Description

These Baseball Sugar Cookies are the perfect treat for sports fans, Little League parties, or game day celebrations. Soft, buttery sugar cookies are cut into round shapes and decorated with crisp white royal icing and hand-piped red stitches to look just like real baseballs. The cookies hold their shape beautifully when baked and offer a smooth surface ideal for decorating. Whether you’re making these as party favors, personalized gifts, or just a fun weekend baking project, these cookies are a guaranteed home run. Great for bakers of all skill levels, with detailed tips for flawless dough, clean icing work, and creative design ideas.

Ingredients

Scale

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

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.

Notes

Chill time matters: Don’t skip chilling the dough—it helps cookies keep their shape.
Icing consistency is key: Use a thicker consistency for outlining and a thinner one for flooding the cookie surface.
Make ahead tip: Both dough and baked cookies (undecorated) can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Storage: Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Kid-friendly version: Skip the piping bags and let kids decorate with edible markers or colored sugar.
Customization ideas: Use jersey-shaped cookie cutters or add team logos and player names for a personalized touch.