You will need:

• 1 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 1 1/2 C powder sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tarter
• 3 C flour

Cookie cutter: Football

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a standing mixer, cream together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract and egg and mix until combined
• In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tarter. Mix until combined
• Gradually mix in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until combined
• Lightly flour a cutting board and begin to knead the dough until the dough is smooth
• Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick
• Using the cookie cutter, cut out the shapes and place onto the cookie sheet about 1 inch apart
• Bake in the oven for 8 minutes
• Pull out of the oven and cool completely

Royal Icing ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 2 C powder sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• two piping bags fitted with the number 2 tip
• Brown gel food coloring
• Brown cake spray
• 2 bowls to mix the color in
• 2 Squeeze bottles for the thinned icing
• Black edible marker pen

Directions:

• Using the standing mixer, combine the powder sugar, egg whites, cream of tarter and vanilla and mix on medium speed
• If the royal icing is still a yellow soup, add in 1/2 C powder sugar
• Continue to mix until you get stiff peaks
• Divide the icing between the two bowls
• Add several drops of the brown gel coloring into one bowl and mix until combined
• Leave the second bowl white
• Scoop a little bit of the brown icing into one piping bag and set aside
• Scoop a little bit of the white icing into the second piping bag and set aside
• Mix in 2 tsp of water into the white and brown icing and mix until combined
• Pour the brown and white icing into 1 each of the squeeze bottles

Decorating Directions:

• Using the edible marker, draw out where your white lines on the football will go
  
• Using the white icing bag, pipe the outline for the white lines
  
• Using the white icing in the squeeze bottle, fill in the white outlines
  
• Using the brown icing, pipe an outline around edge of the football and white lines
  
• Fill in with the thinned brown icing
  
• Allow to completely dry for 4 hours before doing the final detail
• Once dried, pipe a brown line across the middle and pipe small dots into the middle lower section of the football
• Using the white icing, pipe the white lines on the top of the football
• Allow to dry for 30 minutes
• Using the brown cake spray, spray around the edges of the cookie to give it an old and dirty look
• Allow to dry for 10 minutes before enjoying!