Cream of Tartar in cookie recipe

[Anonymous]

I came across a recipe that called for cream of tartar as an ingredient for a sugar cookie recipe. I've never heard of this. Anybody else use this in their cookie recipes? Does it make it softer? Sweeter? I don't even know what it looks like!
Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I would think it would make it stiffer for rolling and crispier when baked.

[Anonymous]

I imagine it would make the cookies puffier or rise more.

Cream of tartar is a white powder, you can buy it at the grocery store, it is the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

It is an acid and it is often used as a major component in baking powder, combined with baking soda to react when the mixture is moistened to ensure that baked goods will rise well. Although it is an acid, the cream of tartar and the baking soda will not react when dry, so the entire reaction is saved for the mixing bowl and the oven. More visibly, since most of us do not mix our own baking powder, cream of tartar is used as a stabilizing agent and is added to beaten egg whites to increase their stability and volume. It is also sometimes added to candies or frostings to give them a creamier texture because it can help to prevent the crystallization of cooked sugar.

[Anonymous]

My go-to recipe for rolled sugar cookies calls for cream of tartar. I don't have a clue what it does, but people rave about my cut and frosted sugar cookies!

[Anonymous]

Just don't replace the butter with olive oil

[Anonymous]

It's used in snickerdoodles, which I guess are really not too different from sugar cookies except they're rolled in cinnamon sugar. I find that cream of tartar adds a "tang" to them and makes them very tender.

Are you talking about recipes for crinkle cookies? I feel like I've seen cream of tarter in those recipes.

[Anonymous]

You need cream or tartar in any recipe that calls for baking soda but does not include an acidic ingredient. 85% of the time a recipe calls for cream of tartar, you can sub both the cream of tartar and the baking soda for baking powder.

[Anonymous]

(If you are wondering what it is, it is the scraped powdered residue from wine vats, usually. It is just powdered, neutral-flavored acid. Imagine dehydrated vinegar.)

[Anonymous]

Food uses: Arguably the most famous use for cream of tartar (or at least the one I've seen and used it for most frequently) is to stabilize egg whites when making meringues or meringue toppings. The cream of tartar not only stabilizes the egg whites and allows them to maintain their texture when whipped into stiff peaks, but it also increases their tolerance to heat, which is very helpful, say, when you put a meringue topped pie or a baked alaska into a hot oven. This allows them to brown nicely, hold their shape, and to not melt away and expose the delicious interior of these desserts! 

However, there are other food uses for cream of tartar, including stabilizing whipped cream, preventing discoloration of vegetables which have been boiled, and preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing (I have never used it for this purpose but am intrigued!). 

It can also be used as an ingredient which will help activate baking soda (hence you may see it in some cake recipes), and it also sometimes is listed as an ingredient in salt substitutes. 

http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2013/7/8/what-is-cream-of-tartar-and-what-does-it-do.html