To mark the end of our Little League season this year, I created Baseball Cookies for each of the kids on my son’s team.
How to Make Baseball Cookies:
I use this great recipe that I found for cut out cookies: No Fail Sugar Cookies, which originally came from Kitchengifts.com. I make giant five-inch diameter Baseball Cookies- using a tupperware bowl as my cut-out tool.
I use KitchenGift’s tip for rolling out dough without the mess: Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to the desired thickness, then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Re-roll leftover dough and repeat the process. Add added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies. This process works WONDERFULLY!
Martha Stewart’s Royal Icing works really well for decorator cookies. I make the whole batch and then divide it up into 3 tupperware bowls. Place the lids on each until ready to use or they’ll begin to harden. With icing tub #1, I pipe all of the edges on first and let those dry a little bit. Then I thin out icing tub #1 slightly and used it to flood the centers. If you give it enough time, it hardens nicely.
To make nice, even arcs for the stitching on the baseball cookies, I use the edge of the same tupperware that I use to cut out the cookies to make impressions.
With icing tub #2, I mix in 1 bottle of red food coloring to get a nice dark red color. If you use too little, you’ll end up with magenta stitches. Boys don’t like magenta! Then I pipe red icing into the impressions, and also add the stitches.
Icing tub #3 is mixed with blue food coloring. Each Baseball Cookie can be personalized with a name and a number.
I make nice, thick 5-inch cookies… and I end up with about 18. It’s nice to have a couple extra ones because it’s inevitable that one of them will get messed up at some point during the decorating process.
If you’ve got 24 hours to let these dry completely, you’ll end up with icing that hardens nicely. I’m sometimes in a bit of a rush when I make these, so I use a table fan to dry them (and that works just fine too.) Each cookie can be slipped into its own quart-sized baggie and they are good to go.
Our little league final season game was a tie (happy kids all around!) The boys loved their Baseball Cookies. And they especially enjoyed the fact that they were personalized. The moms and dads who stole bites from their kid’s cookies noted how delicious they were. And many of the parents asked me where I purchased the cookies.
Baseball Cookies
Recipe Details
Ingredients
COOKIES:
- 2 cups butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
ICING:
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder (see recipe notes below)
- 1/2 cup water
- liquid or gel paste food coloring (red for laces + one more color)
Instructions
MAKE THE COOKIES:
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see recipe notes below).
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Make sure you let your oven preheat for at least 1/2-hour before baking these or any other cookies.
- Roll to desired thickness and cut into baseball shapes. I make giant, five-inch diameter cookies- using a tupperware bowl as my cut-out tool. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown around the edges. (longer time for thicker cookies) Gently remove cookies with a spatula and let them cool on wire racks.
MAKE THE ICING:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, meringue powder, and a scant 1/2 cup water on low speed. Beat until mixture is fluffy yet dense, 7 to 8 minutes.
- To thin the icing for flooding (filling in areas with a thin layer of icing), stir in additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Test the consistency by lifting a spoonful of icing and letting it drip back into the bowl; a ribbon should remain on the surface for 5 to 7 seconds.
DECORATE:
- Divide the icing into 3 tupperware bowls. Place the lids on each until ready to use or they’ll begin to harden. With icing tub #1, pipe all of the edges on first (around the edge of the round cookie) and let those dry a little bit. Then thin out icing tub #1 slightly and use it to flood the centers. Just spoon it into the middle of the cookie and gently spread to the dried edges. If you give it enough time, it hardens nicely.
- Before the white icing hardens completely, make arcs for the stitching on the baseball. I use the edge of the same tupperware that I use to cut out the cookies to make arc impressions.
- With icing tub #2, I mix in 1 bottle of red food coloring to get a nice dark red color. If you use too little, you’ll end up with magenta stitches. Boys don’t like magenta! Then I pipe red icing into the impressions, and also add the stitches.
- Icing tub #3 can be mixed with whatever food coloring you want (team color, perhaps). Each cookie can be personalized with a name and a number. Let them all dry thoroughly before trying to package them. 24 hours is great, if you have the time.
Notes
- Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll it out to the desired thickness, then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Re-roll leftover dough and repeat the process. Add added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.
- You can find meringue powder at a craft store like Michaels- in the baking section (or a baking supply store). It's essential for this recipe.
I am so thankful to find your recipe! Can’t wait to make them for our team this weekend. Thanks for such a detailed idea.
These are adorable, and I plan to make them for my son’s after game snack. But I have a question…I need to make these 5 days in advance. How should I store them? Fridge or airtight container at room temp?
Wrapped and sealed, they should be fine at room temp for 5 days… or here are instructions on freezing: http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2012/05/yes-you-can-freeze-decorated.html
Do not refrigerate them… it will ruin the icing.
Have you talked to Lydia about her Drop In & Decorate organization? You should host a party, you obviously have the skills! It’s http://www.dropinanddecorate.org.
Your son is a lucky little guy!
Quite possibly the cutest cookies ever.
First time I visited you- I’ll be back!
And I linked you on my food blog- hope that’s ok.
What a great idea for cookies! Next time I head out to the ball game, I will definitely make these to take along!
Those cookies look great! My son is about to turn 10 and have a b-day bash playing baseball with all his friends. I was just thinking that I hadn’t thought about goodies yet. Hmmm.
Those cookies are AMAZING! Your piping skills…wow. Very well done. (and they were probably a lot more fun than that opera cake).
Hi… would you like to adpot me? 😀
Haha… the cookies look awesome! I only have the patience to decorate cookies in Christmas… the rest of the year is mainly plain cookies and if you cought me in a good mood you might get sprinkles, but that’s as good as it gets! Great job… and thanks for sharing the rolling tip. I’ll have in mind… for Christmas time XD
You are the coolest mom! What a delightful idea; I’m sure the kiddies loved them.
Those cookies look wonderful! I bet those went over very well
Totally adorable! I’ll have to make these during my little guy’s next baseball season. Really cute!
You should be voted “Mom of the Year”. Very cute and original.
Mark
God, what a great job; I can only imagine the reaction of the boys!
Ahh, so sorry you missed this month’s DBC – I know that your opera cake would have been a gorgeous sight to see!! But hey, your baseball sugar cookies are stunning; and hooray for happy little baseball players!! No doubt they’d love those cookies :0)
Cute looking cookies! I would say too cute to eat:)
These are too adorable! How DO you find the time????? You are an artist as well as a chef.
WOW oh WOW what delighful cookies!! Your icing skills are fantastic and what a great mom you are!! 🙂
Rosie x
Those look great Lori! So professional looking! I’ll bet the boys on the team think you’re the coolest Mom around 🙂
Val
too cute RecipeGirl
You are such a good mom!!!!!
These are perfect! I have to bring the snack for the last game party on Saturday so now I will be making these!!!!! Thank you, thank you!
Lucky little guys! I love the tip for using the tupperware to make the stitch lines perfect. I should have done that when I was piping my little girl’s tennis ball candies.
Adorable. I love the stitches!
I would’ve asked you where you purchased these cookies too! They look great! 🙂 Your son must be so happy to have you as a mom :D!
Too cute! They turned out perfect!
Nice job, so cute! I love how you made the impresion with the edge of the bowl, brilliant! I say that because I once made baseball cookies and freeformed it, and they all looked so different and kind of lame. Yours looks so professional!
These are too cute!! I am saving this for one day when I have kids. I know I won’t have a son in little league for years, but these are too cute NOT to remember!!
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What a labor of love! I’m not surprised they thought you bought them…they look incredible!
Those are adorable! How funny that they thought you bought them!
You’re just like Martha Stewart! Seriously. If I made these, they would look bad, because I would mess them up.
These cookies are so cute!
My son plays for the Angels in our League too! I love these and now plan to make them for his party. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re such a cute mom! I’m sure the team loved them. I wouldn’t want to eat mine!
Really lovely!!! What you think if I make the football cookies???? Gerardo Jr. is a football fanatic!!But these look wonderful!!! xxGloria
Wow! How cute are these? I bet the they went down a storm – great idea!!
Beautiful! I love sugar cookies and icing… thanks for the links to the recipes. Can’t wait to try it out!
You are too cute! I wish our boys were on a team together…. My goodness! I bet they loved how you personalized each cookie for them. I’m such a bad mom, I would have eaten my son’s…. Is that so wrong? Great job & sorry you missed the DB challenge – tough time of the year.
xoxox Amy
My wife has done gingerbread men as place cards for family dinners and once presented my surgeon with gingerbread men in scrub suits along with sugar cookie hands. He was operating on my hand.
She did request that they refrain from getting crumbs in the incission.
I love this idea! Our last game is on June 14th… so, maybe I can get my act together and try to make these for my son’s team. I know they’d love them! I love that you shared all the steps to making them, too!
you possess some unbelievably steady and strong hands–the cookies are perfect. 🙂
Now that is a challenge! And the players must have been proud to have their own cookie!
These are so cute! And the step by step instructions are wonderful!
How adorable are those cookies!!!! Mom of the year!!
What a wonderful mom you are! I bet your kids are so proud of what a wonderful baker their mom is!
Too bad you weren’t able to do the opera this month. What adorable cookies though!!