• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream softened unsalted butter (½ cup, 1 stick), light brown sugar (½ cup), and granulated sugar (¼ cup) for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg (1 large), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and light corn syrup (2 tablespoons) and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything can combine.
• Add in baking soda (¼ teaspoon) and salt (¼ teaspoon) and mix for another 5-10 seconds until combined.
• Lastly, add dark cocoa powder (½ cup) and all-purpose flour (1 ¼ cups) and mix on medium until combined.
• Press mixture into large ball so that it is all incorporated and any loose floury pieces are pressed in. Knead dough for 5-10 seconds until it becomes a smooth ball. Use a rolling pin to roll dough ⅜" to ½" thick. This is a stickier dough that isn't a traditional roll-out dough , so you will need add a little flour on top to avoid sticking.
• Use cookie cutters or the circle cup hack shown in the blog post above to cut out. Transfer to a parchment baking sheet.
• Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, based on cookie size. Do not overbake. Allow to fully cool before decorating.

To Make Chocolate Ganache:

• In a medium-sized, heat-safe bowl (cereal bowl sized), place semi-sweet chocolate chips (¾ cup).
• In a separate medium-sized bowl or large liquid measuring cup, heat heavy cream (¼ cup) in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until it begins to bubble (it’s important that your measuring cup or bowl is at least 4x taller than the milk line, as it will expand when it’s heating and can easily overflow). You can also heat this on the stove; remove it once it begins to steam.
• Use a hot pad to carefully remove milk from the microwave and pour over the chocolate chips (do not stir yet!). Use a fork to press down the chips so that they're fully covered with the cream.

  Allow to sit for about 3 minutes, then use a fork to stir; it will be thick and will likely look like it's not going to mix together but keep at it until smooth & creamy.

  If your mixture doesn't melt down, microwave in 10 second increments at 50% power, stirring in between each increment until smooth.

To make white icing:

• In a small bowl, add powdered sugar (1 cup), light corn syrup (1½ teaspoons), and hot water (1 tablespoon). Mix until smooth and thick. Add drops of hot water needed to thin it out. Note that you want this to be pretty thick so that it keeps its line shape when piped.

To decorate:

• Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of chocolate ganache on each cookie, let firm up, then pipe white lines on top to create football laces.
• I recommend refrigerate the cookies as they get even better & fudgier when chilled! You can also keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days, if desired.