These adorable football field cookies bake up deliciously soft and chewy and are decorated with royal icing.
Let’s Make These Football Field Cookies Together!
To make sure these cookies turn out as amazing as possible, let’s walk through each step together.
I’ve also shared a video and a list of the tools/equipment I used to make these cookies. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything on hand, you can always improvise with what you have.
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- 2 Large baking sheets
- 3 inch circle cookie cutter
- 4 small piping bags
- Green gel food coloring
- Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles
Step 1: Make the Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Begin by making the sugar cookie dough! I love to use my soft and chewy cream cheese cookie recipe.
It keeps its shape beautifully as it bakes and tastes delicious.
I used 3-inch round cookie cutter sets to make these, but you can get creative and use whatever cutters you have on hand!
Step 2: Make the Royal Icing
While the cookies bake and cool, make the royal icing.
Whisk together the powdered sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add in the water and vanilla or almond extract and mix on a medium speed with a paddle or whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer.
Next, add in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until the icing reaches a soft peak consistency.
I had to add about 2 Tbsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch.
Step 3: Testing the Consistency of the Icing – The Spatula Test
To test the consistency, dip the spatula into the icing and focus on the way it curls at the end of the spatula. It should curl back onto itself but still be able to keep its shape.
Step 4: Thin and Color the Royal Icing
Then it’s time to thin and color the icing. You should have roughly 18 ounces of icing. Scoop 3 ounces of the uncolored, soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.
Next, scoop 5 ounces of icing into a separate small bowl. Add water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the icing reaches flood consistency.
To test the consistency, the icing should be able to run off the spatula in a thick stream, and you should be able to draw a figure 8 with the run-off icing. It should settle back into the bowl of icing within 8 seconds.
Once the icing is thinned to this stage, pour it into a piping bag, and seal the top. Set aside.
Use a generous squirt of green gel food coloring to color the remaining icing green. Scoop 2 ounces of the soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.
Thin the remaining green icing to a flood consistency, then place it in a separate piping bag and set aside.
Step 5: Decorate the Cookies
When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters).
You can always cut the opening wider, but you can’t make it smaller once you cut it. I find it’s a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.
When you’re ready to decorate the cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters). You can always cut the opening wider, but you can’t make it smaller once you cut it. I find it’s a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.
Outline half of each cookie (see picture below) with the soft peak consistency white icing and let them dry for 5-10 minutes.
Flood that section of the cookies with the white flood consistency icing one at a time. As soon as it’s filled in, hold the cookie over a bowl of nonpareil sprinkles and spoon rainbow sprinkles on top of the icing until the frosting is fully covered in sprinkles.
Outline the remaining half of each cookie with the green soft peak consistency white icing and let them dry for 5-10 minutes.
Flood that section of the cookies with the green flood-consistency icing.
Let the icing dry for 15 minutes, then use the soft peak consistency white icing to pipe the field lines, 50-yard line, and a line between the field and the sprinkle crowd onto each cookie (I used yellow because I had some on hand from another project, but white will work just as well!).
Let the cookies dry for a few hours or overnight until the icing is firm to the touch.
These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Substitutions and Swaps – Football Field Cookies
While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know you might not have all these ingredients on hand! Or you might have food restrictions or allergies.
Below are some swaps and variations that can be made in this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter, you can use it and omit the salt that this recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter.
- Cream Cheese – I recommend using the full-fat cream cheese that comes in a block.
- Granulated Sugar – I do not recommend reducing the amount of sugar or changing the type of sugar as it will change the spread of these cookies.
- All-Purpose Flour – You can use a gluten-free flour blend if needed in place of the AP flour in this recipe.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch helps give these cookies a soft texture! If you don’t have any one hand it can be omitted, but your cookies won’t bake up as soft.
- Almond Extract – I love the hint of almond extract in these cookies, but if you have a nut allergy you can use additional vanilla extract or a different extract in place of the almond extract.
- Meringue Powder – This ingredient is a must for the royal icing. It has stabilizers (usually cornstarch and sugar) which help the icing easily whip up. For this reason, I don’t recommend using dried egg white powder as a substitution.
- Nonpareil Sprinkles – These cookies look best with nonpareil sprinkles. However, you can also use rainbow jimmies sprinkles if needed!
How Many Cookies Does this Recipe Make?
This recipe can be used to make about 24, 3-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter you use.
This recipe can be halved to make fewer cookies (use half a scrambled egg in the dough), but I don’t recommend doubling it unless you have a commercial (8 qt.) stand mixer.
Tips for Making the Best Football Field Cookies
- Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes soft cookies.
- Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/4 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over- or under-bake in the oven.
- Take the time to chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up with a soft texture.
- Liberally flour your counter before you roll out the cookie dough and move the dough around while you roll and cut the cookies.
- Don’t overbake your cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.
- Avoid leaving the icing uncovered for long periods or it will crust! Either use it immediately or cover it with plastic wrap.
- Use gel food coloring to color the icing. It helps create vivid colors without throwing off the consistency of the icing.
- Make and color the icing right before you plan to decorate the cookies. Otherwise, the icing can separate!
Making These Football Field Sugar Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips
You can store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.
This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.
Baked, un-iced cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container. I recommend waiting to decorate them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.
Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before icing them.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you make these football field cookies, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.
And if you share on social media, tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so I can see your delicious creations!
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Football Field Cookies
These adorable football field cookies bake up deliciously soft and chewy and are decorated with royal icing.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- 3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp (170g)
- 1/2 cup or 4 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temp (113g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 large egg, room temp (56g)
- 2 tsp almond extract, optional (8g)
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (8g)
- 3 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (400g)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch (8g)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (2g)
- 1/2 tsp fine salt (3g)
Royal Icing (adapted from Wilton)
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (454g or a 1 lb. box)
- 3 Tbsp meringue powder (28g)
- 1/4 cup water, room temp (60g)
- 2 Tbsp clear vanilla or almond extract (24g)
- Additional water to bring to a flooding consistency
Additional Supplies
Instructions
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese on medium speed with a hand mixer or whisk attachment until smooth.
- Next, add 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and mix on a medium-high speed for a couple of minutes, until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
- Add in 1 egg, 2 tsp almond extract (optional), and 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture on a low speed until it is JUST incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between additions.
- At this point, the dough should still be pretty thick and sticky. Divide the dough in half and wrap each portion of dough in a piece of plastic wrap. I like to flatten the dough out into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch tall to make it easier to roll out once it's chilled.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for about 2 hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C for about 30 minutes before you plan to roll out the dough, and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Take one piece of dough out of the fridge, leaving the other in there to continue to chill. Unwrap the cookie dough and lay the plastic wrap out flat on your counter. We will be rolling out the cookie dough on the plastic wrap to make cleanup a breeze and to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Dust both sides of the cookie dough and your rolling pin with flour.
- Roll the chilled dough to be 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes with a 3-inch round cookie cutter. Use a kitchen brush to brush any excess flour off the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets. The cookies don't spread much as they bake, so you can place them about 1 inch apart.
- Chill the cut-out cookies one more time in the fridge for 15 minutes or the freezer for 5 minutes to help them keep their shape as they bake.
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time. Bake for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack of your oven (bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookies). Keep a close eye on the cookies and be sure to pull them out before the edges start to brown.
- Let the baked cookies cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While the first batch bakes and cools, knead together the cookie dough scraps and rewrap them in plastic wrap. Pop them back in the fridge to chill.
- Pull out the 2nd chilled portion of dough and repeat steps 9-11. Then repeat with the chilled dough scraps.
Royal Icing
- While the cookies cool, make the royal icing. Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp of meringue powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add 1/4 cup water and 2 Tbsp clear vanilla or almond extract. Mix on a low speed with a whisk or paddle attachment at first to incorporate the liquid, then increase to a medium speed and mix until stiff peaks form. This usually takes me about 3 minutes with a hand mixer or 2 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is properly mixed together.
- Next, mix in additional water 1 Tbsp at a time until a soft peak consistency is reached. I used about 2 Tbsp of water, but it can vary from batch to batch. To test the consistency, dip the spatula into the icing and focus on the way it curls at the end of the spatula. It should curl back onto itself but still be able to keep its shape (see picture in post above).
- Then it's time to thin and color the icing. You should have roughly 18 ounces of icing. Scoop 3 ounces of the uncolored, soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.
- Next, scoop 5 ounces of icing into a separate small bowl. Add water, 1/2 tsp at a time, until the icing reaches flood consistency. To test the consistency, the icing should be able to run off the spatula in a thick stream, and you should be able to draw a figure 8 with the run-off icing. It should settle back into the bowl of icing within 8 seconds. Once the icing is thinned to this stage, pour it into a piping bag, and seal the top. Set aside.
- Use a generous squirt of green gel food coloring to color the remaining icing green. Scoop 2 ounces of the soft peak consistency icing into a small piping bag and seal the top. Set aside.
- Thin the remaining green icing to a flood consistency, then place it in a separate piping bag and set aside.
Decorating These Football Field Cookies
- When you're ready to decorate the cookies, cut the tips of the piping bags to create a very small opening (1-2 millimeters). You can always cut the opening wider, but you can't make it smaller once you cut it. I find it's a lot easier to control the icing as you decorate the cookies if you have a small opening.
- Outline half of each cookie (see pictures above) with the soft peak consistency white icing and let them dry for 5-10 minutes.
- Flood that section of the cookies with the white flood-consistency icing, one at a time. As soon as it's filled in, hold the cookie over a bowl of nonpareil sprinkles and spoon rainbow sprinkles on top of the icing until the frosting is fully covered in sprinkles.
- Outline the remaining half of each cookie with the green soft peak consistency white icing and let them dry for 5-10 minutes.
- Flood that section of the cookies with the green flood-consistency icing. Let the icing dry for 15 minutes, then use the soft peak consistency white icing to pipe the field lines, 50-yard line, and a line between the field and the sprinkle crowd onto each cookie (I used yellow because I had some on hand from another project, but white will work just as well!).
- Let the cookies dry for a few hours or overnight until the icing is firm to the touch. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Substitutions and Swaps
Please refer to the substitutions and swaps section in the post above for all the ingredient variations that can be used in this recipe.
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?
This recipe can be used to make about 24, 3-inch cookies. The yield and bake time will vary based on the size and shape of the cookie cutter(s) you use.
This recipe can be halved to make fewer cookies (use half a scrambled egg in the dough), but I don't recommend doubling it unless you have a commercial (8 qt.) stand mixer.
Making These Football Field Sugar Cookies in Advance and Storage Tips
You can store decorated cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you want to stack the cookies on top of one another, I recommend adding a layer of parchment paper between them.
This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.
Baked, un-iced cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to a month if frozen in an airtight container. I recommend waiting to decorate them until they’ve thawed to room temperature.
Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then let them sit out at room temperature for a few hours before icing them.
Tips for Making the Best Football Field Cookies
- Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in the first step of this recipe. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes fluffy and soft cookies.
- Don’t overwork the cookie dough! It can overwork the gluten and result in tough, dense cookies.
- Roll the cookie dough out to a consistent thickness of 1/4 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over- or under-bake in the oven.
- Take the time to chill the cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from spreading while they bake and helps them bake up with a soft texture.
- Liberally flour your counter before you roll out the cookie dough and move the dough around while you roll and cut the cookies.
- Don’t overbake your cookies. Err on the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake for a few minutes once they’re out of the oven.
- Avoid leaving the icing uncovered for long periods of time or it will crust! Either use it immediately or cover it with plastic wrap.
- Make and color the icing right before you plan to decorate the cookies. Otherwise, the icing can separate!
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 202Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 28mgSodium 83mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 0gSugar 30gProtein 1g