I remember my Mom making these cookies when I was growing up. I made the mistake of following some of the other reviewers suggestions and they turned out crappy. The second time I made these I followed the recipe (I used butter instead of margarine)and they turned out perfect. I did bake them at 400 and I took them out at 6 minutes and they were perfect doneness.

i cut the flour back t 3.5 cups. still the dough jammed up my bon jour cookie press which is battery operated. it simply couldn't handle this stiff dough. so i rolled it and cut it w a darling holly leaf cookie cutter and dusted it w lime jello and red sugar. so cute but utterly inedible. rolling the dough made it tough. a total waste of ingredients. won't do this recipe again.

this recipe has also been in my family since before I can actually remember. My mother made them every christmas. I'm not sure what the other reviewers are talking about, my recipe also calls for 4 cups of flour. I usually add about 3.5 cups and then more as needed. If you add food coloring to intensify the color, you'll need a little more flour. I also often add zest and some juice for citrus flavors and this needs a little more flour also. The dough should be the consistency of stiff frosting when placing it in the cookie gun/press. I always use baking margerine as the low fat stuff turns out awful! One batch makes 6-8 dozen cookies. The only problem is getting rid of them all if you make more than one flavor/color!

These were wonderful! I followed some of the suggested changes, a little more flour, gelatin and margarine. I did not find the dough too hard to get out of my cookie press, rather the opposite, my dough was very soft. Also, I did not feel the need to sprinkle gelatin on top, probably just my preference but I did top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. I can't wait to take these to work tomorrow!

This is the second year I've made these and I think they're so cute! I did have to change the temp and time though. Maybe it's just my oven but at 400 degrees for 12 minutes they would be beyond burnt. I dropped down to 350 for about 7-8 minutes and that worked for me. Thanks!

Edible but not good. I made these with black cherry jello mix. I burnt the first batch baking at 400 for 10 minutes. The time that ended up working was 350 for 8 minutes. There was barely any flavor, so in the end I dabbed on some cherry extract after they were baked. I think I am going to have to dip these in chocolate to even make them worth eating.

We made this recipe several times. First time too dry, so added some cream to soften it. Then they burned, so reduced time to 8 minutes and they were ok, held shape, but still browning to fast. We made them again, adusted the flour, still too dry, more cream. Baked at a lower temp. (350 degrees) for about 13 minutes, cookies only spread a little. Better results. Third attempt, 3 cups of flour, much better, but will probably adjust temp. and time next batch. The flavor depends greatly on the flavor of jello you prefer.

I got my cookie press today in the mail and jumped on the chance to try this recipe! It is great! Was quick and very flavorful!

This was a GREAT recipe, I used the suggested changes from the message board. I used 2 cups margarine, 2 eggs and 4oz of jello for the cookies (boosts the flavor) & 2 oz for sprinkling. They turned out wonderful and after putting them in an airtight container have remained soft and delicious for 2 days. My kids & I can't wait to try other flavours (we used Orange)! Thanks for the recipe and the tips everyone!

These cookies were awesome! I only used 3 cups of flour and changed butter to 2 cups. I put the dough in the fridge for 1 hour and rolled them to cut out shamrocks for St Patrick's Day. I used the lime flavored gelatin powder which gave it the green color. Perfect touch!

this is just like I remember from when I was a kid!

These are good and make a nice extra added color to your cookie tray. I prefer black cherry.

My mom used this recipe for years before I saw it here. She always used starwberry, and I never thought that the 3 oz. did the flavor any justice. Now that it is my turn for this recipe, I mix everything together except the gelatin. I split the whole batch three ways and use half a package of lemon, orange, and strawberry gelatin, adding a touch of lukewarm tap water. Before baking, I sprinkle a little gelatin on top. They come out with a bang of fruit flavor and wonderful coloring, and there's enough for two batches!!!

We tried and tried to make this recipe work, after 4 attempts we gave up. The flavor was just off and the texture was a nightmare in the press. It's just not worth trying to work through a flawed recipe...KEEP LOOKING!

I have used this exact recipe for years. This year I used the changes some of you suggested, and I had a flatter more spread out cookie. I prefer the original, but my press is an electric Wilton, so it is not difficult for me to press the cookies.

Will not make these cookies again. I baked the first batch for the time stated and the bottoms of the cookies were almost black. I adjusted the time to only 8 minutes and baked until just set but not browned. They aren't a bad cookie, but not a real good one either. The flavor wasn't all that great. Not worth making again.

I give this recipe three stars for creativity. It is worth making, but not according to the given directions. I took this recipe and used 3 1/4 C flour, added 1/4 C butter and added an extra egg. They then pressed well and baked well, and had a nice mild flavor. Don't overbake them though. 8 minutes is all you need!

Way too much flour, most of my cookie press designs would not work with such a thick dough, and I actually bruised my thumbs, trying to press these out. I looke at my other cookie press recipies and most call for about 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour NOT 4 CUPS. I will try these again with less flour. Revised on 12-24-03: I made these again today and they turned out great. I used black cherry jello and increased the butter to 2 cups and added another egg. I kept flour the same. All the cookie press shapes turned out. I only baked for about 6 and a half minutes and they turned nice and golden brown on the bottom.