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Servings: 18
Calories: 245kcal
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then beat on medium speed until smooth and well combined.1 cup butter, 1 ½ cups sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. For chewier cookies, keep the dough slightly thick. Cut into football shapes using a cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between cookies.
- Bake for 10–14 minutes, or until the edges are set and firm.
- Carefully slide the parchment paper onto a flat surface and allow cookies to cool completely before transferring—this helps them firm up properly.
- Decorate as desired. Royal icing in a zip-top bag works great for details, but regular icing or melted white chocolate are excellent alternatives. Let the icing harden fully before stacking or storing.
Notes
Here are my best tips for making these football cookies turn out perfectly.
Chill the dough if sticky: If the dough feels too soft to roll out cleanly, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make it easier to work with and cut into shapes.
Roll evenly for uniform baking: Keep the dough at a consistent thickness when rolling so all the cookies bake at the same rate and you don't end up with some burnt edges and some undercooked centers.
Don't overbake: Pull the cookies from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft because they'll continue firming up as they cool on the pan.
Cool before decorating: Wait until the cookies are completely cool before adding icing or melted chocolate, or the heat will melt the decorations and make them run off the sides.
Use a piping bag for details: Fill a small zip-top bag with royal icing and snip a tiny corner to pipe clean laces and lines on the football shapes without making a mess.
Flash-freeze for storage: Freeze decorated cookies on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to containers so the icing doesn't smudge and the cookies don't stick together. Keep covered at room temp for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 342IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 2mg
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