my cookies really don't spread to much and i do all the tips and tricks to get them to hold their shape.

but i am doing rectangular cookies and i need perfectly straight edges and i am not getting them on all four sides. they aren't off much, but enough to bother my inner fuss-budget

i haven't ever re-cut baked cookies as i don't like the rough/unfinished looking sides but i don't think there is any option if i want a perfect rectangle.

other then cutting them when they are hot out of the oven, does anyone has any tips or techniques for getting a nicer edge when recutting?

thanks!
diane

YOu could try taking a micro planer and shaving the sides to make them smooth,or run them down the side of a hand grater.You must wait for the cookies to cool really good.

It would be a pain, but you could recut and then ice the sides. That's the only thing I could think of. If you are doing fondant, you could just extend over the edge.

I prefer to have an imparfait rectanglar than a recut cookie!

I agree verono! I tried recutting some cookies that spread too much and did not like the look of the sides at all. In fact, one of my kids asked me if anyone bit the sides of the cookie! The fondant idea is the best way to go.

Have you tried the NFSC recipe without baking powder? They really don't puff much. Otherwise, I'm with verono!

I read a few people recut their cookies immediately after baking, while still warm with the same cutter. i tried it once when my cookies spread and they were a crumbly mess. i agree I'd rather see a slightly imperfect shape than see the crumbly cut edge. I do use NFSC without the baking powder now and dont have a spreading problem anymore.

I have to agree with everyone here - I don't like the look of a recut cookie at all. If your inner fuss-budget doesn't like irregular sides, it's gonna go nuts over a recut cookie!

I just wanted to add that I recut cookies all the time when I used the regular NFSC recipe (because I always had a ton of spreading)

I didn't find the edges looked any different than normal.....I would get a bit of crumbs, but I just ran my finger around the edge or a pastry brush to brush them off once the cookies were fully cooled.

Are you recutting the cookies immediately when they come out of the oven when they're still soft???

All of these cookies were recut immediately after baking!

I try to recut them when they were very hot and soft... It doesn't give the cookie a smooth border..
I rather prefer to make changes to my recipe than recutting the cookie.. But it's personal eh !

I wonder what would happen if you baked them, let them cool completely, then used a sharp knife to trim the sides so that they were straight..... I'm guessing it wouldn't have the same looking edge of the re-cut when hot, but I'm not sure how "rough" the edges would look...

I've never tried it... I'm just thinking aloud....

When I don't like how the edge look (example for the rectangular shape)...
When baking (like half time I "replaced" edges with a knife with a gentle push...
Also when they are coming out of the oven.. they are bit EXACtlY like the cutter but much better..

When I used to make gingerbread houses, I would bake for part of the time, take the cookies out and re-cut, then pop them back in to bake the remainder of the time. The edges would stay nice and straight, yet have a baked edge look. (Hope that makes sense!) You could give that a try. I would think it would work.

GeminiRJ's idea sounds great! By then you would have your initial spreading done and then can clean them up. Fantastic idea, Susan!

I have had spreading too on rectangles. I think it was SweetDreamsAT who recommended making your cutter or template a bit concave to compensate for that spreading. I gave that a whirl one time and it worked quite well.

Susan and CeRae - Two brilliant cookiers!

Wow! What great ideas! Leave it up to the experts. I too have had this problem with a rectangular cutter. The cookies start out with straight lines but then when they're baked they're off. I've tried the recutting but like you all said, they don't look "right". Susan, awesome idea about recutting then putting them back in for that baked edge look. Also, Tracy, thanks for the tip from Sweetdreams about making the cutter "off" from the start. See, this is why I looooove this site!

well, nuts! i didn't get any notifications that there were more posts!
i just stumbled across it this morning because it was on the home page!

susan, i love your idea, i wish i had read this before i baked.

i baked those %^@ rectangles two at a time (took forever) so i cut get both of them recut while they were piping hot. then i took a VERY sharp knife and cleaned up the edges (while still hot) so they were not crumbly.
all in all they looked really good, but no "smooth baked edge" like i love.

i think i would never recut except when using a really well defined geometric shape....just not worth losing the smooth edge. i really don't get or see spread in any of my other cookie shapes, but even the smallest bit of spread is apparent in a rectangle...all you need is one side to slightly move.

diane

what great ideas Tracy & Susan!

I'm going to have to try both of those!

Auggh! I realize I forgot my biggest hint... bake on parchment paper. I tested and found that this makes a HUGE difference with spreading