Paper Fortune Cookie Template

Make paper fortune cookies with your own messages. Choose a circle from 3 to 5 inches, 9 to 12 cm or any size from 60 to 140 mm, how many cookies you need, and a colour or pattern, and the circles are laid out on US Letter or A4 with a dashed fold line and a bend mark. The message strips are sized to fit inside the folded cookie and printed with your messages, one per strip: type them, start from our kind notes, jokes, party notes or conversation starters, load a CSV file, or leave the strips blank to write on. Long strips that stick out of the cookie turn them into place cards or name tags. Download a PDF or 300 DPI PNG pages, and save your messages as CSV for next time. Nothing is uploaded.

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How to make paper fortune cookies

1. Choose US Letter or A4, the circle size and how many cookies.
2. Pick a colour and a pattern for the circles, or print them plain on coloured paper.
3. Type your messages, one per line, start from a message list, or load a CSV file.
4. Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size).
5. Cut out the circles and strips, fold each circle in half without creasing, slip in a strip, then bend it over a cup rim and glue.

What you can use it for

• Party favours with a joke or a kind note inside
• Lunar New Year table decorations
• Place cards and name tags with long strips
• Classroom kindness notes or review questions
• Thank-you notes for guests and teams
• Conversation starters for a dinner or a first meeting

Circle sizes and how many fit

Circle	Per US Letter page	Per A4 page	Message strip	Strips per Letter page	Strips per A4 page
3 in (76.2 mm)	6	6	64 × 10 mm	72	78
3.5 in (88.9 mm)	4	6	74 × 11.5 mm	42	46
4 in (101.6 mm)	2	2	85 × 13 mm	38	40
4.5 in (114.3 mm)	2	2	96 × 15 mm	32	34
5 in (127 mm)	2	2	106 × 16.5 mm	15	16
9 cm	4	6	75 × 11.5 mm	42	46
10 cm	2	2	84 × 13 mm	38	40
12 cm	2	2	100 × 15.5 mm	16	17

Circles are 3 mm apart with at least 8 mm clear at the page edges. Strips share their cut lines, so one cut separates two strips.

How the strip is sized

Part	Rule
Strip height	13% of the circle’s diameter, rounded to 0.5 mm, at least 8 mm
Clear margin	12% of the radius inside the circle edge
Strip length	The longest whole millimetre whose far corners stay inside the margin when the strip lies along the fold
Long strips	38 mm added to stick out of one end, with a dotted line where the cookie edge comes

This is our own rule, so the strip lies flat inside one half before the cookie is bent. Messages shrink to fit on one or two lines; very long ones are shortened with a warning.

Message ideas

List	Example
Kind notes	You make ordinary days brighter.
Jokes	I would tell you a paper joke, but it is tearable.
Party and thank-you	Thanks for celebrating with us.
Conversation starters	What made you smile this week?
Blank	Strips with cut lines, to write on by hand

The lists hold 52 of our own messages to start from. None of them is a fortune: they are kind words, jokes and questions, just for fun.

Folding steps

Step	What to do
1	Cut out the circle on the solid line
2	Fold it in half along the dashed line, without creasing, so it stays puffy
3	Slip a message strip into the fold
4	Hold the middle of the folded edge (the bend mark) over the rim of a cup
5	Push both corners down so the middle folds in, then glue or tape the ends

Making favours for a party? Add a Gift Tag Template, seat guests with the Place Card Template, make a Paper Lantern Template for the table or a Paper Crown Template for the winner.

Printing tips

• Print at 100% (Actual size) so the circles and strips are the stated size.
• Card stock holds the shape; plain paper is fine for practice.
• Turn off Colour the circles to print on coloured or patterned paper.
• Use glue dots or tape to hold the ends together.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a paper fortune cookie?

Cut out a circle and fold it in half without pressing a crease, so it stays round and puffy. Slip a message strip into the fold. Then hold the folded edge over the rim of a cup at the bend mark and push the two corners down so the middle folds in, and glue or tape the ends together.

What size circle should I use?

A 3.5 in (89 mm) circle makes a cookie close to the size of a real one and fits four on a page. Use 3 in for small favours, and 4 to 5 in for bigger cookies or thicker paper, which needs a larger circle to fold.

How big should the message strip be?

Small enough to sit along the fold inside one half of the circle. The tool works it out: for a 3.5 in circle the strip is 74 × 11.5 mm. Long strips add 38 mm that stick out of one end, for names or place cards.

What paper works best?

Card stock or scrapbook paper of about 160 to 220 gsm holds the cookie shape. Plain printer paper works for practice but flattens easily. Print the circles on coloured or patterned paper and turn off Colour the circles to save ink.

Can I use my own messages?

Yes. Type them one per line, or load a CSV file with one message per row in the first column. They are used in order and repeat if you make more cookies than messages. Save your list as CSV to use again.

Do these cookies tell fortunes?

No. The messages are kind notes, jokes and questions that you choose or write. They are just for fun.

How do I make them stay closed?

Glue dots or a small piece of tape where the two ends meet hold the shape best. A drop of white glue works too; hold it for a few seconds.

Can I write on the strips by hand?

Yes. Choose Blank strips, or start from the blank list, and the strips print empty with the cut lines.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Your messages and any CSV file you load are read by JavaScript in your browser and never leave your device. Nothing is saved when you close the page.