DIY Paper Fortune Cookies January 21, 2024 – Posted in: Party – Tags: Crafting, DIY, Fortune Cookies, New Year's, Party, Party Games
How to Make Paper Fortune Cookies for New Year’s
Fortune cookies are a fun tradition, especially as a party game for New Year’s! Most people are familiar with the small fortune cookies from Chinese restaurants. However, the tradition actually originated from Japanese immigrants who brought them to USA. In Japan, these small cookies were not paper slips but rather small unsweetened cakes eaten with tea.
When the Chinese adopted the tradition and started serving fortune cookies in American restaurants, they added a little fortune. The fortune cookies we associate with the concept today contain a small piece of paper with a prediction or words of wisdom.
A Fun New Year’s Tradition
The fortune can also be a New Year’s resolution, making fortune cookies particularly popular as a party game for New Year’s. Whether you choose traditional fortune cookies or the paper ones, as described below, they will surely bring laughter to the table!
Place a fortune cookie at each place setting or let guests draw a fortune cookie from a bowl. Take turns reading the wise words from your fortune cookies. Now, everyone can start the new year with a funny or thought-provoking prediction.
Making Your Own Paper Fortune Cookies
If, like me, you’ve tried making real homemade fortune cookies, you know it’s quite challenging to fold them while they’re still hot. There were quite a few swear words here before I gave up. That’s why I’ve created various paper fortune cookies. They are relatively easy to fold once you’ve learned the technique, and it doesn’t matter if you’re not super fast.
If you were looking for a recipe for edible fortune cookies, you’ll need to search the internet. Here, we’re focusing on printable fortune cookies!
How to Fold the Fun Fortune Cookies
To print a template for the fortune cookies, you’ll need a printer with a color cartridge and printer paper. Of course, you’ll also need the templates themselves! You can find them here: Fortune Cookies from Lou Noire
Once you’ve printed a template, you’re ready to start folding a fortune cookie. For this, you’ll need:
- A small pair of scissors
- A glue gun – available
- Optional double-sided tape
Now, let’s make fortune cookies!
How to Make a Fortune Cookie
Start by cutting out a circle. Fold it loosely in half – but without making a center fold! Instead, use your thumb and make a fold in the middle of the template, as wide as your thumb.
The marked area has now been highlighted with a line along the fold for convenience. Now the circle needs to be folded in the other direction.
Again, do not make a center fold. Close the circle so that your fold now goes across, shown here with the red line:
Now gently push with your thumb on the fold (marked here with the red line), causing the fortune cookie to fold inward.
Open the circle again and place a note inside.
Fold one side of the circle about 1/3 inward and do the same on the other side, creating a kind of “pancake.”
Fold the “pancake” around the fold (marked with the red line here). The first time you try to do this, it’s easiest if you stick a pointer finger into each end of the “pancake” and bend them upward and toward each other.
Heat up the glue gun and put a dab of glue on the inside of the semicircle. You can also use a piece of double-sided tape.
Now your fortune cookie is ready!
Fortune Cookies for All Year-round Celebrations
I’ve already created several different templates for paper fortune cookies! What they all have in common is that in the PDF files, you get both templates for fortune cookies and pre-written notes. The fortune cookie templates also always include blank notes so you can write personal messages to your guests – or new and silly predictions.
You can see some of the fortune cookies here: Fortune Cookies for New Year’s – Blue, Sarcastic Fortune Cookies, and Fortune Cookies for Children