Basketball Sugar Cookies
These soft, fluffy basketball sugar cookies are loaded with sweet flavor and decorated to look just like basketballs. They're the perfect addition to any sports-themed gathering.
These delicious cookies are actually the same recipe as my baseball sugar cookies. They're just decorated differently. I love to bring these to March Madness parties, birthday parties for basketball players, and even showers. They're so good, and everyone is always happy to see them.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's an incredibly easy recipe that only uses a handful of ingredients.
- These delicious sugar cookies are soft and delicious.
- The basketball decoration is easy to make.
Top Tip
Your dough will be crumbly. Don't assume you have to add liquid to smooth it out. You'll do that by rolling the dough into balls.
Ingredients
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make these cookies. You probably have most of them in your kitchen right now. If you don't, they're all readily available at your local grocery store.
For the Cookies
- Powdered sugar
- Butter, softened
- Flour
For the Icing
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Orange food coloring gel
- Black decorating icing
Instructions
These cookies are super easy to make. It only takes a few simple steps! I'm hitting the highlights below, but you'll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
1: Combine the sugar cookie ingredients.
2: Scoop out the dough and form it into balls.
3: Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten them with the bottom of a glass. Bake until slightly golden brown and cool completely.
4: Combine the icing ingredients in a bowl and dip the tops of the cookies into it.
5: Allow the icing to harden, then add the basketball lines with black decorating icing.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sugar Cookie Dough: Use any sugar cookie recipe or refrigerated sugar cookie dough you like.
- Plain: Make these cookies without icing or with plain vanilla icing for any occasion.
- Any Holiday: Use various food colorings to match any holiday theme.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowl
- Hand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Storage
On the Counter: Store for about 3 days in an air-tight container on the counter.
Refrigerator: Store for up to a week in an air-tight container.
Freezer: Open-air freeze the cookies, then place them in single layers separated by wax paper in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead: Make these cookies up to a day in advance.
What to Serve with These Cookies
These cookies are delicious with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. They also work well with any of your other favorite desserts at gatherings of any kind.
Tips:
- Fully soften your butter before creaming so you have a fully homogenized dough with no chunks of raw butter.
- The dough is supposed to be coarse. Don't add any liquid to try to smooth it out.
- These cookies are perfectly baked when they just begin to turn golden. Any longer, and they'll burn.
FAQ
You can make as much of this dough as you need. The amounts never change.
These cookies have no leavening, which means the shape they're baked at is the shape at which they'll stay. You have to flatten them out to get a cookie shape.
If your icing became a runny mess, your cookies were probably still a little warm. If your cookies are even a little warm, the icing won't stick to them.
More Delicious Cookies
Recipe Name
Ready to bake these cute cookies? Then print the recipe card below.
Basketball Sugar Cookies
These basketball sugar cookies are perfect for game days, sports-themed parties, or baby showers. They're so easy and so delicious.
Ingredients
- Cookie Ingredients:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups flour
- Icing Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Orange food coloring gel
- black frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar together for about 2 minutes or untilcreamy.
- Add flour and beat again. Dough will be powder-like, however, it will take shape after beating forabout 2-3 minutes.
- Form 1-inch balls of dough and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
- Using a flat-bottom glass lightly spray with cooking spray, flatten dough balls until they are about1⁄4-inch thick.
- Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
- To prepare frosting, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together. (If icing is too thick, add more milk. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar.)
- Add orange food coloring gel until desired color is reached. The amount will depend on the type of food coloring you use.
- Dip cooled cookies into icing. Allow excess icing to drip off.
- Allow icing to harden.
- Add lines to basketball with black frosting.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 177Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 21mgSodium 75mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 0gSugar 15gProtein 2g
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