The Secret behind cutout sugar cookies?

[Saint_Cad]

I have to make cutout cookies. The problem is, every time I do it the snowman turns into a blob, the trees turn into blobs, the candy canes turn into … well you get the picture. What is the secret to not having sugar cookies spread out? I know to put the cookies in the fridge before cooking but what else? Shortening instead of butter? More flour? Freezing rather than chilling the cookies?

[Seanette]

I understand that refrigerating the dough before cutting helps.

[Mighty_Mouse]

Use a silicone mat instead of a greased surface. Second best is parchment paper.

[romansperson]

King Arthur Baking has some good tips here.

Dough made without leavening will hold its shape better than dough using baking powder or baking soda. To a lesser extent, this is also true for dough made with shortening instead of butter. For intricate cutouts, choose an unleavened, shortening-based dough.

[pulykamell]

ETA: Nevermind. OP means (I think) after you cut them out and put them in the oven. At any rate, I refrigerate before cutting out and then before baking and bake on parchment paper. Perhaps try a different recipe? If you are using a recipe with butter (which I assume you are), you have to be careful not to overwork the dough and have the butter melt.

[Roderick_Femm]

America’s Test Kitchen has a recipe for iced holiday sugar cookies that appears to work really well for this issue, although they don’t even mention “holding the shape while baking” as a motive for their method. The recipe uses butter, superfine sugar, and a very small amount of leavening. They plasticize the butter in a food processor with the sugar, and in other ways do a lot of things differently. You can see this video on YouTube or probably on their website. It looks very easy, if you have a food processor.

[Chronos]

My family has never had this problem… Lemme see if I can dig up the recipe.

@my family's cookbook

Blend together:
2 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 cup shortening (or margarine)
Add and mix well:
2 eggs
1 cup sour milk*
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix with 1 cup flour and add to batter:
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
Then add:
Flour enough to make a dough stiff enough to roll out. You may have to kneed in the last flour rather than using the mixer.
Roll out (best if a little thick) on a floured surface, cut out, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until they are lightly browned and do not leave a dent when gently poked. *To sour milk, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to it.
Ice when cool using your favorite frosting recipe or canned frosting

Aside: A few years back, I saw a cookie cutter that was shaped like a roller, with various Christmas shapes cleverly tesselated over the entire surface. Roll your dough out into a sheet in the conventional way, roll this thing in a few strips across it, and presto, no wasted dough.