These baseball sugar cookies are sure to be a home run with any baseball fan! They use my favorite easy-to-make sugar cookie recipe and delicious vanilla-almond buttercream to transform these cute cookies into a delicious decorated treat.
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Why I Love This Baseball Cookies
- Soft & moist texture: The uses my soft frosted sugar cookie recipe which is a thick cookie that is soft and moist. It has a buttery & slightly chewy inside reminiscent of the cakey Lofthouse cookies...but better!
- Quick to make: Unlike fancy sugar cookies, you can whip these up in no time. No need to even chill dough! We're using a freezer frosting technique to get a super smooth and flat top.
- Fun to decorate: follow my easy step-by-step instructions to decorate these baseball themed cookies with my favorite buttercream frosting! You can even customize the colors or design for your favorite baseball team.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in most of my baking but if you only have salted, you can use that and simply omit the salt.
- Sugar: you'll need both powdered sugar and granulated sugar for these sugar cookies. Using mostly powdered sugar in the dough is what gives us a super soft cookie texture. Do not replace this with all granulated sugar, as the taste, texture, and appearance will greatly vary.
- Egg: the egg helps bind our dough together and keep the cookies moist!
- Extracts: I use both vanilla extract and almond extract. The almond extract gives the cookies an incredible sugar cookie flavor, so I don't recommend omitting it unless you have a nut allergy or aversion to almond extract. It truly makes them so good!
- Light corn syrup: We're only using 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup in this recipe but it gives the cookies that special, moist texture and also helps the cookies stay moist for days...a must when giving them as gifts! If you don't want to use it, you can replace it with thick honey or just leave it out entirely (FYI that light corn syrup is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup!). But if you've made my cosmic brownie cookies, you know how much of a difference just a little corn syrup can make!
- Baking powder: make sure to use baking powder not baking soda! Also, make sure your baking powder is fresh (opened within the last 3 months). I like to write the date on the top of the can with a sharpie when I open a new one so I can easily keep track of how long it's been open.
- Flour: I always use all-purpose flour for cookie recipes. I have not tested this recipe with other flour varieties but if you give one a try, be sure to report back! Try to measure the flour correctly, using the spoon-and-level method. Adding too much flour can cause dense and dry cookies.
- Food coloring: I used a combination of Wilton Crimson + Wilton Red to get a deep red color. My favorite food coloring is the Wilton Color Right Set but you can use regular food coloring too.
How to Make These Baseball Sugar Cookies
Step 1: Make dough
Use the recipe below to mix up the sugar cookie dough or use premade dough of your choosing!
Step 2: Roll & Bake
- Scoop cookie dough into 3-tablespoon sized scoops, roll into balls, then gently flatten each dough ball into a ½" thick disc.
- Place on parchment-lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes, or until most of the tops no longer look wet.
- Don't overbake or they won't be soft; they may look slightly underdone in the very center, but they will finish baking on the hot cookie sheet after you take it out of the oven.
- After removing from oven, allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Step 4: Make Frosting
- Make frosting (recipe below) or used canned frosting.
- After mixing the frosting, remove 1 cup and color it red using 4 drops Wilton Crimson + 2 drops Wilton Red.
Tip: I recommend using a stand mixer for this if you have one, as it will make the frosting come together easier. However, if you are using a hand mixer and are having trouble getting it to be light & fluffy, I recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of milk after the powdered sugar to help thin it out.
Step 5: Frost Cookies
- Frost cookies with the white icing using with piping bag and an 809 tip leaving a little space at the edge so that when you smash them down, it spreads more to the edges. Flip over onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet then place in the freezer. This helps to flatten the surface of the cookies before we add our red baseball lines.
- Once cookies are frozen and icing is completely dry, peel up from parchment and lay flat back down on the baking sheet.
Step 6: Add Stitch Lines
- Fill a piping bag with the red icing and add a #5 round piping tip. Use a round cookie cutter to add two curved lines on each cookie to resemble the seams of a baseball. Then, follow the cookie cutter lines to pipe the seam lines.
- Next, pipe 5 short diagonal lines across the two curved lines to represent the stitching.
Tips & Variations
- Butter: Using room temperature butter will give you the best sugar cookie frosting results.
- Food Coloring Gel: The Wilton Color Right Set is my favorite for gel food coloring, but you can use regular food coloring too. Red is a color that will darken as it sits, so don't worry about getting a super vibrant red as it will darken after you frost the cookies.
- Softball cookies: Swap the white icing for yellow icing to make these into cute softball cookies!
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: this sugar cookie frosting recipe is made with butter and powdered sugar which means you can leave it at room temperature for 2-3 days. However, if you don't plan to frost your cookies right away, place the frosting in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. When it's time to frost, let it sit out at room temperature to soften then re-beat it with a mixer to fluff it back up. If you live in a hot climate where the kitchen tends to be warm it's best to store sugar cookie frosting in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: you can freeze these baseball cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month in an airtight container. I suggest freezing them in a single layer layer before stacking. After they're frozen, you can place parchment paper in between each later to prevent them from sticking together.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I make red frosting?
I like using gel food coloring for the deepest red color. Per 1 cup of frosting add 4 drops Wilton Crimson + 2 drops Wilton Red. Since we're only using ½ cup of red for these cookies, we're just doing 2 drops of Crimson + 1 drop of red. If you only have liquid food coloring (from the grocery store), you can use that! Red frosting gets darker over time, so the color will deepen the longer the frosting or cookies sit.
Can I make these cookies in advance?
You sure can! While I think these are best enjoyed within 2-3 days, they will stay soft for 4-5 days.
Can I make these cookies if I don't have a circle cookie cutter?
If you don't have a round cookie cutter, you can cut these baseball cookies without a cutter using a glass cup or even the top of an empty aluminum soup can! Anything round works to make these circle baseball cookies!
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Baseball Sugar Cookies
Whether you're celebrating a little league victory or hosting a world series party, these baseball sugar cookies are sure to be a home run with any baseball fan! They use my favorite easy-to-make sugar cookie recipe and delicious vanilla-almond buttercream to transform these cute cookies into a delicious decorated treat.
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Servings: Large Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (i.e. 1 stick) softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract see substitution notes below
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup Fun fact: this is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup! If desired, can replace with honey or omit.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder not baking soda!
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter (i.e. 2 sticks) softened
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract see substitution notes below
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Decorating
- red food coloring
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick), powdered sugar (¾ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup) on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- While mixer is still on medium speed, add in egg (1 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (½ teaspoon), and light corn syrup (1 tablespoon).
- Once mixed, add in baking powder (1 teaspoon), salt (½ teaspoon), and all-purpose flour (1¾ cups); adding flour half-cup at a time on low speed.Mix until all flour disappears (it may look crumbly at first but will come together). When pinched between your fingers, dough should be similar to a thick playdoh consistency.
- Scoop dough into 3-tablespoon sized scoops, roll into balls, then gently flatten each dough ball into a ½" thick disc. Place on parchment-lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes, or until most of the tops no longer look wet.Don't overbake or they won't be soft; they may look slightly underdone in the very center, but they will finish baking on the hot cookie sheet after you take it out of the oven. (Of course, because ovens bake differently use your best judgment to keep them in a minute longer if they look severely under baked.)
- After removing from oven, allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To Make Frosting:
- Note before you start: I recommend using a stand mixer for this if you have one, as it will make the frosting come together easier. However, if you are using a hand mixer and are having trouble getting it to be light & fluffy, I recommend adding 1-2 teaspoons of milk after the powdered sugar to help thin it out.
- In a large mixing bowl, add unsalted butter (1 cup, i.e. 2 sticks), vanilla extract (2 teaspoon), almond extract (½ teaspoon), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Cream together on medium speed for 30 seconds, or until blended together.
- On medium/low speed begin adding in powdered sugar (3 cups); half-cup at a time until all is incorporated.
- Turn mixer to high speed, and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. If needed, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of milk to help thin it out.
- After mixing the frosting, remove 1 cup and color it red using 4 drops Wilton Crimson + 2 drops Wilton Red.
Frost Cookies:
- Frost cookies with the white icing using with piping bag and an 809 tip leaving a little space at the edge so that when you smash them down, it spreads more to the edges. Flip over onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet then place in the freezer. This helps to flatten the surface of the cookies before we add our red baseball lines.
- Once cookies are frozen and icing is completely dry, peel up from parchment and lay flat back down on the baking sheet.
- Fill a piping bag with the red icing and add a #5 round piping tip. Use a round cookie cutter to add two curved lines on each cookie to resemble the seams of a baseball. Then, follow the cookie cutter lines to pipe the seam lines.
- Next, pipe 5 short diagonal lines across the two curved lines to represent the stitching. Let icing dry and store in airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for later.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
Almond Extract: If you don't like the flavor or have an almond allergy, you can definitely leave out the almond extract. But it does give these cookies lots of sugar cookie flavor, so I don't suggest skipping it!
Light Corn Syrup: We're only using 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup in this recipe but it gives the cookies that special, moist texture and also helps the cookies stay moist for days...a must when giving them as gifts! If you don't want to use it, you can replace it with thick honey or just leave it out entirely (FYI that light corn syrup is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup!). But if you've made my cosmic brownie cookies, you know how much of a difference just a little corn syrup can make!
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg
Turned out so cute! I’m using them for a t-ball snack. I love using almond extract so they tasted amazing to me!!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Lindsay!
How long do you leave frosted cookies in freezer?
They don't need too long, about an hour is usually enough!
Loved the cookies- the taste is delicious and one of the easiest sugar cookie recipes I’ve ever used. The frosting is delicious too especially when wanting to decorate without the tedious time it takes for royal icing! Thank you!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Rachael! Thank you so much for leaving a review!