I just made heart shaped cookies the other day. I use a marble rolling pin which I love and a Tupperware plastic mat to roll out the dough on (it is very old -- I don't know if they still make it). I like using the mat because I can put it in the sink and make sure it is really clean (I cannot put my granite counters in the sink and rinse them well). Anyhow, I always use this recipe from Taste of Home and they are THE BEST SUGAR COOKIES EVER! The secret that sets them apart is the 3 oz of cream cheese. You don't taste the cc in the recipe, but it makes them so yummy. I make the dough the night before and divide it into thirds to roll out. It is quite hard when right out of the refrig, so I let it sit for bit and then smash it down with my hands before rolling. A little flour when rolling out has never hurt these cookies. My other trick is, after rolling out the dough, use a thin metal spatula to unstick the dough from the mat before using the cookie cutters (metal is better, not plastic). Also, don't roll cookie dough too thin and only bake until you see a hint of brown on the edges or they will be crumbly. The end. Here is a link that might be useful: Sugar Cookies

It sounds like you already have a recipe that you like, but I wanted to throw this out there as I just made them the other day and they were wonderful. The texture was crispy but still tender. Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies (Smitten Kitchen) Adapted from CookâÂÂs Illustrated The original recipe didnâÂÂt have white chocolate in it, but it really works wonderfully in here. Even if youâÂÂre a dark chocolate fan. Watch out, use the good stuff and this may even convert you. 1 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon table salt 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped (not âÂÂwhite chocolateâ chips; theyâÂÂre almost always artificial. I am adamant about this.) 1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top) 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl. 2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated. 3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness. 4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie 5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool. Here is a link that might be useful: Smitten Kitchen Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

This is the recipe I like....they really are crisp if you don't under bake them...the extra sugar helps. And they seem to mellow upon storing for a week or so. And I don't prick them Sugar cookies: 1 cup of butter 2 cups of sugar Cream together and add 2 eggs beaten with 2 T milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla ( I like a bit more vanilla) Mix with the butter and sugar Add 3 cups flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt....and as much as 1/2 cup more flour until it's stiff enough to roll out Make flat patties, wrap and refrigerate for an hour or longer.... Dust board with flour and roll and cut..I roll tham about 1/8 inch thick...sometimes thinner... Bake 375 for 8 to 10 minutes....I use parchment on the cookie sheets....if you don't have parchment....lightly grease the sheets. The absence of baking powder keeps them from rising and keeps the cookies true to the shape of the cutter.....and makes them crisp.

There is a LOT of science on this subject of chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator. When you leave the dough in one total amount (bowl, plastic bag, etc.) there are a lot of interesting things that happen, and results because of them. -The flavors have a chance meld together. -The flour has a chance to hydrate. -The fat has a chance to solidify. -You will get a darker color because the sugars (which are hygroscopic) have a chance to absorb liquid, leading to more Maillard Reaction (browning) when baked. -There are also changes to the texture of the dough. Chill it too long and it will dry out. The drier the dough, the more concentrated the sugar will be; which can mean the higher percentage of sugar can make that soft texture attribute turn to chewy or crispy. -If you make the dough balls in advance (which is a good choice), rather than chilling the whole recipe of dough in the bowl/bag, you won't require as long in the refrigerator because of the smaller amount of dough. The longer you chill the dough balls, the more you risk the dough drying out - especially in a frost-free refrigerator - which is a naturally dry environment. So shorten the time when you chill the dough in small portions. -Be sure to cover the dough or portioned balls well so they don't absorb any odors from other items in the refrigerator. Be mindful not to store potentially smelly foods in the refrigerator the same day you are chilling your cookie dough. [As an aside, be sure to taste a fleck of any butter you are using in cookies. If you happen to store a strong-flavored food close to where the butter was stored, it can absorb the odor and affect the flavor of the butter. I once judged a "perfect" cookie, until I tasted it. It tasted like onions, which had been stored, cut and uncovered, in the refrigerator next to the butter she used to make the "perfect" cookies.] -Even as little as 30-minutes in the refrigerator can make a difference. You'll get more browning and less spread the longer you chill the dough. As the dough dries out even more, the longer you chill them, you'll get more concentrated flavors. -Chilling also allows the gluten to relax. Too much gluten development in cookies = tough cookies, so the chilling will aid in preventing that. -Due to the presence of raw eggs in dough, refrigerator dough can also become a place for bacteria to grow, especially if you don't have a refrigerator that keeps the temperature colder than 40°F. Refrigeration only slows down bacteria growth, it doesn't prevent it. So it will be important to make sure you don't add large amounts of warm/hot foods to the refrigerator because it will cause the temperature to warm to an unsafe food temperature for a prolonged period of time. It takes a long time for the internal temperature at the core of a large portion of dough to reach a food-safe temperature colder than 40°F, so I would suggest dividing the dough either into smaller portions like cloudy_christine suggested above, or into individual portions. And definitely, don't be sampling the raw dough if you have it refrigerated for several days just because of an increased risk of bacteria growth due to raw eggs and potentially poor temperature control. -Grainlady