Too much spread can be caused by a few different reasons.  1. The baking temperature was too low 2. Not enough flour 3. Too much sugar 4. Over creaming the butter and sugar 5. Adding too much leavener (baking powder or baking soda) 6. Too much liquid in the dough To prevent flat cookies, make sure that you measure all of the ingredients accurately and bake the cookies in a preheated oven.