Hey all! I want to make some cut out sugar cookies, but I have a fight everytime I try it. I fight with the cookie dough all the time. I have tried the NFSC and didn't care for the taste of them. I have another sugar cookie recipe we all like. So I was wondering what is the trick to getting the scraps of cookie dough off around the cutout? This is were I have a fight all the time and give up and just roll them to balls than flatten out on the cookie sheet. Also what is the secret to rolling the cookie dough out flat without the cookie dough moving aroung on parchment paper? So please help me, I so want to make shaped cookies and decorate them, but I get so frustrated I give up. Tips, hints, tricks of the trade??? Thank you Megan

Maybe your dough is too warm when you cut it out and that's why it sticks? Cut out the cookies, throw the cookie in the freezer for a few min then try to take them out.

I have a pastry board that has a moveable frame for rolling out my dough. I can adjust the height of the frame so that I can roll the dough out to the exact thickness, so I don't use parchment - sorry I can't help you there. But if you can get one of these boards they are worth their weight in gold!! I have 2 and love them!

http://www.armchair.com/store/gourmet/baking/doughboard1.html

check out this article about cookies:

http://www.cakecentral.com/article54-How-To-Bake--Decorate-Cookies.html

I have a couple of silicone type mats (picked up from ABC Distributing for about $6 for 2 - kind of on the small side) I use one to roll as you don't have to use much if any flour to roll it and it's great you can pick up the mat and flip the cookie into your hand for placement on parchment or cookie sheet. I usually dip my cookie cutter in flour before cutting and jiggle it a very little bit to create a better separation from the main dough.

Judi