Hello Everyone,
I am going to attempt to make favor cookies for my son't birthday party.
I have made cutout cookies once before, but the dough was a little hard to work with it- kept ripping.

So... I am going to try again, hopefully with better recipes. The cookie cutters I have are large- a bout 3" shaped in crown, '1' and cupcakes.

I would really rather avoid using crisco, and prefer only butter. I would of course like the cookies to be tasty!

Then, for the icing of the cookies... what do you recommend as tasty and easy? rolled fondant? royal icing? I just want to fill in the surface of each cookie with a pastel color. I would need the best recipe for icing that you rec.

Another idea I have is to make simple cookies, and 'glue' on molded chocolates. That I can handle ...

Any help would be great. Thanks!!!!

I hope someone can help me here. I am sure

Hi- I always use this recipe from Wilton. It doesn't need chilling so you can get started right away. It has a wonderful taste and holds up well. I always roll the dough no less than a 1/4 inch. Sometimes for a really large cookie cutter I will roll a little thicker. I bake with parchments on my cookie sheet.
Sugar Cookies: 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp baking powder, 3 cups flour. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour. You don't have to mix too long. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes.
I made 200 cookie favors for my son's wedding and they got raves! Great taste, no breakage- I love this recipe!

I use the No fail Sugar cookie recipe (NFSC). Here is the link http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2055-9-No-Fail-Sugar-Cookies.html
Try Antonia's royal icing as well - also in the recipe section.
The cookies are simple and taste great.

Use the No Fail Sugar Cookie recipe (NFSC) here on CC.It is awesome for cutout cookies.I make mine about 3/8 thick so they don't break.I also use Antonia74 royal Icing cookie icing and Toba's glaze.Wonderful recipes also here on CC...You can't go wrong!!! A few tips....after the cookies have cooled...freeze them.It seems to strengthen them for decorating.You just take them out and decorate...no need to thaw first!! Let the outlines like black dry good and hard before flooding other light colors like white! Make sure you thin the icing down to proper consistency when flooding or the cookies will take forever for the icing to dry if the icing is to thin!! Rule is...thin the royal icing down drop by drop of water and once you lift the spatula and the icing drips back down and disappears into itself and it is smooth it is the right consistency!! Hope that helps!!

I made NFSC and tasted great!, my kids loved them so much that I didn't have time to put the royal icing on them!!!!, they ate them so fast......, well, I learned and next time I'll have the RI ready, it was my first time making sugar cookies and they were a hit.

I also use the NFSC but I use fondant. Make your own though. It tastes much better. Then decorate with R.I.

The NFSC recipe...and I have to vote for Antonia74 icing too, of course!

hah
I love antonia74 icing also. I just never seem to do it justice.

I think you should try the Cake Mix Sugar Cookies in the recipe section. The only thing you need is a white cake mix 1 1/2 sticks of butter and an egg. Very quick and easy to make. I personally like the MMF even though I've only used it once but I love it because its another thing thats quick and easy to make.

Yes they kept their shapes. I made bridal gown cookies (in my pics)...I don't think I'll ever go back to making a sugar cookie from scratch. And I got alot of compliments on the taste. It took less than 5 minutes to get the dough mixed.

COOL!...i bought the stuff to try it out today...i'm cookie rookie, so this looks like it could work out for me THANX!

Penny's cookie recipe is another one a lot of people use. Use the search button and type in Penny's cookie recipe for the link to the southern living magazine article.

I use shortbread for my cookies but if you don't like working with delicate doughs then shortbread might not be the one for you. I just like it because it doesn't spread!

I also like the recipes on www.joyofbaking.com they are nice easy recipes nothing too "fussy" or difficult to make and nicely explained.

It's hard to recommend recipes as they can be such a personal preference type thing. If you find what you are looking for please don't forget to share, we are always interested in good recipes, good luck!

I made my first trial with NFSC and wow it is really great.DH said it was the yummiest cookie he ate. My second attemp will be Antonia74 royal icing...