Okay, so what did I do wrong. On SOME of the batches they puffed up and spread so they wouldn't fit into the bags 
I haven't had any problems before. Do you think it was my baking powder? It was a new container, but I had stored it on the back porch (unopened) for about a month and there were a couple of days where it hit 80........
Sorry I don't have an answer for you. I've only tried the recipe once myself and the cookies came out really good, but I didn't like dough. Hopefully someone else here will be able to answer your question.
Alice,
I found that weighing the flour instead of measuring by cup makes a HUGE difference! I actually purchased scales at Wal-Mart ($30) and it has been the best investment so far! I think this is probably where your problem lies. Just a reminder....make sure not to grease the pan. Make sure you are using real butter and not imitation. The cost is a little more, but the water content in the fake stuff (let alone the flavor!) does make a difference.
I had problems once with the NFSC recipe, but I figured out through the above listed problems "what I was doing". HTH!
I suspected the warm dough....
Do you think
a) a warm cookie sheet would make a difference?
b) extra vanilla in the recipe?
c) thickness? The thin cookies I made didn't spread but the ones I put on sticks did....
I'm using real butter so that can't be the problem!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
you know I have an issue with the NFSC spreading too...just look at my onesie cookies lol....they look like they belong to a very FAT baby! I even had to make a larger cookie cutter for the fondant and they were STILL bigger than the MMF cut outs. Anyhow.....I always double the recipe.....which means I'm adding 6 tsp. of baking powder!!! When I asked for suggestions about my cookies I was told that some people half the amount of the baking powder and one person said they use a recipe almost identical to NFSC but it has NO baking powder whatsoever!!! I haven't tried it without any or with a reduced amount...but I will be trying it shortly for Easter cookies! Makes sense though....
I suspected the warm dough....
Do you think
a) a warm cookie sheet would make a difference?
b) extra vanilla in the recipe?
c) thickness? The thin cookies I made didn't spread but the ones I put on sticks did....
I'm using real butter so that can't be the problem!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
I'm almost positive that you're supposed to use a cool cookie sheet...I roll/cut with cool dough...then put the cut cookies on the sheet in the fridge while waiting on the batch in the oven to come out.
I'm no pro...just baking for the family/friends so, I'm sure I read somewhere to do it that way.
Anyway, mine have not really spread doing them that way. Good luck!
I agree with Dawn about the cool cookie sheet.
One thing I have started doing is what Lesley on kitchengifts.com suggests in her online video Cookie Baking 101 --I roll my dough out before chilling it and then just take out what I need. I never thought about cutting my cookies out and chilling the cut-outs until they are ready for the oven--good idea 
And like another CC member suggests, maybe cutting back some on the baking powder.
So far at this point in my trial and error stage of cookie baking, as long as my dough stays cool before popping it into the oven, I haven't needed to do anything else.
I'm still learning and having fun doing it 
when i made my first batch of nfsc, i did what kitchengifts suggested and rolled out my dough before chilling. then i chilled the already rolled dough for about 10 mins or so, took them out, cut out shapes, placed them on a cookie sheet and popped that in the fridge for another 10 mins then whenever i was ready to bake, i just popped them in the oven. and sometimes they puff for me too but i normally undercook my cookies a bit because i like them soft. so when then come out all puffed up, i just take a flat pancake spatula and flatten them. HTH.
I did forget to add that I roll mine out on a marble slab (it makes a big difference to me!). I don't have the room to roll the dough out completely, but I do separate it into four somewhat equal parts and flatten it out prior to chilling.
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