Hi,

I find cookies rather labour intensive. I use the NFSC recipe and I prepare the dough, roll out, put it in freezer for a few minutes, take them back out, cut out shapes, then pop them back in the freezer for another few minutes and then straight into the oven.

I find this tedious when making multiple batches in my single oven. I have been avoiding cookies because of this, but I would love to make them more often if I could find a shortcut.

Suggestions?

And then there's the decorating process! I agree it's very time intensive but I love the crafty process once I get into the decorating. Of course I'm usually exhausted with it by the time I finished.

I am also trying to figure out to save time and make it more efficient. I am starting to try making large batches of dough and freezing them in rolled out portions. That way I can just pull it out, cut the cookies and pop them in the oven.

My biggest issue is making the icing, doing all the different colors and thicknesses, bagging, decorating, etc. I just can't get that part to run smoothly! I end up with a ton of mess and still don't have all the right amounts. There's definitely a learning curve here.

I find cut out cookies labour intensive too. But Ii find my efforts at the other end. I use NFSC or the Wilton rolled cookies recipes. I don't find either to spread at all so I don't do the in and out of the freezer part at all.With the Wilton recipe, it tells you not to even chill the dough. I frequently use MMF on top of thye cookies for my designs. So I cut the base out of MMF at the same time as I cut the cookies. Because I put the fondant on the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven so it adheres I only do like 10-12 cookies at a time. That is where my labour starts. I then let it cool and use royal type icing to add details and let it set. Then I use super pearl luster dust to give it a more finished look. I usually then wrap them individually. It's a pain, big time!!! I'd appreciate a quicker way to do them as well. I end up only doing them for baby showers, birthdays, or Christmas. Everyone seems to love them and they are requested alot but what a chore! Short cuts welcomed!!!!

I am happy with my process, so here it goes. First of all, about a year ago, I purchased a Bailey 16" clay slab roller. You can not believe the difference it makes when rolling out cookie dough!

I make a batch and a half of NFSC dough, then roll about a pound and a half in the slab roller. For those of you who will be hollering about using something that is not food safe, the dough never touches the roller. I roll it between parchment paper clipped to the shims. You can get 4 very nice size slabs of dough from the batch and a half.

I use a large rimless cookie sheet to put the slabs into the fridge. I let them chill for an hour. Then I cut what ever shapes I want, a dozen to a cookie sheet and bake two sheets at the same time, rotating them half way through baking. I do not freeze or refrigerate the cut out shapes. I cut all of the slabs, then reroll all the dough at the same time. I can usually get two cuttings before I have to chill a slab again. I do not roll any more than three times. Doesn't take too long at all to bake 6 doz or so cookies.

I also use fondant, but I do not try to bake and decorate all at one time. I love to decorate, so I take my time and enjoy it. Here is a pic of one of my recent trays, welcoming my daughter in law's Mother to our area. Well, of course, it wouldn't let me up load, here is a link to the pic:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49957474@N06/6271140926/in/photostream

Thanks for the responses and tips!!

I've come to accept the fact that decorating pretty sugar cookies is a time-consuming process. Luckily, I don't do it for profit or I'd be seriously poor! It's helped me to admit that if I want to do cookies, I have to block out a good chunk of my free time to get them done. I know it's "ME" time and that it keeps me happy. The only thing that seems to help make it seem less time-consuming is to do the baking on a different day than the decorating. Good luck and enjoy!

I feel everyone's pain. Just taking a break from rolling out and baking 200 cookies for an order for Friday. I still have to decorate, make 150 cuppies and a sheet cake. I have spent the last 4 hours just baking the cookies..not done yet and surprised at how long it is taking. What was I thinking?

Samiam22: wow! I made 200 cookies last year for charity so I completely understand! I did not have any other baking to do as I'm not in business.

Is the design complicated?

Linedancer, how on Earth did you make that "Welcome" cookie!? The detail is so fine--is that royal icing? Fondant? Hand-painted? I can't wrap my brain around it!

tarabara, nothing that time consuming or requiring artistic talent I don't have, it is an edible image! I love to design edible images for my cookies. I use a couple of pieces of software, Silhouette Studio and Printshop 23.

I found the plaid background on the net at a digital scrapbooking site, for free. The flamingos came from the clip art in Printshop. The cutter is from ecrandal. I scan the cutter to get the shape for the edible image, then cut it out with my Silhouette. I use fondant for the icing base. Put it all together and presto, a wonderful cookie. I am glad you like it.