Servings 30 cookies
Ingredients
- 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 temp
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temp
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
For Decorating
- Sugar Cookie Icing
- Green sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set the mixture aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then add the vanilla extract and continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in half then roll each half in between two sheets of parchment paper or wax paper until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Slide the sheets of dough onto baking sheets (with the parchment paper) and refrigerate them for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight. (The refrigeration prevents the dough from spreading when baked, so don’t skip this step!)
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the sheets of dough from the fridge and use a football cookie cutter to cut out shapes. (Alternatively, use a sharp knife to trace out the football shape.) Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with 2nd piece of dough.
- Arrange the cutout cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until they are firm around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets until you transfer them to a rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate: Prepare cookie icing. Spoon or pour the icing into a piping bag fitted with piping tip #2. Pipe the laces/stitching onto each cookie. (Alternately, use a sealable plastic bag and snip the tip then pipe accordingly.) Cookie icing dries to a semi-firm finish in about 10 minutes, but for fully hardened icing, give the cookies up to 24 hours.
- Once the icing has set, stack the cookies with parchment paper between layers to avoid smudging. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- Freeze the cookies BEFORE decorating: If you want to keep things simple, you can freeze the cookies before decorating. Just bake the cookies, let them cool completely, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for about 1-2 hours until they’re firm. Once frozen, transfer the cookies to a freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then decorate as desired.
- Freeze AFTER decorating: If you’ve already decorated your cookies with icing, you can still freeze them! Just make sure the icing is fully set before freezing to prevent smudging. Place the decorated cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. After they’re firm, carefully transfer the cookies to a freezer bag, separating layers with parchment paper to avoid sticking. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Check out my Cookie Baking Tips guide for all my essential tips for success!
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