Football Cupcakes
With a chocolate cupcake base, green tinted frosting and mini cookies for topping, these football cupcakes are perfect for game day! Super festive and a fun addition to any party or gathering. Vegetarian.
Note: This recipe is NOT dairy free. It was published before Cook Nourish Bliss transitioned to dairy free recipes and remains popular with long time readers. You can try using substitutions to make it dairy free, however I have not tested this myself and can’t say how it will turn out.
Let’s chat about Super Bowl food today.
Because the big game is coming up and well, food is super important. Like what I did there? I know, I’m so funny {ahem, not really}.
And since the Patriots didn’t pull out a win this past weekend, my attention is now devoted solely to good eats for the game.
Although let’s be honest, as much as I do like watching football, food is always more important in my little world.
So, let’s talk about game day dessert. And football cupcakes are just so fun. Am I right?
I about died of cuteness when I finished making these and started screaming for my husband to come look at them since I was so impressed with myself.
Ha. I don’t think he appreciated that too much. His excitement over my “cute” food is not quite as high as my own…
Now you can use your favorite chocolate base and any white colored frosting here, but let me suggest that you use a cream cheese frosting. It pairs awesome awesome awesomely with the chocolate base.
Can you tell I am a huge supporter of that combo?
Additional Game Day Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Oreo Football Truffles
- Brownie Batter Hummus
- Flourless Peanut Butter S’mores Cookies
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Honey Balls
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Football Cupcakes
With a chocolate cupcake base, green tinted frosting and mini cookies for topping, these football cupcakes are perfect for game day! Super festive and a fun addition to any party or gathering. Vegetarian.
Ingredients
For the sugar cookies:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- heaping ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
For the cupcakes:
- your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting (enough for 24 cupcakes)
- green gel food coloring
- 1 batch your favorite chocolate cupcakes (or enough for 24 cupcakes)
- piping bags and tips
Instructions
To make the sugar cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium high for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Next, add in the salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add in the flour in two batches, beating after each addition. Mix until incorporated.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to about ¼ inch in thickness. Cut out 24 mini football-shaped cookies (about 2 inches in length and about 1 ¼ inches width at the widest point) - I just used a knife since I didn’t have a cookie cutter in that shape.
- Bake for about 6 ½ minutes, until the cookies are set. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble:
- Spoon a small amount of the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a small tip (I use a #4 in size). Pipe the stitching onto each cooled cookie (slightly towards the top of each football).
- Next use the green gel food coloring to tint the remaining frosting the desired shade of green. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe onto each cupcake as desired (I use a large star tip).
- Carefully set each cookie into the icing, on a slight diagonal, so that it stands up on its own.
Notes
You will likely have some extra chocolate sugar cookie dough. I made a few extra cookies just to enjoy separately but feel free to cut back the amounts slightly.
Recipe time does NOT include time to make the chocolate cupcakes or the frosting.
Sugar cookie recipe adapted from Lila Lola
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice. Nutritional info is ONLY for the sugar cookie garnish as it will vary widely depending on what cupcakes / frosting you use.
If you don’t have a football shaped cutter, you can use a circle and then half the circle again and it will be football shaped. Not sure if that made sense but basically cut out a complete circle and then lower the circle cutter half way down and cut it again. It will be a football shape.
I like that! So smart!
I am SO incorporating the football cookie garnish into my cupcakes for this year’s Super Bowl! Thanks for the idea. 🙂
Yay! Something about them is just so cute : )
Oh my goodness, these are beyond cute! You totally outdid yourself. And I agree, the Super Bowl is all about food anyway.
These really are CUTE! My husband tells me that cute is a girl word. Guy not only don’t appreciate cute, they don’t use the word. As I am not a football fan, I believe I deserve your cute cupcakes on Superbowl Sunday! 🙂 Consider your cupcakes appreciated!
lol cute is definitely a girl word … someday I’ll learn not to expect my husband to get as excited as me over cute food!!
These cupcakes are beyond cute! They can keep me from getting bored while watching the game
I fell in love with these cuties when you tweeted a pic of them! So disappointed Pats didn’t make it. 🙁 Oh well, the superbowl will be fun for food and commercials. 😉
Same … we were pretty bummed. But at least we can still enjoy the food! : )
You should definitely be impressed with yourself! These are adorable! Too cute for football, maybe? 🙂 But I agree, the Super Bowl is all about the food! These are so fun and adorable!
haha true true … too cute for most guys I think (clearly as my husband didn’t seem to care lol). But my friends loved them!
I would’ve screamed with excitement too! They’re so freakin’ cute! I haven’t had a cupcake in what feels like forever and imaging these with that cream cheese icing is killing me! Sounds so good.
These cupcakes are adorable!
Way too cute!! I could never bake cupcakes and make it look that cute. Ever 😀
Wow these are so perfectly decorated! You clearly have a great eye for detail. Love the colour combination too please excuse my ignorance but is it for a certain team (We don’t have the Superbowl in the UK!)
Thanks Amy! Nope – no particular team, just football in general : )
These are super cute and super sporty!! May the best team win. Fun cupcakes Ashley!
Such a cute idea for the super bowl.. aww. Your recipe is so easy, although the cupcakes look more intimidating. 🙂
OMG Ashley these are so freaking cute. Those footballs are amazing ! 😀
I totally don’t really celebrate football, but I am really big on cupcakes, so go team cupcake go!
Well ain’t these just the cutest little thangs! I’m totally obsessed with football food. The game, not so much. I just keep eating while everyone’s distracted! That’s my strategy. Fabulous recipe, Ashley!
Okay this is just the cutest things ever!
These are too cute, I can see them being a perfect complement to all the salty cheesy goodness that goes with football!
Yes, you definitely outdid yourself with these cupcakes! They are so cute.
Ashley, these cupcakes are so so cute…you did a superb job!
Thanks for sharing and hope you are having a fantastic week my dear 😀
I love how seasonal you are and always spot on with the holidays and events! You must be so organized! : ) I made similar cupcakes a couple of Super Bowls ago…I saw an old ‘Mad Hungry’ show where she carved a football out of Andes Mints and used white sprinkles to finish it. I have Andes at the house all the time so I had to do it. Your cupcakes made me smile…and feel guilty that I’m not planning anything cute like that for my little one… : )
Ooo with Andes Mints – that’s a great idea! haha and yes, I can be a wee bit obsessive about organization (as my husband likes to tell me!)
these are perfect for game day!
Wow, these are stunning! We don’t have anything comparable to the super bowl over in Europe but it seems like a lot of fun. Enjoy!
(pinning these on my ‘fun foods’ board, by the way!)
Omg yes, the food is always more important and the best part! I used to love getting invited to super bowl parties, not because I knew anything about football but because the food was always fantastic. These are so adorable Ashley!
We are very happy here in Colorado about the Super Bowl (as you might imagine) but food is still top on my list too! These look too cute. Thank you for sharing!
haha yes I can imagine!! Thanks Monet!
These are so adorable Ashley!!! Love!!
The cupcakes are super cute! And I totally agree that cream cheese frosting is the way to go; no matter how you spin it, it’s always delish!
WOww.. these are super cute.. awesome pics too 🙂
These cupcakes are super adorable Ashley and so much fun to serve on game day!
these are SO cute! love ’em 🙂
These are so fun! Perfect for game day!
These are adorable cupcakes, and are very worthy of Game Day! My team never wins (Raiders…I know…poor me), so it’s always about a great match up and the best food. Great football is always a perfect excuse for awesome food. haha Have a great day, Ashley!
To be honest, the actually game is never the center of my excitement… it’s always the food! So glad I’m not the only one 🙂
Omg, these cupcakes are so cute! I’m not big on nfl football, but I would totally go to a super bowl party just for these cupcakes. I absolutely love cream cheese frosting. Especially with some cake on the side. 😉 Pinned these to my football board!
These are ADORABLE!
Oh my gosh Ashley!!! I just saw these on facebook and came right over. These are amazingly cute! What a great idea and fun game food idea! Also I love your milk jug in the background. Where did you find that?
Thanks Chelsea! Crate & Barrel – it was like $3!
Aww so cute!!
Cupcakes are always fun! I love the cookie footballs. So cute!
I’m not big on football, I can take it or leave it. But I do get down with food. And these are adorable!
These cupcakes are so adorable!