Description
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Footballs are buttery, festive treats perfect for holidays or special events. These cookies feature a crisp, buttery base coated in colorful nonpareil sprinkles and topped with handcrafted chocolate footballs made from piped dark and white melting chocolate. The combination of the rich shortbread texture and decorative chocolate footballs creates a delightful bite-sized dessert that is as charming as it is delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup nonpareil sprinkles
Chocolate Footballs
- 1 ½ cups dark or milk melting chocolate
- ½ cup white melting chocolate
Instructions
- Make Chocolate Footballs: Melt dark or milk melting chocolate in a double boiler or microwave at 50% power. Transfer melted chocolate into a disposable piping bag and pipe into a football candy mold. Tap mold gently on the counter to remove air bubbles and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes until firm. Remove from fridge and tap mold to release the chocolate footballs.
- Decorate Footballs: Melt white melting chocolate using the same method. Transfer to a disposable piping bag fitted with a #2 small round tip or snip a tiny corner off the bag if no tip is available. Pipe football lace patterns onto each chocolate football. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes until white chocolate is firm.
- Prepare Cookies: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour nonpareil sprinkles into a shallow bowl. In an electric mixer bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add flour and beat just until combined.
- Shape Dough: Using a small 1 tablespoon scoop, portion dough into balls. Roll each ball in nonpareil sprinkles to coat completely. Place sprinkle-coated balls on prepared baking sheet about two inches apart. Refrigerate the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Bake Cookies: Remove dough balls from refrigerator and bake for 12 minutes until bottoms just turn golden and tops remain light. While baking, place chocolate footballs in the freezer to chill and prevent melting later.
- Assemble Cookies: After baking, let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the sheet. Then gently press one chilled chocolate football onto each warm cookie. Transfer cookies to a cutting board or platter and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to firm the chocolate and allow the cookie to cool completely.
- Storage: Once chocolate is firm and cookies are fully cooled, store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
- Chilling the dough before baking helps prevent cookies from spreading too much and keeps them nicely rounded for thumbprints.
- Freezing chocolate footballs while cookies bake minimizes melting when attaching to warm cookies.
- Refrigerating assembled cookies speeds up the chocolate firming process; leaving them at room temperature will take longer.
- If you don’t have a football mold or are short on time, use foil-wrapped little chocolate Easter eggs instead and proceed directly to decorating or attaching them on the cookies.
- Consider fair trade chocolate options or homemade chocolate kisses as ethical alternatives to commercial chocolates used.
- For packing and shipping, layer cookies with wax paper between and add crinkled tissue paper between the top layer and lid to prevent movement and damage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 108 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 25 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
