Alice's icing I believe is a glace icing


As for the amount of sugar, they are good with less.......I actually make them with only 2 cups of sugar when using fondant (because it's so sweet) and I love the way they taste plain!!

YES you are so correct, do not overbake....everyone is so afraid they're not cooked when you pull them out( when they JUST start to brown) because they're SO SOFT, but if you let them sit for 5-10 min. they will firm up enough for you to move them to a cooling rack and remain soft and chewy to the bite! That was the hardest part for me to discover because I'm so impatient and I just wanted to IMMEDIATELY transfer them when they came out of the oven!! Can't do it!

Oh... another thing I LOVED about the KHalstead modified NFSC was the method of rolling out the dough between two sheets of wax paper, cutting out the shapes, and freezing them. It made it all so much easier and faster! Amazing... all the rolling out sticky dough and funny shaped cookies made me shy away from cutout cookies before! NOT ANYMORE!

One question... What is the best thickness to roll the dough. I think too thin could lessen the chewyness of the cookie, and too thick could make it spread too much.

Thanks again kHalstead!

I use 1/4" dowel rods (the regular wooden ones used in cakes) as my guide. I line them up all around my dough and roll my rolling pin over them so my whole sheet of dough is exactly the same thickness as the dowels themselves. You get perfectly even cookies every time and it's a good thickness, not too thick that you have spreading issues and not too thin that you can't insert a stick for cookie bouquets.

I use this thickness for all of my cookies.

What is Sweetex?

that is a high ratio shortening!

I made them this weekend...they were great(could not stop eating them)......however they did spread about 1/4 inch each side of the cookies.
May be if I freeze them first next time and maybe not roll them out so thick. I wonder if the pudding or the wal-mart shortening has anything to do with them spreading?

But a great recipe. I need that taste with no spreading.I'll take any suggestions.Thanks for the recipe.

I tried these today and although they tasted GREAT and were nice and chewy, the dough was really crumbly and hard to work with. Is that just how the dough is, or did I mess something up? Too much flour maybe?

That happened to me as well. But the same thing happened the first time i tried the NFSC too. I tried less flour, and it was just fine.

So spreading is partly affected by how thick you roll the dough? My first batch of these cookies came out perfect, no spreading. Second batch had a bit more spreading.

I used C&H Bakers sugar the second time around. Does anyone else use that for sugar cookies? Or just regular granulated sugar?

Open to tips here too!

I use regular granulated sugar...............as for the crumbly dough, probably too much flour! The dough itself should come together in a ball but will still feel a "little wet" compared to most cookie doughs but if you push your finger into it, there should be very little sticking to your finger. The pudding mix will make the dough firm up once it rests for 10 min. or so.........so if you add enough flour to make it "perfect" , it will become "dry" once it rests. Hopefully that makes sense?


I don't have trouble with spreading, but again I roll to 1/4" thick......if you're rolling to a thicker consistency they might spread (I haven't personally tried).


Also.........when adding the flour, I like to err on the side of caution and will leave the dough "just shy of perfect" and let it rest, then once it's rested if it needs more flour, then incorporate it. Because there is gelatin in the pudding mix, it acts as a thickener and needs time to "activate" .......HTH Even if my dough is a little "sticky" I roll between 2 sheets of wax paper and freeze the dough, so even if it's too "sticky" to roll or pick up (like you would if not using the wax paper and not freezing the dough), I have no trouble!

Thank you for those tips! I will be working on another batch shortly to get ready for Doctors Day next Tuesday. (Any excuse to play w/ cookies...lol) Also going to give the cheesecake pudding flavor a whirl.

ugh, couldn't find the cheesecake pudding in the store.
Khalstead, does it matter what size the box of pudding is for the recipe? I i remember correctly, you add a 4oz box but i don't see that size in the store. I get those small jello boxes (about 1-1/4 oz i think) or Royal pudding mix. Maybe my dough was crumbly because i added 3 boxes of those pudding mixes and not the flour.

it's actually like a 3.4 oz. box or soemthing like that...........basically it's the box that requires you to add 2 cups of cold milk to it!

That is jello mix that you're using! You CAN use jello......but I use PUDDING mix. By the way I have used jello mix (1/2 box) to make lemon cookies!

sorry, i meant the jello pudding mixes. Today i bought Royal instant pudding mix. It is a 1.5oz box that makes 4-1/2 cup servings of pudding when prepared with 3 cups of milk. How many of these do you recommend adding?

When I made these cookies I used 1 cup less flour than the recipe called for. It was perfect, no crumbly dough!

I've never used it, but I would be inclined to just add one box!

What are some reasons Royal® Instant Pudding & Pie Filling may fail to thicken?

When milk substitutes are used. The calcium in milk is essential for the setting process.

If Instant Pudding is allowed to remain in the mixing bowl before pouring into a pie shell, the set will not be firm enough for a pie.

For best results, Instant Pudding mix should be combined with two cups of fresh cold milk beaten for one minute (for a pie) and two minutes (for pudding) at low speed and then poured immediately into dessert dishes or a pie shell.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until set (1 hour for 1 package pie). If using 2 packages (4serving size) of pudding mix, use 3 cups cold milk.


this is from royal's website and it looks to me like the box that calls for 3 cups of milk is considered a double package????

This is even more confusing!!!!!

I know it's confusing. I actually put 3 of those packages (1.5oz;4-1/2 cup servings) into the recipe because i thought i needed 4 oz total as the recipe stated. Of course i had a little extra in the recipe since 3 pkgs equaled 4.5 oz but if you go by servings, it totaled 13-1/2 servings if my math is correct.
That's why my dough was all crumbly and quite sweet! I had to throw it out.

So khalstead, do you recommend just adding one box of the 1.5oz?

I made this yesterday. After it sat in the refrigerator for a few hours, I took it out and it was really crumbly. I had the darndest time with it. Then after baking the cookies, they spread quite a bit. I followed the directions. I let the dough rest and it seemed fine before refrigerating it. I used Jell-O pudding mix. 4 oz. like the recipe called for.

Any help or suggestions? Please?

Thanks.

Where is the recipe that everyone is talking about in this post? It is the one that uses pudding mix in the recipe?

Thank you...I will have to try this recipe out.

Looks like I will be trying this on my next batch of cookies. I have started using MMF and the cookies are spreading too much for MMF. I do not like the have to recut the cookies and I don't like the look of it either. Didn't I read that we can add pudding mix to this?

Khalstead -
The first time I made them I followed your instructions to the tee and they were delicious, but I'm a little short on freezer space now - did you ever make them without freezing?
Thanks.
Phyllis52

yes, I do make them without freezing........they spread a little more but not too bad as long as you don't roll them too thick!

I am going to try the receipe. I have 75 wedding cookies to make for a wedding on Saturday. I have all my ingredients. I was thinking of baking them today and tomorrow and then decorate on Thursday so that all I have to do is package them on Friday. Do you think with the cookies being out for 3 days, they will dry out and not stay soft?

they'll be fine............I actually did a test when I first started using this recipe and I left a cookie out, uncovered for 7 days, tasted it and it was exactly the same.......then tested another after 14 days and it was a little firmer but still tasted good and was still chewy. Then I had a 3rd cookie that was in a bag that was folded over at the top and stapled shut for 2 months!!!! Yes, I tasted it and it actually tasted JUST like the day they were baked!!

I am making these cookies tonight as well. Made the dough for the first time last night (which tasted and smelled WONDERFUL!!) I used white chocolate pudding mix.
I am glad to know that these will remain fresh. I need them completed for Friday and was a bit concerned.