Snickerdoodles (Mine)

Snickerdoodles distinguish themselves from sugar cookies by one ingredient: cream of tartar. That powdered acid reacts with the baking soda to leaven the dough, but more importantly it lends the cookies their characteristic tang and the distinctive crackled surface that forms as they bake. Without cream of tartar, you’ve just got a cinnamon-sugar cookie. The tartness is the whole point.

The cinnamon-sugar coating is the second key. Roll each dough ball generously in the mixture before placing on the sheet, then flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. The flattening serves a purpose. It exposes more surface area to the heat so the edges crisp while the centers stay soft, giving you the textbook snickerdoodle bite. Don’t overbake. Pull them at 8 minutes when they’re still pale in the middle and the carryover heat will set the centers properly.

Pro Tips

• Use real butter if you can, even though the recipe calls for margarine. Butter gives a deeper flavor and better texture. Margarine works in a pinch.
• Make sure the cream of tartar is fresh. Old cream of tartar loses its leavening power and the cookies bake flat and dense.
• Chill the dough briefly if your kitchen is warm. Soft dough spreads too thin and you lose the chewy interior.
• Store in a sealed container with a slice of bread. The bread keeps the cookies soft for days. Without it they harden within 24 hours.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of almond extract in place of half the vanilla for a more nuanced flavor.
• Swap the cinnamon coating for chai spice blend (cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, allspice) for a fall variation.
• Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted white chocolate for a gift-worthy presentation.