Cookies, fortune
Whole food · Baked Products
Photo: Wikipedia
Fortune cookies are crisp, golden, folded wafers with a delicate, buttery vanilla flavor and a distinctive hollow crunch. Each cookie hides a small slip of paper with a proverb or lucky number, making it a playful end to a meal. Nutritionally, they are a high-carbohydrate, low-fat snack with a notable sugar content (45.42g per 100g), offering quick energy but minimal protein or fiber.
💚 Why it's loved
People love fortune cookies for their unique combination of a satisfying, crispy texture and the whimsical surprise of the fortune slip. They are a nostalgic and culturally iconic part of the Chinese-American dining experience, often shared and compared among friends and family.
⚠️ Watch-outs & how to enjoy it better
The high sugar content (45.42g per 100g) can cause blood-sugar spikes, and the refined carbs offer little nutritional depth. To counteract this, pair one or two cookies with a source of protein (like a handful of nuts) or fat (like a small piece of cheese) to slow sugar absorption, and practice portion control by enjoying them as an occasional treat rather than a staple.
Key benefits
- Provides quick energy from carbohydrates
- Low in fat (2.7g per 100g)
- Contains a small amount of dietary fiber (1.6g per 100g)
- Often used as a fun, interactive dessert or party favor
- Typically free from common allergens like nuts or dairy
🍽️ Popular dishes
🌍 Where it's eaten
💡 Did you know?
Despite their strong association with Chinese cuisine, fortune cookies were likely inspired by Japanese tsujiura senbei (fortune crackers) and were popularized in California by Japanese-American bakers in the early 20th century.
Full nutrition (scales with serving)
| Water | 8.0 g |
| Energy | 378 kcal |
| Energy | 1582 kj |
| Protein | 4.2 g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 2.7 g |
| Ash | 0.90 g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 84.0 g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 1.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 45.4 g |
| Calcium, Ca | 12.0 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 1.4 mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 7.0 mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 35.0 mg |
| Potassium, K | 41.0 mg |
| Sodium, Na | 31.0 mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.17 mg |
| Copper, Cu | 0.06 mg |
| Manganese, Mn | 0.19 mg |
| Selenium, Se | 2.9 ug |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 0.00 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.18 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.13 mg |
| Niacin | 1.8 mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.30 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.01 mg |
| Folate, total | 66.0 ug |
| Folic acid | 56.0 ug |
| Folate, food | 10.0 ug |
| Folate, DFE | 105 ug |
| Choline, total | 6.0 mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.01 ug |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 1.0 ug |
| Retinol | 1.0 ug |
| Carotene, beta | 0.00 ug |
| Carotene, alpha | 0.00 ug |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin A, IU | 3.0 iu |
| Lycopene | 0.00 ug |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 3.0 ug |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.03 mg |
| Vitamin E, added | 0.00 mg |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0.00 iu |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 1.1 ug |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0.00 g |
| Caffeine | 0.00 mg |
| Theobromine | 0.00 mg |
Fat & fatty acid profile (per 100g)
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.67 g |
| SFA 4:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 6:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 8:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 10:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 12:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.01 g |
| SFA 16:0 | 0.38 g |
| SFA 18:0 | 0.28 g |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 1.3 g |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.01 g |
| MUFA 18:1 | 1.3 g |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0.00 g |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.47 g |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0.44 g |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.02 g |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0.00 g |
| Cholesterol | 2.0 mg |
Amino acid profile (per 100g)
| Tryptophan | 0.06 g |
| Threonine | 0.12 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.17 g |
| Leucine | 0.29 g |
| Lysine | 0.16 g |
| Methionine | 0.08 g |
| Cystine | 0.09 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.20 g |
| Tyrosine | 0.13 g |
| Valine | 0.19 g |
| Arginine | 0.17 g |
| Histidine | 0.09 g |
| Alanine | 0.14 g |
| Aspartic acid | 0.19 g |
| Glutamic acid | 1.4 g |
| Glycine | 0.14 g |
| Proline | 0.46 g |
| Serine | 0.23 g |
FAQ
Are fortune cookies actually Chinese?
No, fortune cookies are primarily a Chinese-American invention, though they were inspired by Japanese crackers. They are rarely found in China and are most common in Chinese restaurants in the United States and other Western countries.
What are fortune cookies made of?
They are made from a simple batter of flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil or butter, which is baked into thin wafers and folded while hot around a paper fortune.
Why do fortune cookies have numbers on the slips?
The numbers are often linked to Chinese lucky numbers or used for lottery predictions, but they also serve as a reference for the fortune's meaning in some traditions.