sheet, and then handle them gingerly with the tips of my fingers.  Either way, you have been warned.
    • DO NOT try to make more than 3 or 4 cookies at a time, no matter how awesome you are. It won’t work. Really.
    • If your cookies cool too fast, 15-30 seconds back in the oven will soften them… a little.
    • Wait until the cookies are completely cool before attempting to dip them. This just makes sense, but some people try to rush the process. Don’t be one of them.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!
    « Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs (Skinnytaste Cookbook Review)
    Hood River BnB (Hood River, Oregon) »
    806 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard

    About Renée

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shayla says

      January 31, 2020 at 7:31 pm

      This is such a special idea for Valentines Day, I would love to do this! I love the note idea's you've put here. They are truly sweet!

      Reply
    2. Marta says

      January 31, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      I love that you've also included the takeout box! This is so adorable!

      Reply
    3. Chelsea says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Love this! I like to make my own homemade Chinese food once a month and we always miss the fortune cookies!

      Reply
    4. Amber Myers says

      January 31, 2020 at 9:50 am

      5 stars
      What a great idea! I just love fortune cookies. I've never tried to make them on my own.

      Reply
    5. Heather says

      January 31, 2020 at 9:18 am

      This is such a fun idea! I would love to try this with my girls!

      Reply
    6. jenni says

      February 17, 2015 at 8:28 am

      When I was younger I made fortune cookies for all of my friends for Valentine's Day. I haven't been able to find the recipe since then! So glad you shared this one. They were a hit then and I think they'd be even more of a hit now!

      Reply
    7. Kristina says

      February 12, 2015 at 2:26 pm

      such a fun project - I want to make some!

      Reply
    8. Marlynn [UrbanBlissLife] says

      February 12, 2015 at 12:27 pm

      Adorable! Yours look SO much better than the last batch of homemade fortune cookies I made, Renee. I made them for teacher's gifts, and I think out of 20, I had just enough for the teachers 😉 I'll have to try your recipe!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        February 12, 2015 at 4:00 pm

        I really like this recipe, Marlynn. I did some tweaking to the one I had, and I think it results in a much more successful cookie-making experience. I only lost one cookie to breakage when I made this batch, and that was due to taking time for pictures. I attribute it to the lower baking temp (most recipes call for 400°) and less sugar, but it could just be that the planets aligned for me. Either way, I'm calling it a total win.

        Reply
    9. Melinda says

      February 12, 2015 at 12:18 pm

      These are adorable! My kids love fortune cookies, so we'll definitely be making these

      Reply
    10. Holly says

      February 12, 2015 at 11:29 am

      This is a very cute idea. Mine would probably all end up broken haha. I would love to make these, put a weird fortune inside and then give them to my friends when we order take out so they get creeped out thinking it was a random fortune.

      Reply
    11. kelsey says

      February 12, 2015 at 11:07 am

      oh my goodness! these look delish and fun to make!
      http://www.ladiesinnavy.com

      Reply
    12. Caitlin says

      February 12, 2015 at 8:26 am

      Too cute!! I love this and you make it look so much easier than I would have thought. Maybe I'll have to make these as a Valentine's treat for some of my friends 🙂

      Reply
    13. Allie says

      February 12, 2015 at 7:41 am

      Cute idea!

      Reply
    14. Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says

      February 12, 2015 at 7:27 am

      These are adorable! I loveeee fortune cookies. I think I enjoy eating them more than getting the fortune. Maybe it's because my fortunes are always duds, I don't know. The addition of chocolate and sprinkles are perfect!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting. (i.e., Me & Mr B)

    Join me & Mr B for the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

    More about us →

    Follow Us

    BBq & Potluck Favorites

    • Honey Citrus Pasta Salad with Turkey
    • Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzadiki Sauce
    • Sweet & Spicy Grilled Buffalo Wings
    • Potluck-Worthy Big Cuban Salad

    Fresh Spring Flavors

    • Caribbean Mango Salad
    • Ginger Chili Deviled Eggs
    • Easy Rice Pilaf with Asparagus & Cashews
    • California Quinoa Salad with Piña Colada Dressing

    Soup & Salad

    • Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (Applebee's Copycat Recipe)
    • Classic French Onion Soup
    • Smoked Salmon Chowder (with Leeks & Fresh Tarragon)
    • Armenian-style Eggplant & Carrot Salad

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    806 shares
    806 shares