no fail recipe or...........???

Great question.

I've been scouring the internet looking for more options as well. I agree with your take on the No Fails. I like them, they are easy to use, and great for cookie cutters, but I think I'm getting a little bored with them. I just tried a chocolate chip cut-out cookie recipe which I like, but they are not as easy to work with. I have found several sugar cookie recipes where they use powder sugar instead of granulated. Wonder what that does??

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is "BUMP!"


kos

in Toba's class we did 2 different kind of cookies. They didn't spread. The taste was good, but i noticed once placed in a box... you see oil spots all over. but here they are:

Butter Cookies
1 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour (plues extra for rolling out dough)

Preheat oven at 350 F.
Cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes. Stop and scrap the bowl. Cream the mixture for an additional 60 seconds.

Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Sift together the baking powder and flour. Add the flour mixture in two turns - about 1 cup at a time to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix thouroughlyafter each addition. Sprinkle the last cup of flour mixture on the work surface. Knead the dough onto the flour mixture until all of the flour mixture disappears into the dough. but don't overwork it. The dough should be stiff.

Divide the dough into 2 parts. Wrap 1/2 in plastic wrap until ready to use. On a floured surface, divide the unwrapped dough into 2 parts. Roll out 1 part onto the floured surface to [1/8] to [1/4] inch thick. Run a large offset metal spatula under the dough to prevent it from sticking. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters, dipping the cutters into flour before each use.

Carefully place the cookies on an ungreased, nonstick cookie sheet or a parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown lightly. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet until ready to use. The cookies do not require refrigeration if stored in a cool, dry place.

Note: once the cookies are cut our, gather the scraps and knead freash dough into them. The wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 wks or frozen for up to 3 months.

Yield: 3 1/2 - 4 dozen cookies (medium size).

WOW ok that was long.
I have more i can scan and email to anyone who is interested. The recipe above she used in class. the others are from her book.
In her book we also has:

Lemon and/or Orange cream Cookies (these are good! also did in class)
Almond Paste Cookies
Chocolate Cookies
Shortbread I
Shortbread II
Gingerbread Cookies

Again if interested let me know.

HTH
Kat

I also just tried a recipe with cream cheese. The dough smelled wonderful. My family gave the cookies a big "eh!" so I tossed the recipe. I decorated a few of the cookies and tossed the rest out for the deer. A day later, my husband said, "These cookie are great! Where the rest!?" <gulp> I didn't notice much of a WOW factor though. I'm getting burned out on trying recipes!

kos

I'm in the process of trying a recipe, but I was wondering what flavoring you use. I use 1/2 almond and 1/2 vanilla extract. They taste really good. But I know what you mean by getting old. It's funny I never eat the cookies anymore. I taste the dough once to make sure it's good, and that's it.

I'll try and keep up updated.

I usually do No-Fails also. Tried Martha's last week and didn't like it because it really spread. I followed the instructions to the letter. They tasted good. I'm going to try a recipe I read here on CC in a forum. It's an old Wilton recipe. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Get out of town w/it's the same recipe!
ha
I have that recipe on my stach of CC stuff i want to try. And i was excited about getting my KA Mixer to do it. LOL i didn't read it yet or compared it so i didn't know. it's good to know.
so no more excitement since i've already done them. lol excited now about practicing the decorating.
I have Autumn's book at home.

I used to use "Martha's" recipe, but when I tired the "no-fail" I never went back. THey spread lessm whcih I like!

For other flavorings, I've added raspberry, which was subtle, but good. It colored the dough slightly pink... I've also tried two of the other recipes from that site (where the no-fail came from) - the mocha, chocolate were GREAT! I think they also have a cherry and a lemon...

personally I dont care for the NF with Vanilla but I love it when I used lemon extract.. It also works well whe I replace 1/2 c flour for 1/2 c cocoa powder

I find that most of the recipes like "no fail" are the same. Wilton's roll-out is the same except the baking powder amount is off a smidge I think.

kos

OK- here are the cookies I just made w/the recipe I found here on a forum. They referred to it as an old Wilton recipe. They didn't spread as much as Martha's Stewarts did. But I don't think they taste that great. I guess I'll quit experimenting and stick w/the No-Fails.

THis is the one I use. I love it. You don't have to chill, and it does not spread. Got this from another board I am giving credit to the author.

Melissa's Sugar Cookies
2 sticks of Land of Lakes sweet cream salted butter
1 large egg
1 cup of sugar
vanilla-I don't measure-Just splash it in
Mix until creamy
2 3/4 to 3 cups of plain flour

Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla and then add the flour

Bake at 400 for 7 to 8 minutes

The dough should not be crumbly -- No need to chill this dough, you can use it from the bowl to rolling out.

use about 1/3 of the dough at a time to roll

roll cookies thick -- a good 1/4 + and right on the formica


Let them cool competely before decorationg.

Freeze them undecorated for up to 2 months in vacummed sealed containers or tightly sealed -- they freeze very well.

Unfrozen and Packaged in cellophane, they will keep up to 3 weeks -- I've pushed it with 4 -- but definitely 3