How to Make a Football Cookie Cutter

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Attention all football fans! Here is a cheap and effective way to create bite-sized football shapes for your upcoming Super Bowl parties. Why go to Michael’s and buy cookie cutters when you can make your own cookie cutters with what you already have in the pantry. Okay, maybe you can’t make that many cookie cutter shapes by hand, especially the intricate ones with a million corners. And if you’re not feeling crafty and instead prefer to buy, I highly recommend Wilton cookie cutters: Wilton 4 Piece Football Cookie Cutter Set.

But for funsies, why not make your own? A football shape is so simple to re-create since it’s really just an oval with pointed corners.

All you need is a small can of tomato paste, about 5 to 6 ounces, which is usually on sale for under $1. Don’t go using a 15-ounce can or even a small can of tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Can size actually matters here. The standard can size is much too big, and what we want to do is create a bite-sized football.

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Let’s start by removing the label from the can and any remaining pieces of glue or adhesive. Grab a can opener and remove the top lid. Scoop out all of the tomato paste and transfer to a bowl for later cooking use. Not sure what to make? Check out my baked turkey meatball recipe! Tomato paste adds great depth of flavor.

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After you’ve emptied the can, clean thoroughly with soapy water. Flip the can upside down and remove the bottom lid to make a hollow cylinder. Clean and dry to ensure no residue remains.

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Great. You’ve got a clean can! See that middle seam holding the can together? Center that edge and squeeze the can down as much as you can.

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If you’re strong, you can use your fingers and really squeeze the side corners down to create clean pointed ends.

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Press down more and more throughout the length of the entire can so that the whole thing takes on a football shape.

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If it’s really hard to create sharp corners, feel free to use pliers.

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Of course footballs don’t look like Hey Arnold!’s head. It’s more like Stewie Griffin’s head. Once you have your sharp corners, stretch the can open for a rounder shape.

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Nice. Looks exactly like Stewie. If you’re not making football-shaped food for the Super Bowl, you could throw a Family Guy party instead.

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