Linda- yes they do! The best I have seen, and they taste good! ~Rachel
I love sugar cookies, but I hate the taste of the NFSC.
It has a weird after taste. I have used different ingredients and nothing.
I have made the ones that come in the bag, that you just add water to, and they were amazing. In my book what a sugar cookie should taste like.
Every time I buy sugar cookies in the local bakery, they are sweet. NFSC are not.
As I mentioned on page 1 of this threads .... NFSC are designed to have icing put on them, so by themselves, without any icing, they WOULD taste not-as-sweet.
I love those Lofthouse cookies but when I break off a piece of just-cookie (no icing), it's a very bland cookie. but with the icing? cookie heaven.
katnmouse, if your cookies tasted "hard and floury" then my guess is you had too much flour and baked them too long. I will not even permit hard or crunchy cookies in my kitchen ( personally hate hard cookies) and mine always turn out firm enough to decorate but soft enough that they pass my standards! 
If my NFSC's have even the HINT of brown around the edges, then I've baked them too long and they go straight from the oven to the trash.
If my NFSC's have even the HINT of brown around the edges, then I've baked them too long and they go straight from the oven to the trash.
Ditto.
Earlier today I posted a picture which was removed by CC, because it was the picture of a chart and it could not be in picture gallery.
I am also looking for a sugar cookie that holds its shape, specially the outline stays sharp and clean looking, so I made a chart of "cut out sugar cookie recipes" available in different web sites online.
There are also many more recipes in books which I could not find any of those online, so I did not include those in the chart (I do not want to violate copy right laws).
As indydebi said, cut out sugar cookies are meant to be decorated with a sweet icing, and that is why they are bland and have no taste without icing.
On the other hand drop sugar cookies which usual get a coat of
sugar on them before baking are sweeter and softer.
Back to the chart, all the recipes are very close.
My favorite is cardamom honey cookies, they are wonderful. But again it is all a matter of personal preferences.
I am including the chart, in case if any of you like to look at it.
There are a few stared points in the table which the explanations are as follow:
* ---> in most recipes this was almond extract
** ---> I halved the recipe for sake of comparison
*** ---> refer to the recipes here on CC
******* All the information in the chart are easily available online, so I hope I am not violating any copy right laws. *******
I am including the chart, in case if any of you like to look at it.
I can not upload the picture, and it was deleted from gallery earlier today so I do not know what to do? 
Finally, I uploaded a picture of the chart on "Picasa".
Click on the link and you will see it, if it does not work, let me know.
http://picasaweb.google.com/infinitsky
There are many more recipes on the web, but I thought these are enough to compare.
My most favorite is the "cardamom Orange".
I've always used the cookie craft recipe, but with the lemon zest added to the cookie, and the lemon juice to the royal icing. They're great and have people come back time and again with great reviews. Try adding the zest if you didn't. But I agree with Indydebi - sugar cookies always taste better with the icing 
Finally, I uploaded a picture of the chart on "Picasa".
Click on the link and you will see it, if it does not work, let me know.
http://picasaweb.google.com/infinitsky
There are many more recipes on the web, but I thought these are enough to compare.
My most favorite is the "cardamom Orange".
Thanks for going to all the trouble of uploading to a diff site and sharing the link. I am going to print it out and try some of them.
Thanks again for sharing.
I will not even permit hard or crunchy cookies in my kitchen ( personally hate hard cookies) and mine always turn out firm enough to decorate but soft enough that they pass my standards!
If my NFSC's have even the HINT of brown around the edges, then I've baked them too long and they go straight from the oven to the trash.
Ugh my mom LOVES hard, crunchy and slightly burnt cookies...she's so deranged!
Vanilla bean paste is my new favorite ingredient. I use it in everything, from sugar cookies to homemade caramel for caramel apples.
KHalstead's modified NFSC tasted great but spread way too much for me, even with freezing the cutouts before baking.
My two cents:
I did try the cream cheese based cut out dough. It was on the back of the Wilton wonky and traditional wedding cake cutters with imprint mats. It was good. I did try it with lemon zest & it was pretty "darn" good. Even with out icing. Sweet? Not really. But, tasty on it's own. This cookie had a considerable chew to it & sat a bit heavy. But, did keep the cutter shape nicely. I definitely will use it again.
I tried Penny's recipe - it tasted much like a coconut washboard cookie I make. I think it's technically a butter cookie. Slightly sweet & had a lighter texture.
I don't remember if I actually tried the NFSC. But, for one reason or another, opted to stick with my Mom's recipe. Her recipe is an honest to goodness sugar cookie recipe. I added flour & flavorings to the recipe to make it more "sturdy & tasty". I guess I could omitt the leavening to prevent spreading...but I sorta like it the way it is. I do double cut. This is when you cut the cookie again, right after the tray comes out of the oven. I think "Indy" and a bunch of other CC'ers do this. You get the sharp shape of your cutter with a more traditional recipe. Of course you have "waste" or sundae sprinkles, or tea dunkers, or midnight munchies...well, you get what I mean...
For these, you just decorate the bottoms for a perfectly flat surface.
Well, I think that was my 6 cents!
I use the Cookie Craft recipe and either cover it with fondant or glace. It is easy to roll out and I find that it holds its shape well. I have had no complaints and people love them. My daughter's teacher asked me for my recipe so that they could use it in school when they make sugar cookies. Once the cookie is covered with an icing it has a nice balance of flavor. I usually flavor it with a good vanilla extract.
I use the Cookie Craft recipe and either cover it with fondant or glace. It is easy to roll out and I find that it holds its shape well. I have had no complaints and people love them. My daughter's teacher asked me for my recipe so that they could use it in school when they make sugar cookies. Once the cookie is covered with an icing it has a nice balance of flavor. I usually flavor it with a good vanilla extract.
I searched recipes but could not find the cookie craft recipes. Where can I find this?
Thank you!
Forgive the questions from this newbie but.....
1, where do I buy vanilla bean paste? I have never seen it but it sounds WONDERFUL! we are vanilla and chocolate aholics at our house! Go thru watkins vanilla like water almost.....
2. How much lemon zest are you adding to the cookie dough?? does it give the cookies an actual lemon flavor???
3. Where can I find all these recipes ? and the recipes for royal icing and RBC icing??
4. I am about to attempt my first ever batch of decorated cookies .... I back HUNDREDS of cookies at my house, but just never the decorated type. I have been making about 150 - 200 cookies per week for my son's football team. This week because we are in the playoffs I had hoped to make "hornet" cookies which is our mascot. Our colors are black and gold. I have a custom hornet cutter, but am concerned about getting all the outlining right....... I am wondering if it would be simplier to try a chocolate cookie and just trim in gold. What do ya'll suggest?? I could do the helmets that I want to make with a sugar cookie of some type.......
Finally, I uploaded a picture of the chart on "Picasa".
Click on the link and you will see it, if it does not work, let me know.
http://picasaweb.google.com/infinitsky
There are many more recipes on the web, but I thought these are enough to compare.
My most favorite is the "cardamom Orange".
Wow, thanks for doing this! But some of the info in the last line of the chart (under "etc") is cuff off...
Quote by @%username% on %date%
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