Description
These Football Cookies are a delightful chocolate treat perfect for game day celebrations, including Super Bowl parties and tailgates. Featuring a tender cocoa-infused sugar cookie base decorated with classic football lace icing, these cookies combine festive fun with rich flavor to become the star of any football-themed dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- Sugar cookie icing
- Green sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside for later incorporation.
- Cream butter and sugar: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the unsalted butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, ensuring proper aeration for tender cookies.
- Add eggs and vanilla: Add the large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate them. Then add the vanilla extract and continue mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to maintain an even mixture.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients: Gradually add the sifted flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and beat until a smooth dough forms. Avoid overmixing to maintain tenderness.
- Chill dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each half between two sheets of parchment or wax paper until about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the rolled dough with parchment onto baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight, to prevent spreading during baking.
- Preheat oven and prepare cookie sheets: Once chilled, preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure cookies do not stick and bake evenly.
- Cut out football shapes: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a football-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as possible from the dough sheets. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to carefully trace football shapes. Re-roll leftover dough and continue cutting until all dough is used.
- Bake cookies: Place the cutout cookies approximately 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are firm but the centers remain slightly soft.
- Cool cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate cookies: Prepare the sugar cookie icing. Spoon or pour icing into a piping bag fitted with a #2 piping tip (or use a sealable plastic bag with the tip snipped). Pipe the stitching and laces onto each cookie to resemble a football. Let icing set for about 10 minutes for semi-firm finish or up to 24 hours for a completely hardened finish.
- Store cookies: Once the icing is fully set, stack the cookies with sheets of parchment paper between layers to prevent smudging. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- Gameday just got sweeter! These chocolate football cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat.
- Perfect treat for Super Bowl parties, tailgates, or any football-themed celebration.
- Refrigerating the dough before baking is critical to prevent cookies from spreading.
- The cookie icing can be prepared ahead of time for convenience.
- Use parchment paper between stacked cookies to avoid decoration smudging.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 151 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 59 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
