cookies help

I love to cook and bake. But for the life of me I cannot make sugar cookies. I can follow a recipe to perfection, so what gives?

My cookies are always too spread out. What am I doing wrong? Also how do you frost them so they look good? Seriously, mine look like a 3 year old broke open a jar of frosting and just made a mess. I tried using the back of a spoon. I let them cool 15 minutes. Was that not long enough?

Re: cookies help

Are your cookie sheets completely cool when you put your cut out dough on them? If they are still warm, your cookies will start to spread before they even start baking. I usually chill mine in the fridge or even freezer before I start baking and in between batches (and line with parchment).

Also, the butter may be too soft from handling the dough, re-rolling, etc., so you should try chilling your dough before you bake it off (chill the cut outs).

And make sure your oven is completely preheated/up to temp before putting your cookies in.

Even doing all of that, sometimes mine still spread!

As far as decorating, I've seen it done on TV where you pipe an outline around the edge of the sugar cookie and then fill in the colored icing. It keeps it very neat. I don't have the time/patience to do that kind of stuff esp. with my almost 4 y.o. "helping"! So I've started doing easier decorations... sprinkling with colored sugars, sprinkles, decorating with chocolate chips/m & ms, even putting food coloring in different batches of dough (to make green Christmas trees, yellow bells, red candy canes, etc.!).

Re: cookies help

follow SugarBelle's Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing Recipes

these are the best. I watched all her tutorials..this woman is amazing. I always stunk at sugar cookies and decorating them....and have gotten SOOO much better since I followed this woman's cookie and icing recipe. she has trick on how to pipe the outline...then thin it out for the inside..

Definitely watch her videos/see her pics..they are really helpful!

these are the cookies i made for my flower bouquets at my DD's christening..it was my first try at Sugar Belle's recipe

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Re: cookies help

Thanks so much for the links. I think I can see my mistakes. I need to wait a day between making the cookies and frosting them. I also need to use two different types of icing (the lining and the flood type). I was only using the flood type. I also need to figure out how to prevent the cookie spread and will watch her video to see what I am doing incorrectly. By the way, your cookies were outstanding.

Re: cookies help

Like Christine said, make sure the dough is chilled to prevent spreading. The baked cookies should also be completely cooled before icing. If I'm doing the base of a cookie all one color, I usually pipe & flood...if I'm in a rush/lazy, I just spread the royal icing with the back of a spoon and pipe on details. I don't have pics of just cookies on this comp. but here's a pic of some baking from last X-Mas...you can see my rush job on the stockings

Message edited 11/30/2012 8:32:17 PM.

Re: cookies help

I use Wilton's shortbread cookie recipe....they don't spread at all!

Re: cookies help