I have been experimenting with many recipes over the past year. Trying to find my perfect sugar cookie recipe for royal icing-- a cookie that does not expand so that it has beatiful flat edges, flat on top to decorate, the middle to have a nice chew to it ( I dont want a "cake like" cookie) and for the cookie to stay semi soft while it is staying out over night to dry over night *** this last part I can not achieve.

 I have read on many sites that royal icing seals in the cookies moister, but that never seems to be the case for me. I have even tried to under bake my cookies to get this texture to last. But once decorated they turn into a very crisp sugar cookie.

 I am at a loss with experiementing on my own and just need help. Has anyone had this problem? Or anyone have advice? Thank you very very much!!! 

Mine are always firm when baked and they taste great!  If anything, I have found that leaving them to sit out / Royal Icing layer seems to soften them up a bit.  I would think that the moisture in your cookie would keep the icing from drying.  Will be interested in seeing a comment from the pros myself.  

I have found recipes for soft royal icing, maybe that would work better for a moister cookie?  Hope you find the answer you seek.

Rather than a sugar cookie, a butter cookie recipe.  This recipe is from Wilton, and it works perfectly every time.  And I agree with Happyfood, the moisture from the royal icing seems to soften the cookie.  It will soften more after you bag them and they are bagged for a few days.

Rather than a sugar cookie, a butter cookie recipe.  This recipe is from Wilton, and it works perfectly every time.  And I agree with Happyfood, the moisture from the royal icing seems to soften the cookie.  It will soften more after you bag them and they are bagged for a few days.

Rather than a sugar cookie, a butter cookie recipe.  This recipe is from Wilton, and it works perfectly every time.  And I agree with Happyfood, the moisture from the royal icing seems to soften the cookie.  It will soften more after you bag them and they are bagged for a few days.

Haniela's cookie recipe is the only one I use... Very buttery and yummy.  You can find the recipe (and tutorial!) on youtube. She's amazing!

Oh! And the cookies stay very fresh... 

Sorry for the triple reply, I kept getting an error message.  I tried to include the recipe, but it didn't post.

If you don't already know Pam Sneed, check her out at http://www.cookiecrazie.com   She has great recipes and I love her icing, sooooo much better tasting than royal and it doesn't get rock hard.  Her gluten free sugar cookies made with almond meal are to die for.  I have a lot of people who prefer those to the regular ones.  Her decorating is amazing too.

I use sweetsugarbelle's recipe  check site sweetsugarbell.com

Thank you everyone! I have tried crazie cookie and sweet sugar belle. Both are great recipes as long as I have an air tight container. The problem happens when I put the royal icing on and let it dry  

I may try to under bake just a little more. Anyone try to put an extra yoke in for a chewer cookie?

I know that with the Wilton recipe I use (which by the way, they have changed on their site, but I still have it).  Anyway, the cookies do get hard, but once they are bagged and tied, they soften up over a few days time and will stay soft for months.  It may be the same with those other recipes you have tried.  If you want, I'll be more than happy to type out the recipe I have.

sosweetcookies,

The butter cookie sounds like your best bet.  The thing about the NFSC recipes is that there is not a lot of moisture in the cookie dough.  This keeps them from puffing up and spreading.  I am not sure if you can find a cake like recipe that will not spread as this is basically two different techniques.  Sort of like cake like brownies and fudgey brownies.  Maybe you could bake your cake like recipe in cookie molds for a nice solution?   I always bake my NFSC cookies just a bit on the undone side - only until the top of the cookie does not look wet.  I then leave the cookies on the baking sheet to cool for about 10 minutes then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.  I store them in a covered container until it is time to decorate them.  If you let them dry on a wire rack the will dry more than if they are allowed to sit on a hard surface of some sort (table top or baking pan).  There is less area exposed to the air and the moisture from the royal icing does get into the cookie.  Wrap tightly after they are dried and you should be good to go.  I may be wrong but I do not think it is possible to have a cake like sugar cookie that will hold it's shape like the NFSC recipe. There is just too much moisture in the dough.  Let me know if you do find success though as I am always interested in learning something new!

I use the NFSC recipe.  One day I happened to taste one before putting the icing on.  EWWWW!!!  Hard, flavorless ... omg what was I going to do for this order?  So I decided to decorate them anyway and give them to my grandchildren while doing a "do-over".  What I found was that once I got the icing on, the flavor I was expecting was back and the cookies were soft and moist.  The icing is key.  After I went thru this, I thought about the logic of it and it makes sense.  the icing is a LOT of sugar and sweetness, so if the cookies was ok by itself then after adding the icing, it would taste too sweet.  Big duh at my end!

Anyway ... adding the icing added the flavor and the softness/moistness I was expecting.  no do-over (and grandkids were disappointed they didn't have any of gramma's rejects!!)

Grammar correction:  "...if the cookie was ok by itself....."

How thick do you roll your cookie? The thinner you roll, the more crispy they will be. I use the NFSC recipe and roll 3/8 in for bagged cookies or 1/2 in for cookie bouquets. It's not a soft chewy cookie, but not hard either. indydebi, what flavoring do you put in your cookies? I use almond and vanilla and actually prefer them without icing.

indydebi, I have noticed the same thing with my cookies.  They always seem to taste better the second day.  :)

When my friends come over, they eat any un-iced cookies I have in the fridge. It's a bit frustrating that these cookies taste sooooo good, even un-iced.  I'm telling ya - Haniela's recipe is the way to go! Delicious naked and dressed!

I have used most of the recipes linked here - and now have my own wherein I substitue cake flour for 3/4's of the APF, and use powdered sugar instead of

fine granulated ..... no matter which one I use, I have had no trouble keeping them fresh by simply layering them  (with wax paper or parchment) in a plastic shoe box

with TWO slices of bread - still nice and soft as long as four days later, buit not too fragile for icing

Good Luck to you !