Easy Football Brownies (Without A Cookie Cutter)
For my annual Super bowl party, the food is always a big part of the game day festivities. Between the ribs, wings, mac and cheese and these easy football brownies, no-one leaves hungry.
When I throw my annual Super Bowl party, I like to come up with some food items that also go with the decor.
But I don’t want to spend a lot of time making them.
Which is why these football shaped brownies (or are they cookies?) are made with a boxed mix, and icing that comes in a tube.
So they’re super simple to make. You don’t even need a cookie cutter!
And they always go over well with the football crowd.
Ingredients
This post may contain affiliate links. We make a small commission if you buy the products from these links (at no extra cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. But we only recommend products we would use ourselves. For more information, click here to see our disclosures.
- brownie box mix – I used this one* with walnuts from Duncan Hines, but you can use whatever mix you want.
- cake mix ingredients – most boxed mixes use an egg, oil and water, but check your box to make sure that’s what you need.
- white icing – Icing that comes in a tube makes decorating easy. This cookie icing* works well.
How to make football Shaped Brownies (without a cookie cutter)
Prep work
Pre-heat the oven to 350℉.
Spread a sheet of parchment paper over a cookie sheet. This will prevent the brownies from spreading too thin when they bake.
Mix the batter
Since these are box mix brownies, there isn’t much to making them.
Follow the directions on the package to mix the batter. In my case, I needed to add 1 egg, ¼ cup vegetable oil and ¼ cup water.
Of course, if you have a favorite from-scratch brownie recipe, that will work, too.
Make the brownies
To make the brownies, we’re going to put them on a cookie sheet instead of baking them in a pan.
This is so they’ll be easy to shape into a football without needing a cookie cutter. (They won’t be quite as thick as regular brownies, but they still taste like them!)
To do this, use a large spoon to scoop balls of the dough onto a cookie sheet.
Space them about 2 inches apart so they have a little room to spread out.
Bake, shape and cool
Bake the brownies at 350℉ for about 20 minutes. The exact length of time will depend on how large you made them. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
As soon as you take them out of the oven, gently squeeze in the sides of the brownies so they are oval shaped instead of round. (Be careful not to burn your fingers!)
If you want the ends of your brownie footballs to be more pointed, you can pinch them in as well. (I don’t bother with this step).
Put the baking sheet on a wire rack and let them sit until they are completely cool.
Decorate
Finally, we need to add the “laces”. This is what will really make them look like footballs.
Use the icing tube to draw a straight line down the middle (lengthwise) of each brownie.
Then add three shorter crosswise lines to look like the laces on a football.
Other football party recipes you might like
Easy Football Brownies Without A Cookie Cutter
Equipment
- mixer and mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- spoon
- cookie sheet
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 box Brownie mix
- brownie mix ingredients (usually an egg, vegetable oil and water)
- 1 tube White decorating icing
Instructions
- Mix the brownies in an electric mixer and mixing bowl, following the instructions on the box.
- Place spoonfuls of the mixture on cookie sheets like you would to make cookies.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the brownies comes out clean.
- Immediately after taking them out of the oven, gently squeeze in opposite sides of the cookie so that they form ovals instead of circles. (Be careful not to burn your fingers.)
- Place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack and let the brownies cool completely before decorating.
- Once they have cooled, add laces with the white icing. To do this, draw a line down the middle of the brownie lengthwise and add three shorter lines across it.
Notes
- If you want your footballs to be more pointed, pinch the ends with your fingers while they are still warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have you tried our super easy football brownies recipe? Rate it in the section below.
This post was originally published on January 20, 2019 but was updated with new content on February 20, 2023.