Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar

These snickerdoodles made without cream of tartar are just as chewy, sweet, cinnamony, and a little bit tangy as the classic snickerdoodle cookie.  Serve year-round or put out as holiday cookies.

Snickerdoodles aren't common outside of America and Canada at all. 

So, I decided to make them myself.

I had one problem, though… cream of tartar. 

Cream of tartar is almost as scarce in Israel as snickerdoodles themselves are.

At first, I thought maybe I could leave it out, but after a little research, I realized that's not much of an option.  

The cream of tartar helps the cookies rise and makes them soft and chewy. 

Next, I discovered that you could use baking powder instead, as long as you also leave out the baking soda. 

This is because baking powder is often made using two parts: one part cream of tartar, one part baking soda. 

In fact, most recipes that give a substitute for cream of tartar recommend baking soda. 

At first, I thought I had my solution too. 

Then I read that cream of tartar adds the tangy flavor found in snickerdoodles.  So, the search continued.

Finally, I discovered that lemon juice could be used in place of cream of tartar.  

This wouldn't work for all recipes, but it works well in baking.

It gives the acidity that interacts with the baking soda as well as the tart flavor.

The end result?  Delicious snickerdoodles that are soft, chewy, and just slightly tangy.  

If you like these snickerdoodle cookies without cream of tartar, you may also like my dairy free snickerdoodle cookies or my mint crinkle cookies.

Jump to:

• How to Measure Flour and Other Dry Ingredients
• how do you make cookies with oil instead of butter?
• Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?
• Are Eggs Dairy Free?
• How Can I Tell if My Eggs Are Still Good?
• Can I Make This Without Using Eggs?
• What kind of sugar should I use?
• Can I use honey instead of sugar?
• Can I use baking soda and baking powder interchangeably?
• Recipe Tip
• how to store
• how to freeze
• Other Recipes You May Like:
• Snickerdoodles without Cream of Tartar

How to Measure Flour and Other Dry Ingredients

The best way to measure dry ingredients is with a scale, but in the United States, dry measuring cups are usually used instead.

Weighing ingredients is useful for home bakers, but it's especially important for professional bakers because they work with huge batches. 

I usually use dry measuring cups when baking too, because I didn't grow up in a country that generally weighs ingredients, so please don't feel like you can't use them.

To measure most dry ingredients, first spoon them into a dry measuring cup and then level off the measuring cup with an upside-down butter knife.

Make sure not to pack it down because this will cause you to use more of the ingredient than the recipe calls for.

Brown sugar is the exception to the rule, though. To measure brown sugar, pack it into the measuring cup and then level off any excess.

To measure chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit, just pour them into the dry measuring cup and then level them off.

What are dry measuring cups?

Dry measuring cups are the set of cups that usually come with measuring spoons. Each cup is a different measurement, just like each spoon is a different measurement.

Liquid measuring cups, on the other hand, are the cups that usually hold more than one cup and have lines on the side that mark the measurements.

The problem with using liquid measuring cups to measure powdery dry ingredients, like flour and cocoa, is that you shake the cup to level them off. This causes the powder to settle, and you end up with more than you need.

I tested this with a friend who didn't believe me, and we ended up with a quarter cup more flour than the recipe called for.

Should I sift the flour and other dry ingredients?

It's usually recommended to sift your powdery ingredients, like flour and cocoa, before using them.

Sifting aerates the flour and removes any lumps, which helps make baked goods fluffier.

It also helps you get a more accurate measurement than when you use flour that's been packed tightly in a bag.

And sifting dry ingredients together, like flour, cocoa, and baking powder, helps make sure they're evenly distributed in the batter. Which honestly, I think is probably overrated, so I personally never bother with it.

how do you make cookies with oil instead of butter?

Making cookies with oil is a little bit different than making cookies with butter.

Since butter is about 80% fat and 20% water, and oil is 100% fat, you need less oil than you do butter.

However, that could lead to cookie dough with oil being drier and therefore harder to shape. This is not the case with cookies like crinkle cookies, but in most cases, it is.

So, it's really helpful to add a little bit of water to get a similar consistency to cookie dough made with butter.

I do this by adding a bit of water at a time and mixing it in before adding a little more until I get the right consistency. Usually, only 1 to 2 tablespoons of water does the trick.

Do oil cookies need to be chilled?

In most cases, I don't find chilling cookies made with oil necessary.

The one exception is for cookies you plan to cut out, like sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies, because chilled dough makes the cut-out shapes easier to work with.

Which Type Of Oil to Use

I don't specify in the recipe which type of oil to use because it's mostly personal preference and I don't want anyone to feel they have to use specifically that type of oil. For the most part, you can use whatever oil you feel most comfortable using.

I use neutral oils like canola oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil.

You can also use stronger oils like olive oil and coconut oil, but keep in mind that they may change the taste somewhat.

If you're going to use olive oil, use the one labeled pure olive oil because it has the mildest flavor. This should make the flavor a lot less noticeable.

Is It Better to Use Canola Oil or Olive Oil?

Canola oil is relatively cheap and, due to its lack of flavor and high smoke point, is very versatile.

Olive oil, on the other hand, is generally considered a healthier choice.

So, really, it's whatever you prefer.

How to Store Oil

Store oils in a cool, dark place to prevent them from becoming rancid.

If you store them in the fridge, some oils, like olive oil, may solidify and look strange, but don't worry, they'll return to normal at room temperature.

Coconut oil begins to solidify in temperatures under 76°F or 25°C.

Do Eggs Need to Be at Room Temperature?

The short answer is "no."

While a lot of recipes call for room-temperature eggs, the difference is only noticeable if you do a side-by-side comparison, and even then, the difference is very slight.

Are Eggs Dairy Free?

No, eggs are not dairy.

Dairy is milk and any food products made from milk, including cheese, cream, butter, and yogurt.

So, while eggs are an animal product, they are not dairy.

Recipes like scrambled eggs made without milk are dairy free even though they contain eggs, since they do not use milk or butter.

If this sounds like a silly question to you, you'd be surprised how many people think eggs are dairy because they're in the refrigerated section of the supermarket.

How Can I Tell if My Eggs Are Still Good?

Fill a glass with cool water and submerge the eggs.

If the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their side, they're still fresh.

If they sink but stand on one end at the bottom of the glass, the eggs are older but still good to use.

If an egg floats to the top, it's very old and should be checked carefully for signs of spoilage before using.

Can I Make This Without Using Eggs?

Yes. Just replace each egg with 2 tablespoons of water.

How Do I Replace Eggs in Recipes?

After being asked by a mother how she could make one of my dairy free recipes for her child who is allergic to eggs, I did a lot of research into it and started making egg free recipes too. I'm here to help you know 🙂

So, if you want to make pretty much any recipe eggless, here's how you do it:

Eggs do three things in most recipes: they help bind the ingredients together, help them rise, and add moisture.

For example, eggs are the primary binder in a pumpkin pie, creating a sliceable custard, but in my chewy brownies they mostly just help them rise.

So, to replace eggs in fluffy things like eggless chocolate cakes and eggless cornbread, use ¼ cup of water per egg called for.

For cookies like my eggless chocolate chip cookies, use 2 tablespoons of water in place of each egg.

In pies like eggless pumpkin pie or in recipes like eggless meatloaf, and really anything that uses eggs as a binder, use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and ⅓ cup of water per egg. Though don't try this with matzo balls, because it doesn't work-believe me, I've tested it and ended up with a big mess.

What kind of sugar should I use?

You should use white granulated sugar, which is also called white sugar, granulated sugar, and table sugar.

If you live in the United Kingdom, you can use caster sugar instead.

You should not use powdered sugar, which is mostly used for dusting desserts and making frosting, icing, and glazes. But it is sometimes used to make fudge.

Can I use honey instead of sugar?

If you'd prefer to use honey instead of sugar, like I do in my honey challah recipe, you can.

Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you don't need as much of it.

So, for every 1 cup of sugar, use ½ to ⅔ cup of honey.

For ¼ cup sugar, use 3 tablespoons honey.

For ½ cup sugar, use ⅓ cup honey.

For 1 cup sugar, use ¾ cup honey.

For 2 cups sugar, use 1.5 cups honey.

Since honey adds liquid, you need to remove some to balance it out. For every cup of honey, remove ¼ cup of liquid.

Also, it burns faster than granulated sugar, so you want to lower the baking temperature by 25°F and check it early and often to avoid burning or overbaking.

Can I use baking soda and baking powder interchangeably?

No. Even though baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents that make things rise, they work differently and aren't generally interchangeable.

When baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) is combined with acidic ingredients, it makes carbon dioxide. This helps batter or dough rise and gives baked goods a light, fluffy texture.

That's why baking soda is commonly used in recipes have acidic ingredients, like buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, or natural cocoa powder.

Baking soda is also roughly four times as powerful as baking powder, so you don't need a lot of it. Using too much can actually give your baked goods a bitter or metallic taste.

Baking soda needs enough acid to react with it, so substituting it for baking powder can leave things flat and tasting off.

Baking powder, on the other hand, is a combination of both baking soda and an acid, so it doesn't need an acidic ingredient in the recipe to create carbon dioxide.

This makes baking powder useful in recipes that don't have enough acidic ingredients to activate baking soda. For example, it's commonly used in recipes like matzo balls and biscuits.

Because baking powder is less powerful than baking soda, recipes generally call for more of it. So, if you try to use baking soda instead of baking powder, the texture won't come out right and the flavor will probably taste disgusting.

Why do some recipes call for both?

Some recipes use both baking soda and baking powder because they do slightly different things.

For example, my chocolate cake has enough acid for baking soda to react with it, but if you'd use enough baking soda to give the cake the lift it need, it would ruin the flavor and you'd have to throw the cake out.

So, instead of adding more baking soda, the recipe uses baking powder to give additional rise.

How can I tell if baking soda and baking powder are still good?

Both baking powder and baking soda can continue to be used well past their best by dates, but they become less potent over time and can eventually stop working altogether.

To test baking soda, pour 3 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar into a small bowl, add ½ teaspoon of baking soda, and stir. The mixture should rapidly bubble if the baking soda is still active.

To test baking powder, pour 3 tablespoons of warm water into a small bowl, add ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and stir. If the baking powder is still active, it should fizz.

how to store

Let cookies cool completely.  Place in a resealable bag or an airtight container.  Store at room temperature for up to a week.

how to freeze

Let cookies cool completely.  It is best to freeze cookies on a tray so that they freeze as individuals. Then, move to a resealable freezer bag. 

If this is not practical for you, place cooled cookies in a resealable freezer bag and freeze that way.  

Cookies will keep for up to 3 months.  After that, the quality begins to degrade.

When thawing baked cookies, remove from bag and let sit at room temperature. 

If desired, you can gently reheat thawed cookies to mimic that fresh-baked taste and texture: place them in a 275°F or 135°C oven until soft.

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