My advice would be if they aren't spreading enough then there is a bit too much flour. Try cutting down 1/4 cup and do a test cookie, if it's spreading too much then add a bit more flour until you get it how you like it. Betty Crocker cookbook has this tip in their old cookbook. I think most people are trying to figure it out when it's really just as simple as too much or not enough flour that affects the spread of the cookie. Try not to over-think it so much. EDIT TO ADD: The cookies in the picture look good though...they don't look like they didn't spread enough to me. Here's a thought too, why not use a round cookie scoop to form them and flatten them out a bit with the bottom or a glass or something? This post was edited by arkansas_girl on Thu, Dec 27, 12 at 10:31

I have never read or posted in this section of GW, but the link for Holiday Cookie Recipes appeared at the top of a page I do frequent, and the idea was just too tempting to bypass. Let me preface by saying that I am not the cook in our family. That distinction belongs to my husband, who missed his calling in life... he could have been a famous and well loved chef. So, he generally cooks, and I generally get clean-up duty. :-) Due to health issues we cook almost exclusively from scratch, pouring over product labels to ensure only pure, organic, natural, unprocessed and healthy ingredients are used. If we must, we order products and have them shipped. For example, if a recipe calls for vegetable oil, we would use cold pressed coconut oil instead. Sugars are kept to a minimum, are organic when used, or we substitute raw organic honey. Flour is unbleached and organic. I want to thank you all for sharing your recipes, several of which I've copied and plan to try this season. They all sound and/or look amazing, but my expertise extends as far as simple drop cookies, so that's where I usually concentrate my efforts. Decades ago, my Mother gifted me with a set of recipes from Mary Masters - My Great Recipes. Perhaps some of you have heard of them. My all-time favorite drop cookie recipes from the set are: Haymarket Chocolate Chip Cookies These are thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies that are often found in cookie shops. The edges are browned and crisp but the centers remain pale. * ½ cup soft butter or margarine (must be room temperature) * ½ cup sugar * 1 egg * 1 tsp vanilla extract * ½ cup sifted all-purpose flour * ¼ tsp salt * 1/3 cup chocolate chips * 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts Cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg and beat until creamy. Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until a smooth batter forms. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Line cookie sheets with foil and grease lightly. Drop batter with a teaspoon, well apart on the baking sheets (they will spread out while baking) Bake at 350F for 7-10 minutes until edges are golden and centers are set. They will be soft when hot so remove immediately from baking sheet and cool on racks. They will become crispy as they cool. Makes 24-30 cookies. (Rack placement depends on how your oven cooks... I place mine centered to avoid uneven browning on bottom or top, and I turn the cookie sheets halfway through to obtain even cooking.) Oatmeal Lace Cookies 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups quick cooking or rolled oats (not instant) 1 tbsp all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, melt the butter and allow to cool slightly, for 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, egg and vanilla extract. Pour in the cooled, melted butter and whisk to combine. Add in oats, flour and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined. Allow batter to stand for 5 minutes. Scoop 1 teaspoon sized balls of dough and place onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between cookies to allow room to spread. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Allow cookies to cool for 4-5 minutes on the baking sheet to give them time to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. (I usually put both types of cookies in a container the moment they are cool to help retain a little chewiness in the centers, though the edges will be deliciously crispy. And again, ensure your oven racks are placed for even baking.) Tips: Not only do I allow the butter to come to room temperature before using, I also take the eggs out of the fridge at the same time. All ovens differ, so oven rack placement and turning the cookie sheets halfway through the bake help ensure an evenly baked cookie without burnt bottoms, or a partial sheet darker than the others. Enjoy!

If you make dough to freeze, it's better to freeze in a 'lump' rather than cookies--less surface area to get dried out, and pick up any freezer/refrigerator odors. You can just scoop the frozen cookie dough if you have a strong scoop, and bake frozen. Your cookies will be better if the dough goes into the oven frozen. Makes a significant difference in the finished product. If you bake your cookies and freeze, remember to leave them wrapped, as they come from the freezer until they're completely defrosted. Otherwise they'll pick up moisture from the air (picture the outside of your iced tea glass on a hot afternoon). If you let the cookies defrost INSIDE their moisture-proof wrapping, that moisture will not affect the cookies and make them soggy. If you bake your cookies around Thanksgiving weekend, there's no need to freeze. I used to work at a very expensive bakery, that was known for their extremely high quality products (and they used no preservatives, or chemicals). We baked all the Christmas cookies the Monday after Thanksgiving. They were stored in cardboard box bottoms--one flavor to a box--slipped into large plastic bags (like dry cleaning bags), twist-tied closed and stored on shelves at cool room temp. Those cookies were still fresh Christmas week. As long as you keep your flavors separate and store in air-tight containers, you should have no problem with storing cookies at room-temp for about 4-5 weeks. Note, though, that most of the advice given on this thread (mine and others) would mainly apply to butter-based cookies. You wouldn't want to freeze meringues, for instance. And I wouldn't make something like lace cookies too soon. Of course, Leibkuchen NEED to be baked about a month before the holiday and stored to cure so you can eat them.

Grainlady, do you taste the banana or coconut oil in your cookies? I haven't been able to put a banana in my mouth for years, don't even like the smell. And detest the smell and taste of coconut. I do use a tiny bit of coconut oil for DH's eggs sometimes, but even that can be too much if I am not careful. Mom used to make the chocolate Pixies at Christmas every year! Loved them. My kids didn't like them, so I quit making them years ago. Linda, thank you for your recipe. My favorite cookie depends on the time of year. Any time of year would be soft chewy chocolate chip, or oatmeal cinnamon chip or oatmeal chocolate chip. At Christmas, my aunt's ginger cookies, grandma's BonBons (not a candy), candy cane (without the peppermint). Used to be the Mexican Tea Cakes, very similar to Marilyn's cookie, until I made myself sick on them the first year we were married. DH likes them, but didn't eat any for some reason that year, and I ate the whole batch! Not all at once of course, but still too many. Now I can't eat the nuts. I love the Kiffles, or as DH's mom called them, Kolachkies, also. I didn't have much luck making those, tho. The Mexican Tea Cakes and the candy cane cookies, and the pixies, were the only ones Mom only made at Christmas. Grandma kept the Bon Bons made year round and in the freezer. Every time we came, she would get a box out of the freezer for us to eat. I turned them into Christmas cookies because I would eat them all, all the time!