Fortune Christmas Cookies

These Fortune Christmas cookies are the smallest member of the holiday cookie family, each one pinched to marble size and baked until just golden at the edges. They’re a quick-batch cookie perfect for filling out a Christmas cookie tray with something two-bite and tender, especially alongside larger showstoppers like gingerbread or shortbread.

The technique is straightforward but the size matters. At marble size, the cookies bake through in just 8 to 10 minutes. Any larger and they need more time, any smaller and they over-bake into crispy nothings. Roll the pieces into genuine spheres, uneven shapes bake unevenly and look less polished on a cookie tray.

These get their name from being small enough to pile into fortune-cookie-style mounds on a holiday platter, not because they hold a paper fortune inside.

Leave space between each ball on the sheet, they spread slightly as they bake.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling if it’s soft, cold dough holds its ball shape instead of flattening
• Use a light-colored baking sheet, dark pans over-brown the bottoms on cookies this small
• Pull the cookies from the oven when edges are just golden, carry-over heat finishes them on the pan
• Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring, hot cookies crumble on a cooling rack
• Roll uniform balls using a half-teaspoon measuring scoop for consistent size and even baking

Variations

• Roll the warm baked cookies in powdered sugar twice for a snowball-style finish
• Press a chocolate kiss or a maraschino cherry into each ball before baking
• Dip one half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate for a festive two-tone look