Easy Snickerdoodle Recipe without Cream of Tartar! - LemonPeony (2024)

FAQs

What to substitute for cream of tartar in snickerdoodles? ›

You can either replace cream of tartar with baking powder at a 1:1.5 ratio (1 teaspoon cream of tartar : 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder), or you can replace cream of tartar with the combination of baking soda and either lemon juice or vinegar (as with this recipe).

What is a Good Replacement for Cream of Tartar? A good replacement for cream of tartar in baking is 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice for every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar.

Mom would tell you the cream of tartar stabilizes the snickerdoodles, providing the light, soft, pillowy texture. It also adds the tangy note associated with snickerdoodles.

Cracking occurs from several chemical reactions during the baking process. If some of your cookies aren't cracking, it could be because those dough balls were less round than others, the dough became too warm, your oven isn't heating evenly, or (most likely) the cinnamon sugar coating wasn't applied as thoroughly.

The Best Substitute for Cream of Tartar

For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in the recipe, use 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar. As an example, if your cookie recipe calls for 1 teaspoon baking soda, add 2 teaspoons lemon juice instead of the cream of tartar.

In some recipes, you can leave out cream of tartar if there is no suitable replacement. You can simply omit cream of tartar from the recipe if you're making whipped egg whites, syrups, frostings, or icings.

Cream of tartar prevents the sugar in cookies from crystallizing which would create a crunchier cookie. Cream of tartar is also used with baking soda to become a leavening agent, which makes baked goods puff up while in the oven due to the production of carbon dioxide gas.

The bottom line: For smooth, stiff beaten egg whites that keep their shape, don't skip the cream of tartar. If you don't have cream of tartar, substituting 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar per egg white works almost as well. To avoid meringues that weep, don't skip the cream of tartar...

Adding it to cake or cookie batters prevents sugar from banding together and crystallizing, meaning that it results in more of a tender chew—snickerdoodles and sugar cookies wouldn't be the same without cream of tartar. The same effect is why it's added to some frostings and syrups, where it helps keep things smooth.

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot.

Why do my snickerdoodles taste bitter? ›

Your snickerdoodles may taste bitter if you are sensitive to the taste of cream of tartar. This snickerdoodle cookie recipe without cream of tartar is an excellent option if you fall into that category.

Too-warm butter will melt and spread in the oven before your cookies set. So, if your recipe calls for room-temperature butter, it needs to be exactly that: room temperature. “It should not be melty or warm to the touch,” says Dawn. “Room-temperature butter is pliable but cool to the touch.

How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret's in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don't use shortening here; you'll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie.

They puff in the oven and then settle back down while cooling into a soft, thick, supremely chewy cookie with a gorgeous crinkly top. They've received nothing but rave reviews! Snickerdoodle is sort of a strange name, yes?

If your snickerdoodles are too sour, you may have added too much cream of tartar. It does give the cookies a subtle sour-tangy flavor, but it should not be over-powering and should balance nicely with the cinnamon and sugar.

You can also simply leave out the cream of tartar from a recipe, which may result in baked goods that are not as fluffy, but will still work out and taste good.

As we've already determined, baking powder is made from cream of tartar and baking soda. So, if you have baking powder, you technically have cream of tartar too! You can substitute 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder for every 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.

When combined with baking soda, it becomes a leavening agent (the stuff that makes baked goods puff up in the oven) by producing carbon dioxide gas. If you ever run out of baking powder, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar for 1 teaspoon baking powder.

For this reason, white vinegar is the go-to vinegar for substituting cream of tartar, since it has the least distinct flavor. Lemon juice: If you'd rather not use vinegar, fresh lemon juice is a good option.