Okay, I'm officially freaking out now. Panic, sweat, snapping at husband etc.
I've got an order for 100 gingerbread men due on Mon. (19th). I'm testing two different recipies -- one with butter, one with veg. shortening. Chilled dough well but both batches are SPREADING as they bake!!! They look like fat little blimps with none of the cutter shape left. I can't decorate these blobs!!!
I'm a very experienced sugar cookie baker so I know all about mixing, not over-mixing, chilling dough, not over-handling, blah, blah, blah. So I'm stumped and losing it.
I would be extremely grateful for any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong. In comparing all my recipies -- about 6 of them -- they're all pretty similar in ingredients so I'm guessing it's somthing in my execution.
Thank you for any and all help.
Nancy
oh Nancy, I am so sorry!
I can't offer much help with the why, but here's a bump. And, if you want another recipe, I really like the one on the kitchengifts.com website.
Hope it all works out for you!!
* edited to add: could it have to do with the eggs? I read somewhere about using only large eggs, not extra large or jumbo....were you using extra larg eggs?
Thanks so much bonniebakes!!!
I just shoved a 3rd recipe into the fridge, came over to the computer and saw your suggestion. I love kitchengifts.com--have ordered cutters from them-- so I just printed out their recipe and will try that dough too. I'm curious about the addition of hot water which is not in the other recipies. Also, this calls for margarine. Is this the same as butter flavor Crisco--which I have. ( I almost always use butter in everything so I'm not versed in this area.)
Again, thank you!
P.S. I'm using large eggs. That was a good suggestion though.
WOO HOO!!! Crisis averted. I've stopped freaking out and all is well in my little cookie world. My 3rd test batch came out of the oven just perfect. But I"m totally mystified as to why. The difference was in the flour I used. Sort of. The "bad" batches were made with flour from my 50 lb bag of King Arthur Unbleached A.P. and the perfect batch was made using my 5 lb bag of the same !!! Weird, I know. The exact same thing happened with my sugar cookies but I've been wanting to use up this behemoth of a bag and figured that the gingerbread cookie dough was different enough to not use my smaller supply meant for my sugar cookies. ( Sorry, that sentence was way to long) So ANY cookies that I've used the big sack of flour for puffs up and spreads and the small sack of flour used makes perfect cookies. I really wonder what the difference could be. But I've learned my lesson and will never deviate from my tried and true ingredients even when it makes NO sense. So, anyone want a 50 lb bag of flour! Ha Ha
Thanks for the place to ramble on--- now I've gotta go make a ton of dough at 10:30 pm, chill it, bake it, cool 'em. Guess I'll be up watching Saturday Night Live and baking my buns off.
That is strange...
I would have attributed the spreading to the lower melt point of a butter recipe.
If you ever decide you need even more GB recipes:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-155961-.html
Happy Baking - and enjoy SNL 
Do you sifted flour? Measured by weight or cup? It could be one of those reasons.
Very strange! I'm glad it all worked out well for you Nancy!!
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