
So since then, I’ve been working hard to develop a snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar. Except for cream of tartar! And sadly, the homemade substitutions available online (like lemon juice, vinegar, and more) add too much liquid to the cookie dough, altering the cookies’ texture. That is, most people have all the ingredients to make snickerdoodles in their pantry already-butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and the like. It’s a shame because most snickerdoodles are pretty “pantry-friendly” recipes. I got many emails and DMs: “What even is cream of tartar?” and “Do I really need cream of tartar to make snickerdoodles?” I 100% get it. They were a hit!īut many were also dismayed by their use of an “obscure” ingredient-cream of tartar. Because unlike other snickerdoodle recipes that make fat, thick, and puffy cookies, my recipe makes snickerdoodle cookies that are flat and similar to the size and shape of a chocolate chip cookie.


I got a ton of people raving about its strong buttery and cinnamon flavors, as well as its perfectly chewy texture. When I first published my best snickerdoodle recipe earlier this year, folks loved the recipe. Baking powder’s main use is as an all-purpose leavening agent for everything from cakes to biscuits.About My Best Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream of Tartarīehold-a snickerdoodle recipe without cream of tartar! It does this by lowering the pH in the water used to cook them. It can be added to certain steamed or boiled vegetables to help them retain their color. Cream of tartar has other applications beyond baking. Its use as an egg white stabilizer is arguably the most common application for this ingredient. It helps to stabilize the egg whites so that they are better able to hold in water and air. When should you use cream of tartar and when should you use baking powder?Īdd cream of tartar when whipping egg whites to make baked goods like meringues and angel food cake. Cream of tartar by itself will not be a good substitute for baking powder, nor will baking powder be a good substitute for cream of tartar without baking soda. Note that baking powder only works as a substitute in recipes that include both cream of tartar and baking soda. Moisture in the air can cause them to release carbon dioxide before you need them to the cornstarch helps to prevent this. Moisture is what causes the two ingredients to react and release carbon dioxide. This is especially important if you do not plan to use it immediately. When using cream of tartar and baking soda in place of baking powder, add 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch to the mix. Simply reverse the formula above by adding a teaspoon of baking powder in place of each 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar required in the recipe. Similarly, you can use baking powder to replace cream of tartar in recipes that require both cream of tartar and baking soda. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and use that to replace a teaspoon of baking powder. Can you use cream of tartar in place of baking powder or vice versa?Ĭream of tartar makes a good substitute for baking powder in certain baking applications in fact, you can make a form of baking powder by combining cream of tartar with baking soda.

The cream of tartar reacts with the baking soda to release carbon dioxide bubbles that result in its leavening action. An angel food cake or meringue made with cream of tartar will have a whiter appearance than one made without it.īaking powder contains cream of tartar along with baking soda. In addition, cream of tartar affects the pigments in flour to make them appear whiter. The result is that your baked goods have finer air bubbles that are more evenly distributed so that the baked item will have a more refined texture. Its benefits include stabilizing egg whites so that they can be whipped for longer without collapsing. Tartaric acid is what is left behind on the insides of wine barrels after the wine has been drained from them.

Cream of tartar consists of tartaric acid, which is a wine-making byproduct. The main difference between cream of tartar and baking powder has to do what makes up each of these leavening agents. What are the differences between cream of tartar and baking powder? Read on to see how cream of tartar and baking powder compare to each other. While these two ingredients do share some of the same properties, there are some significant differences between them and the ways that they are used. Cream of tartar and baking powder have a lot in common you should have them both on hand if you bake pastries regularly.
