Favourite Angel Cookies

These angel cookies are a close cousin to the snickerdoodle, with cream of tartar in the dough and a powdered sugar roll instead of cinnamon-sugar. The result is pure white, pillowy soft, and faintly tangy in a way pure shortbread cookies aren’t.

The cream of tartar matters more than people think. It’s an acid that reacts with the baking soda for proper rise, and it adds the signature tang that distinguishes these from generic sugar cookies. Don’t substitute or skip; the texture and flavor depend on it.

Vegetable shortening rather than butter is the move that keeps these snowy white. Butter would brown the cookies and yellow the powdered sugar coating. The shortening also creates a tender, cake-like crumb that holds together without spreading flat in the oven.

The low oven temperature (275°F / 135°C) is non-typical for cookies but exactly right here. The slow bake sets the cookies without browning, preserving the white-on-white look that gives them their angelic name.

Pro Tips

• Roll the balls in powdered sugar generously. Some sugar absorbs into the dough during baking; the rest stays as a snowy coating.
• For the whitest cookies, use clear vanilla extract instead of standard amber vanilla.
• Don’t overbake. The cookies look pale and underdone when ready; they firm up as they cool.
• Store between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight tin. They keep for two weeks at room temperature.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract along with the vanilla for a sweeter, marzipan-like flavor.
• Roll in colored sanding sugar instead of powdered sugar for festive holiday cookies.
• Stir in 1 tablespoon of grated lemon or orange zest for a brighter citrus version. Pair these with a cup of hot cocoa for a winter treat.