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.

Several Football Cupcakes on a wire cooling rack.

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.

Several Football Themed Cupcakes on a cooling rack.

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?

Three Football Cupcakes on wax paper with a jug of milk.

Additional Game Day Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Football Cupcakes | Cookie Monster Cooking

Football Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 42 minutes

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:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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:

  1. 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).
  2. 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).
  3. 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: 1
Amount 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.