I have been making the NFSC for a while and they are not coming out right..... they are spreading around and not holding their shape. After reading a review on chocolate chip cookies, I noticed some of the better recipes that were reviewed as NOT spreading had a 50/50 ratio of butter to either crisco/margarine.

I was wondering if anyone had tried this with NFSC? Or do you eliminate the baking powder? Do you really whip the butter and sugar together or just blend? Or does anyone have another recipe that produces thick, sharp cut edges and still taste good? thx

In my entire life, anytime a recipe said "butter", I always used margarine. When I was growing up, any "yellow stick of fat" was referred to as butter, so in my mind, it's all the same. (No lectures, please .... I know there's a difference, but it's just how I've grown up with it.)

I would not substitute, use only butter, there is a difference in taste. The butter and sugar should be whipped until smooth and creamy, not just blended. After cutting, try putting the cookie sheets with the cookies in the freezer for a few minutes. (Also another trick, I roll my dough on lightly dusted with confec sugar not flour. This way, the scraps that get rerolled are not tough with all that extra flour)

When I make NFSC I always roll the dough between sheets of parchment paper. This keeps the dough from getting tough (no need for too much flour) and makes for easy clean up too! Transfer to cookie sheet and put whole thing in freezer for 10 or 15 mins.

You should get nice clean-cut cookies. Post a picture of your results! HTH

Ok, now the sad thing is I DO roll them between parchment and then rotate in the freezer!! And they still spread like craaaaazy. I am going to lose it.

So does that mean you use all margarine in your rolled sugar cookies recipe Indydeb? I also was raised on 'oleo' (as it was referred to in my family) and when I started getting really into baking, my Grandma got slightly peaved that I insisted on using real butter for some of the recipes.... still now sure why.

I have never seen a rolled sugar cookie recipe using shortening so I am unsure. I am sick of wasting dough (and money, to be honest) but I am going to see my Grandma (despite my use of butter!) and she really enjoys the MMF on cookies - but lately they are all wonkin' out so bad, I really can't use that technique since the cookies come out of the oven no longer resembling the fondant cut-out.

you could always recut them when they come out of the oven and then you would have some tasty scraps to eat.

yup, they have perfect edges and my family gets to eat what they call french fries (cookie scraps). I forget who told me to do this but it works. however if the cookies are spreading too much, then this is just a waste of cookie. I only do it when I have a little spread

Yep. I use margarine anytime it says the word "butter".

One thing to consider (and hubby and I have discussed this at length) is that the margarine, or "oleo" as the old ladies called it, is MUCH different than the margarines of today. Technologies over the past 40 years have GREATLY improved the quality of margarine, making many of them very close to butter quality.

I am not saying "it's the same as butter" ...... I'm not dumb enough to try that line on this site! But margarine of back then is not the same as margarine of today.

And gramma probably was throwing a kaniption fit because some people had this idea that following a recipe "to the T" was some big RULE or something. So if it said you had to use Acme Brand Sugar, then by jiminy you BETTER have Acme brand sugar or the whole thing was going to be ruined! If the recipe said "oleo", then you BETTER use "oleo"!

lol, well that makes sense.....she taught me how to bake and basically forbade me from doubling a recipe - she said it would not work! It was years before I dared.

Ok, well I will try the NFSC with half butter and half margarine (since right now I have like 5 pounds of real butter and only 6 cubes of oleo).

Thanks!

I have to chime in here and agree with IndyDebi...I always use Imperial margarine when I make NFSC and I've never had any complaints. Quite the opposite! People always tell me that it's the best tasting sugar cookie that they've ever had (I use Antonia's RI too). Can't say how it compares with the taste of butter in the recipe, as I've never used real butter. Mine hold their shape beautifully and never spread. I guess until you give it a try yourself, you won't know if it will work for you. Best of luck!