I can bake cakes all day long, but Good Lawd I kill cookies everytime! I have tried umpteen dozen sugar recipes and they just never taste or look good enough to frost them... any suggestions? They seem to spread a good bit and look puffy, I stink at cookies but would love to add them to my offerings since I plan to open shop in August... any help would be GREAT!
Have you tried the NFSC on this site? That's the one I use and it's pretty good. I personally thought they were a little bland as is, but I experimented with extracts until I a combination that I really love. The recipe is great because it does not puff up nor does it lose it's shape.
Another popular recipe on this site is Penny's. I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my to-do list. It was suggested to me you could replace some of the flour (1/3 cup) with (powered) coffee creamer...that's what I'm going to try! Sounds yummy to me!
HTH. Jodie
PS I have a Noah, too. My Noah is 5. Also have a Allie (4 years) and Ayden (16 months).
Try the NFSC if you haven't .I personally change the flavorings a bit- 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp almond and 1/2 tsp orange. I think they taste better- but then they REALLY taste good once I put the RBC on. And I've cut the baking soda down on the recipe to 1 tsp- this cuts out the puffing. Don't give up!!!
Everyone here has had great suggestions on what to do to improve taste with flavoring etc....as for the puffing problem. As soon as they come out of the oven, find a large plastic spatula with no sharp edges or seams on the back, smooth the cookie in a circular motion while applying pressure at the same time. This will give you a perfectly flat, level surface to decorate one. Got this tip from an email I received, and I have been using it ever since. A good squish works wonders! It will keep your royal icing from dripping off the side, as well as making a level surface for fondant if you prefer to use it instead of the RI. Good luck!!!
And when all else fails -- cover it up with icing!! 
And when all else fails -- cover it up with icing!!
So true!!!
The only thing I can offer is to practice, practice then practice some more. There are many great cookie recipes on CC to try out and I'm sure you'll find one that works perfectly for you. Definitely chill the dough for a few hours or even overnight before rolling and cutting out cookies. Try to be consistent with your dough thickness. Not enough flour will make them spread, too much will make them dry and crumbly. It's finding that perfect medium. Experimenting is great, you're constantly one step closer to perfection!!!!!
After you cut out your cookies and have them on the cookie sheet - chill it in the freezer for a few min, should help with the spreading issue.
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