Why You’ll Love These Cookie Dough Footballs

Wondering what to make for game day? Here are just a few reasons why these edible mini footballs are perfect for the occasion.

• Cute as can be. If you love football as much as I do (or even if you don’t honestly), you’re going to love these. They actually look like cute little footballs!
• You mean I can eat raw cookie dough!? Yes! This recipe allows you to fulfill your inner child’s dreams of scarfing down raw cookie dough. In this case, though, it’s actually safe to eat.
• Easy (and fun) no-bake magic. Aside from a little finagling with melting chocolate, this recipe is easy to pull together. You don’t even have to turn on the oven! It’s also wonderfully interactive. The perfect edible arts and crafts project.

Is Cookie Dough Safe To Eat?

Cookie dough can be safe to eat raw if you take the right precautions. The cookie dough in this recipe certainly is. Here’s why.

• The flour is heat treated. To ensure flour is safe to consume raw, you need to bake it (or microwave it) until it reaches 160°F. This kills off harmful bacteria such as e. colli and salmonella. Check out my post on How to Heat Treat Flour to learn how it’s done.
• No eggs. Raw eggs can carry salmonella, so it’s best to leave them out of any sweet treat you plan on eating raw. There are no eggs in this cookie dough.

Recipe Ingredients

Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need to make these fun, festive chocolate chip cookie dough footballs. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.

• Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature. Otherwise, it won’t mix properly with the sugars.
• Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – I used both. The brown sugar adds a richness to the cookie dough that you wouldn’t get if you only used granulated sugar.
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour properly to achieve the optimal texture for your cookie dough. You will also need to heat-treat and cool your flour before using it to kill off any harmful bacteria.
• Salt – For flavor. Without it, the cookie dough would be bland.
• Water – If the cookie dough is having a hard time sticking together, you’ll need to add a little water.
• Mini chocolate chips – I highly recommend the minis over the full-sized ones. The full-sized chocolate chips are a little overwhelming and too big for shaping nice looking footballs.
• Melting chocolate – White melting chocolate for the laces and chocolate melting chocolate for the rest. I highly recommend you use proper melting chocolate as opposed to white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I like the Ghirardelli brand, but there’s also almond bark, Candiquick and Wilton candy melts, among others.

How To Make Cookie Dough Footballs

Here’s an overview of how to make these game day treats with some great step-by-step photos. Take a look at the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.

• Make the cookie dough. Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla followed by the flour and salt.
• Get the texture right. If the dough is having a hard time coming together, mix in a tablespoon or 2 of water.

• Add the chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Make the footballs. Form the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized footballs and arrange them on a plate.
• Chill. Refrigerate the footballs for a couple of hours.

• Coat the footballs in chocolate. Melt the chocolate according to package directions and set out a piece of parchment paper. Use a toothpick to dip each football into the chocolate to coat it. Tap off any excess chocolate and set the footballs on the parchment paper.

• Clean things up. For each football, carefully remove the toothpick and use it to tap a little chocolate into the hole it left. Use the toothpick to draw a line around the base of the football where it meets the parchment paper to separate the excess chocolate from the sides of the football.

• Let things set. Allow the chocolate time to dry completely and then transfer the footballs to a clean piece of parchment paper.
• Decorate. Melt the white chocolate and pipe on the football laces. Allow the chocolate to dry completely.
• Serve. Serve at room temperature.

Tips for Success

• Measure your flour correctly. Use a food scale or the spoon and level method to ensure you get the proper amount of flour in your cookie dough. Too much flour will give you a dry cookie dough. Check out my tutorial on How to Measure Flour Correctly for more.
• Heat treat your flour. Don’t forget to heat treat your flour and allow it to cool before using. This will ensure it is free of harmful bacteria so you can eat the cookie dough raw. My post on How to Heat Treat Flour will walk you through how to do it.
• Don’t skip the chill. The cookie dough footballs need some time to firm up in the fridge before you coat them in chocolate. Otherwise, they will have a hard time staying on a toothpick to be dipped into the chocolate.
• Pick the right bowl. Melt the chocolate in a small to medium-sized bowl so that the chocolate is deep enough for dipping.
• Quality chocolate. Not all chocolate is created equal and some will make the dipping process much easier than others. I like the Ghirardelli brand melting chocolate, but there’s also Candiquick, Wilton candy melts and others.
• Easy peal. Once you place the freshly dipped footballs on the parchment paper, use a toothpick to create a line between the chocolate on the football and the excess chocolate on the parchment paper. This will help you remove the footballs from the parchment paper cleanly.

Fun Variations

Feeling creative? Don’t be afraid of branching out from my original recipe. Here are some fun ideas to get you inspired.

• Try a different dipping method. I like to use a toothpick to dip my footballs in chocolate but you could also use a fork. Wilton even has some handy chocolate dipping tools you could try.
• Change shape. Not a football fan? You can use this method to make pretty much any shape you’d like. You could make chocolate-coated cookie dough balls and decorate them with edible sprinkles!
• Black and white swap. If you’d like to coat some of your footballs in white chocolate and give them brown (chocolate) laces, go for it!
• Play with mix-ins. Not a chocolate chip fan? Use mini M&Ms or a chopped candy bar of your choosing instead of mini chocolate chips.
• Try a different cookie dough. You can make pretty much any cookie dough recipe safe to eat raw by omitting the eggs and heat-treating the flour. Snickerdoodle? Oatmeal raisin? Chocolate chocolate chip? Pick your favorite, shape it into footballs, and decorate as you normally would.

Proper Storage

• Refrigerator. Once the chocolate has solidified, you can seal the cookie dough footballs in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• Freezer. Arrange the cookie dough footballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up. Then, load them into a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Note that these sweet treats are best enjoyed at room temperature so they aren’t too firm, so allow them to sit on the counter for an hour or so before diving in.

More Cookie Dough Desserts

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Layer Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownie Layer Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pizza

Watch How To Make Them

Read Transcript

Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Footballs

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 3 reviews

• Author: Lindsay Conchar
• Prep Time: 2 1/2 hours
• Chill Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 3 1/2 hours
• Yield: 25 footballs
• Category: Dessert
• Method: No Bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

These cookie dough footballs are the perfect treat for game day! Eggless edible chocolate chip cookie dough is shaped into mini footballs, coated in rich chocolate, and decorated with cute little white chocolate laces. So fun!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (158g) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (52g) sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour, heat-treated (measured correctly)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1–2 tbsp water, if needed
• 1 1/2 cups (211g) mini chocolate chips
• 16 oz chocolate melting chocolate
• 3 oz white melting chocolate

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Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
2. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Add a tablespoon or 2 of water, as needed, to help the cookie dough come together. It will be a little crumbly but should hold together if you press it together into little balls.
4. Add the chocolate chips and use a silicone spatula to fold everything together into a uniform cookie dough.
5. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough, then use your fingers to shape the cookie dough into a football shape. Set on a plate or cookie sheet while you shape the rest.
6. Refrigerate the cookie dough balls for 1-2 hours or until firm. You could also prep these a day ahead and refrigerate them until you’re ready.
7. Melt the chocolate according to package directions. I recommend a small to medium size bowl, so the chocolate is deep enough for dipping. Also set out a piece of parchment paper for the chocolate-dipped balls to dry on.
8. To dip each football, stick a toothpick into the long side of the football. Dip the football into the chocolate, so that it’s completely covered, then gently tap the toothpick on the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
9. Set the football onto the parchment paper and gently twist the toothpick to get it to loosen from the cookie dough, then continue twisting as you remove it. You can use the toothpick to add a touch of chocolate to the hole that was left, or leave it. Use the toothpick to also create a line between the chocolate on the football and the excess chocolate on the parchment paper. This makes it easier to break off the excess chocolate with a clean line after the footballs dry.
10. Allow the chocolate to dry fully, then lift them off of the parchment paper and remove the excess chocolate. Set them on another piece of clean parchment paper or on a cookie sheet.
11. Melt the white chocolate. Add it to a piping bag or squeeze bottle and pipe on the football laces.
12. Allow chocolate to fully dry, then serve or store in an airtight container. If you have leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the fridge. They are best served at room temperature, so they aren’t too firm.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Football
• Calories: 311
• Sugar: 28.7 g
• Sodium: 51.9 mg
• Fat: 16.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 39.2 g
• Protein: 2.1 g
• Cholesterol: 15.3 mg

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Incredible texture. I seriously can’t get enough of how moist and tender this cake is! It might just give my moist chocolate cake a run for its money. It is SUCH a treat to bite into.
• Chocolate-full. Between the rich chocolate cake layers and the velvety smooth chocolate buttercream, this zucchini chocolate cake is a chocolate lover’s dream.
• A great way to use zucchini. This recipe is one of the best uses for zucchini I have ever made. It makes the cake layers so moist, and you won’t even know it’s there!
• Super easy mixing method. This cake batter is so easy to make! Just combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients, and put it all together. You got this!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Great texture. The filling for this cheesecake is so thick and creamy. I used a combination of cream cheese and sour cream for the best, velvety-smooth texture.
• Fun and different. This isn’t your average cheesecake. It’s a fun twist on German Chocolate Cake in cheesecake form. The combination of flavors and textures will wow those that are lucky enough to get a bite.
• The best coconut pecan topping. Rich, sweet, gooey, and totally loaded with coconut flakes and crunchy, toasted pecans, the topping (and middle layer) for this cheesecake is a real winner. Careful not to eat it all with a spoon before it makes it to the cheesecake.