Hi ladies. I am making sugar cookies for my son's birthday and I brought a tube of dough from the store to do a test batch and i was rolling it out and it seemed super sticky. i put some flour down and it seemed like it was getting soft from the friction of the rolling pin and the warmth of my hands. then when i cut the shapes out with the cookie cutter they wouldnt come off my rolling mat and when i tried to pick them up they became distorted so i used a spatula to transfer to the cookie sheet. it seemed like i had to put the dough back in the fridge to firm back up every 10 minutes or so. am i doing something wrong or would i be better off just making my own dough would it be easier to work with?

I don't use the store bought dough -- it's very easy to make your own. Try this recipe. http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2055/no-fail-sugar-cookies I always use butter. I think it tastes better and is easy for me to work with.

I roll a chunk of the dough between a long folded over sheet of wax paper. So the rolling pin doesn't touch the dough. Lift one side of the paper, lightly dust with flour, and then cut. I don't have to use a spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet, you can peel back the bottom layer of wax paper so the cookie falls into your hand, and then set it on the parchment paper on the baking sheet.

It doesn't usually happen for me with this recipe, but IF the dough is distorting, you can chill it a bit before lifting the cookie from the wax paper to the baking sheet. I just mix, roll and cut, then chill them well before baking to maintain their shape.

thanks so much these are excellent tips i will try the recipe. you are a lifesaver...lol

hile making your own dough usually tastes best because you control the ingredients, you can use store bought. You have to knead extra flour into the dough, anywhere from a 1/4 cup on up. This will help with the spreading.