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Are you ready for some football? Football cookies, that is?

I surely hope so, because they’re made with peanut butter and chocolate!

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stack of football shaped peanut butter cookies with decorations on top


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Easy Football Cookies – no cookie cutter needed!

Tonight is either your favorite night of the year or your least favorite. Or, maybe you’re indifferent. Why? Because tonight is the first night of professional football.

My husband is ecstatic. He’s almost shaking with excitement.

My daughter is depressed. She’s shaking with tears.

Football has returned.

Me? I’m indifferent. I don’t care much one way or another about football. It just means I get to read more in the evenings. 🙂

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ll know what a fantasy football fanatic fan my husband is. He travels to Arizona for his fantasy draft every August. He’s commissioner of the league. Yes – they have a commissioner. And he takes his job very seriously with spreadsheets and research.

I normally make treats to send with him to his draft. One year I made chocolate sugar cookies. Another year I made Nutella Footballs.

This year I made peanut butter football cookies. You should make them too.

Peanut Butter Football Cookies - easy to make from my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe!

These cookies are way too easy. They’re my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe that have been shaped like footballs. This is the same recipe I’ve used before, in Snickers Stuffed Cookies and Pretzel Toffee Cookies. And don’t worry – no rolling or chilling needed!

How to make Football Cookies without a cookie cutter

I scooped 1 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto my cookie sheets. Then I pressed them flat with the palm of my hand. You want them the same flatness they’d be if you were using a fork to make a criss cross pattern, but it’s easier to frost them without the fork marks (I tried it both ways).

flattening peanut butter cookie dough with palm

Then, just use your thumb and index finger to pinch the ends to make them look like footballs.

shaping cookie dough into peanut butter footballs

Again, I used 1 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls because I wanted a lot of cookies (the recipe makes 48). If you want bigger footballs or less work, use a 2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop.

Once you’ve baked and cooled your cookies, you drizzle the chocolate on top in the shape of a football. This is easier than it sounds: melt your chocolate chips and then place it in a ziploc bag. You want to cut off just a teeny tiny tip of the corner so it doesn’t come out too fast. Pipe around the edge, then fill in the center. (You can also use a squeeze bottle if you have one.)

After you’ve chilled the footballs so that the chocolate hardens, pipe on the laces using some white chocolate or white frosting.

And voila! Peanut Butter Football Cookies, perfect for tailgating or Sunday afternoon football parties or Saturday college game watching.

Peanut Butter Football Cookies - easy to make from my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe!

Or, if you’re like Jordan, they’re to cheer you up because your dad is hogging the TV and you want to watch Property Brothers. 🙂

stack of football shaped peanut butter cookies with decorations on top

Peanut Butter Football Cookies

3.65 from 28 votes
These fun and easy football cookies are peanut butter cookies shaped like footballs topped with chocolate – no cookie cutter needed!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield 48 Cookies
Serving Size 1 cookie

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ cup (200g) peanut butter
  • ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon (5ml) milk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ¾ cups (217g) all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (255g) chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon Crisco or vegetable oil
  • White icing or white chocolate chips for the laces
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or silpat baking mats.
  • Cream butter, peanut butter, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add egg, vanilla, milk, and salt and baking soda. Mix until combined. Slowly add flour and mix until dough comes together.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough. Place on cookie sheet 2” apart. Press lightly with your palm to flatten to about 1/2” thickness. Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch the ends to make the cookies look like footballs.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, until they just begin to brown. Cool completely on cookie sheets.
  • Melt the chocolate chips with the crisco or oil, heating in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until smooth. Place chocolate in a ziploc bag and cut of a teeny tip (or use a squirt bottle). Outline the football shape on the cookie, then fill in with the chocolate. Tap the cookie sheet to even out any wrinkles in the chocolate, then chill to harden.
  • Make the laces with a little white frosting or some melted white chocolate chips. (White frosting is easier!)
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 77IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Click here to see more PEANUT BUTTER recipes!

Click here for my ultimate Football Party Menu!

Mini Brownie Football Pies

Peanut Butter Football Dip

Snickers Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies

Sweets from friends:
Soft Gingerbread Football Cookies by Amanda’s Cookin’
Football Cookie by Something Swanky
Football S’mores Snickers Brownie Batter Dip by Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Last Updated on December 4, 2021



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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50 Comments

  1. I loathe football season. My husband ignores me, hogs AND screams at the tv and scares me out of my wits every half hour with the yelling. You are right. I should make these cookies. They are so cute and sound super delicious!

  2. Oh my goodness, these are the cutest cookies ever Dorothy! It would be the highlight of game day for me since I know nothing about football either – pinning! Hehe and Jordan is too cute – love that she’s a fan of Property Brothers 🙂

  3. These are the cutest peanut butter cookies that I’ve ever seen! My son and I, love peanut butter and he would love these. Too cute!

  4. I can totally relate! My husband is in 4 leagues. One has a commissioner, free agency, a live auction for players complete with salary caps and THEN a draft. Last night was like Christmas Eve for him. I can’t wait to surprise him on Sunday with these football cookies.

    1. LOL Monica, you do know what it’s like! Ha, my husband had to miss the game last night AND the ones on Sunday. He is not pleased.

  5. I love these! I have a take it or leave it feeling when it comes to football unless of course the Packers are playing! With my family born and raised mostly in Wisconsin we are all packer fans!! However I’d watch any team if I had these cookies to eat while watching! :0)