Drop Cookies

Almost any cookie dough can be baked as a drop cookie 

if additional liquidis added to the batter. Use your kitchen scale :

1 ounce of cookie dough makes a nice large cookies

1/2 ounce of cookie dough is great for smaller cookies.

Drop cookie dough vary in texture. Some fall easily from the spoon and flatten 

into wafers in baking. Stiffer dough's need a push with a finger 

or the use of a second spoon to release them.

To make uniform soft drops, use a measuring teaspoon.

When chilled, dough may be formed into balls and flattened

between palms. First dust your hands with flour or powdered sugar.

If the cookies are dark or chocolate, use cocoa for dusting.

#1 Cookie Question Asked - Why do my drop cookies spread 

and thin out while baking?

Easy solution :

Bake a test cookie to get an indication of dough condition before baking

an entire batch. If it spreads too much, one of the following could be the cause :

Dough was not properly chilled.

Pure Cane Sugar (sucrose) was not used; Fructose sugar or 

a blend of sugars was substituted.

Baking pans were greased too much. Don't grease the cookie

sheet unless the recipe calls for it.

Dough was placed on warm baking sheets.

Used a low-fat margarine, diet spread, or vegetable-oil spread instead

of butter or shortening. Never use a low-fat spread with 60% or less fat.

Low-fat spreads have a higher moisture content and will

make cookie dough very soft.

Butter makes cookies spread if the dough is too soft before baking.

Not having the butter at the right consistency when making the dough.

The dough should be soft enough to allow you to poke an indentation with

your finger, but the indentation shouldn't stay.

If using 100% butter, start with CHILLED butter right from the refrigerator

versus room temperature butter. Cut butter into 1-inch cubes and chill again 

before using in your recipe.

Substitute shortening instead of butter, as butter melts faster than solid

shortening. Even 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening will melt more slowly

than using butter only.

Used the wrong type of flour. Flour can affect how cookies bake and behave.

Flours with a high protein content (bread flour and all purpose flour)

produce cookies that tend to be flatter, darker, and more crisp than their counterparts 

made with cake or pastry flour. 

Unbleached all-purpose flour is recommended for the best spread on cookies.

Bleached or chlorinated flours reduce spread.

Source :

whatscookingamerica.net