Football Cookies
Kick off game day with football cookies! These chocolate cut-out sugar cookies are easy to make with a football cookie cutter and a simple chocolate icing. It’s the perfect treat to bring to tailgates and Super Bowl parties!

Do you go to the tailgates for the football or for the socializing (or both?) Wherever your intentions lie, every good tailgate needs a dessert. Make it fit for the occasion with football cookies! The are soft, chocolaty and easy to make.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Game day treat. Whether it’s the Super Bowl, college tailgates or pee-wee football, these cookies are the perfect game day treat!
- Easy to make. The cookie dough comes together in minutes, then the icing is simple to make with melted chocolate.
- Reliable recipe. I used my cut-out chocolate cookie recipe, which is tried-and-true!
Ingredient Notes

- Cocoa powder: I suggest dutch process cocoa powder for these cookies. It is less acidic than natural cocoa, which is preferred for recipes using baking powder because it doesn’t rely on acid for leavening.
- Baking powder: This leavening agent helps the cookies rise so they are soft.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter that is room temperature. Different brands of salted butter have various amounts of salt added so it’s best to add it separately.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this is used in the cookies to make a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s also used in the chocolate icing as a sweetener.
- Chocolate chips: Use a high quality brand, such as Ghirardelli or Guittard. They are easier to melt and have a better flavor.
- Corn syrup: Light corn syrup helps make the chocolate icing set (I learned this trick from my black and white cookies).
- White chocolate melting wafers: Melting wafers are easier to melt than normal white chocolate chips. You can find them at any major grocery store or craft store.
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations
Skip the chocolate icing. The cookies are already brown, like footballs, so you can just add the melted white chocolate for the laces.
Make cookie sandwiches. After the cookies are iced and hardened, spread chocolate buttercream frosting on the bottom of one and sandwich it with another cookie.
Add some sprinkles. Chocolate sprinkles or brown sanding sugar adds some texture to the football. Add them when the chocolate icing is still wet and before adding the white chocolate laces.
How to Make Football Cookies

- Whisk together the dry ingredientsโflour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together until light a fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll until 1/4-inch thick. Use football-shaped cookie cutters to cut cookies. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Re-roll scrapes and repeat. Bake cookies for 7 to 8 minutes or until the edges are set. Cool completely.

- For the icing, melt the chocolate chips and set aside. Then, in a medium saucepan, bring the corn syrup and the water to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until combined. Spread icing on cookies with an offset spatula (scraping edges if needed), and let them harden on the racks for about an hour.
- Melt white chocolate wafers in the microwave at 50% power, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth, then transfer to a frosting bag with a small round tip. Pipe white chocolate onto the cookies for a football design. Let dry completely before serving.
Expert Tips
Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the most accurate measuring. This is especially important for the flour and cocoa because if too much is added the dough will be dry and crumbly. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife (don’t pack it down). Do the same for the cocoa.
Melt the chocolate properly. Use a makeshift double boiler or melt in the microwave on 50% power level (see tips for melting chocolate).
Let the icing set. It will be tempting to decorate the cookies with the white chocolate right away, but let the chocolate icing harden a bit. This will provide a firm canvas for the white chocolate to sit on and the two chocolate won’t blend together.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Make ahead the dough and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. You can also freeze the dough for 3 months. Form the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the freezer, then defrost in the refrigerator before bringing to room temperature.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure the icing is completely dry and place parchment paper between layers to keep the decoration in tact.
Freeze cookies for up to 3 months. Wrap stacks of 4 or 5 cookies in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Recipe FAQ
The dough was likely too warm. If you’re baking in a warm or humid climate, I suggest putting the cut-out cookies in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
There was too much flour or cocoa powder added. Use a kitchen scale for accurate measuring. It’s also possible that the cookies were baked too long or the oven was too hot.
Yes, but natural or unsweetened cocoa is more acidic than Dutch process, which has a smoother, milder flavor with a rich, chocolaty taste. Since there’s no baking soda in this recipe, the acidic flavor in the unsweetened cocoa is more evident.
Related Recipes
Check out these other desserts perfect for Game Day!
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Get the Recipe: Football Cookies
Ingredients
Cut Out Chocolate Cookies
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ยพ cup (72 g) dutch process cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ยพ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226 g or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ยฝ cup (187 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Icing
- 3 cups (360 g) confectioner's sugar
- 4-5 Tablespoons hot water
- ยพ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- White chocolate wafers
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 400ยฐ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine softened butter and confectioners' sugar using a hand mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides as necessary.
- With mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture to the bowl. The dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When touched, it has a little give, but does not stick to fingers.
- Flour the work surface and roll dough to about 1/4-inch thick, using flour for dusting as necessary (flour will dissolve and not show up on the cookies). Use cookie cutters to cut cookies and place on prepared baking sheet. Gather scraps and reroll dough when necessary.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
- Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of almost-simmering water (see tips for melting chocolate here). Remove from the heat and set aside. Bring the corn syrup and the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the melted chocolate, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until combined.
- Place 2 large wire racks on top of parchment paper or newspaper. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread the icing on the cookies. If necessary, run the spatula around the edge of the cookie to scrape off excess icing. Place the cookies on the wire rack and allow the icing to completely harden, about an hour.
- Melt white chocolate wafers in the microwave on 50% power level. Stop to stir every 15 seconds until melted. Transfer melted white chocolate to a frosting bag with a small round tip.
- Pipe melted white chocolate on top of chocolate icing to make cookies look like footballs. Pipe two vertical curved white lines on both ends of the cookie. Pipe one horizontal curved line in the center and add a couple small vertical lines for the laces. Dry completely before serving.