Basketball Hoop Cookies with Gusher Basketballs

More About This Recipe

• She shoots…she scores!
  
  And the crowd goes wild—for Basketball Hoop Cookies, that is! I don’t know about you, but where I come from, March Madness is an institution. In fact, even as I entered the “real world,” my office would sometimes take a break during March to watch some b-ball in the conference room. And let’s not talk about the office brackets—those could really get intense!
  
  With March Madness approaching, I wanted to create something sweet for this celebrated month. So I grabbed a Pillsbury sugar cookie log and went to town making some sporty cookies perfect for any basketball fan.
  
  To make your fantastic Basketball Hoop Cookies, start by rolling out your cookie dough. Make large square cookies either by cutting into a square shape or using a square cutter. This will be your “backboard.” For the hoop, I suggest using a U-shape cookie cutter if you have one.
  
  Serving these cookies on a stick makes this treat even more fun, so place a lollipop stick on the back of the square and secure it with more cookie dough. To help the cookies keep their shape, freeze the tray of uncooked, shaped dough for about 20 minutes before baking.
  
  Let the cookies cool and then use white icing for the backboard; I like Pillsbury’s vanilla. Placing a generous amount of frosting on either tip of the U-shape, place the “hoop” on the backboard. Then create a square on the backboard using orange icing.
  
  Let cookies dry overnight so the hoop has a chance to set on the backboard.
  
  For the basketballs, orange Gushers are perfect, plus you can just eat the other colors. If you haven’t had a Gusher in a while, you should try it; they are just as delicious as I remember.
  
  While you’re watching basketball, you can play basketball…with cookies! Seems like a win-win to me.
  
  If the basketball hoop cookie seems a little too labor intensive, make basketball shaped cookies. These are super easy. Just make round sugar cookies, ice with orange icing and pipe on black icing for the lines on the basketball.
  
  Or make both! No matter who you’re pulling for in your office pool this year, everyone’s pulling for cookies, so serve up these treats for a winning game!
  
  While you're at it, try these Basketball Cupcakes for even more sweet fun on game day!