Snickerdoodles Ingredient Question

[Andy M.]

SO made a batch of Snickerdoodles for a cookout using a Pillsbury box mix. They were really good.

Out of curiosity, I looked up recipes to make them from scratch. Every recipe called for baking soda and cream of tartar. As you know, C of T and baking soda makes baking powder. So why, I wondered, don't these recipes call for baking powder instead? The CofT and baking soda amounts are in the right proportions for baking powder.

What say you, bakers and food scientists?

 

[bakechef]

I think one thing is to give them their unique flavor. I'm willing to bet that it affects the texture as well.

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[Andy M.]

I think one thing is to give them their unique flavor. I'm willing to bet that it affects the texture as well.

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Yes, one link I read said that C of T effects crispiness. But if you use baking powder, you achieve the same effect as adding soda and C of T don't you?

 

[Andy M.]

I think I figured it out.

We often use double-acting baking powder in home baking. It often does not contain cream of tarter. That being the case, a recipe for Snickerdoodles would have to be for soda and C of T to ensure the desired effect.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I believe you are correct. I think the second rise of the baking powder, when it hits the heat of the oven, would give you more of a dome shaped cakey cookie and you would lose the combination of crisp and chewy that is a big part of a snickerdoodle.

It would still be a good cookie just not a great snickerdoodle!

 

[Mad Cook]

Possibly using CofT and B/S separately is more precise than baking powder which usually has a starch carrier and sometimes uses a different acid.

I live a few miles from the McVitie & Price (digestive biscuits, hobnobs, etc) factory and a few years ago a (ahem) gentleman friend who was afood technologist there told me that commercial cookie/biscuit makers never use baking powder. They always use the baking soda and the acid agent separately. Perhaps this historical as, in the scheme of things, baking powder is a relatively recent invention.

The following is interesting and informative. Explains, to a certain extent, what the difference is between BP and using the chemicals separately.

Baking powder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's Wikipaedia but the references are pretty reliable

 

[Addie]

I believe you are correct. I think the second rise of the baking powder, when it hits the heat of the oven, would give you more of a dome shaped cakey cookie and you would lose the combination of crisp and chewy that is a big part of a snickerdoodle.

It would still be a good cookie just not a great snickerdoodle!

Could it be that the recipe was from an old source before double acting baking powder came on the market?

I went on the hunt and found after Googling "Retro Snickerdoodle" that those recipes all called for cream of tartar and baking soda. When I looked at just "Snickerdoodle Cookies" they called for just baking powder.

 

[bakechef]

With the double acting baking powder, the first reaction happens when the wet hits the dry, so this would essentially make a puffier cookie. There might be something about the cream of tarter making them rise and fall in the oven giving them the flat, wrinkly look. That's just a guess

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[Aunt Bea]

Could it be that the recipe was from an old source before double acting baking powder came on the market?

Most of the recipes that I looked at called for the combination of baking soda and CofT. I also looked at some recipes for ginger snaps and they called for baking soda only. I really think it is just a way of controlling the chemical reaction to give you a crispy and slightly chewy cookie instead of a puffy cookie.

I will never find out, my cookie baking days are behind me and so are many, many of the cookies I've eaten over the last 60 years!

 

[Cheryl J]

This prompted me to get out my late mother's recipe for snickerdoodles. It's the only one I ever use. I'm not much of a baker so I can't add anything about the chemical properties, but all I know is that these are good.

This recipe is about 40 years old and it's my go-to every holiday season. They are a fave with friends and family.

 

[Mad Cook]

This prompted me to get out my late mother's recipe for snickerdoodles. It's the only one I ever use. I'm not much of a baker so I can't add anything about the chemical properties, but all I know is that these are good.

This recipe is about 40 years old and it's my go-to every holiday season. They are a fave with friends and family.

Does a capital "T" mean a tablespoon and a lower case "t" mean a teaspoon? I've seen this in other recipes and wondered.

 

[Dawgluver]

Does a capital "T" mean a tablespoon and a lower case "t" mean a teaspoon? I've seen this in other recipes and wondered.

Yep.

 

[Cheryl J]

Yep, you got it, Mad.

 

[Mad Cook]

Yep.

Thanks

Yep, you got it, Mad.

Thanks

 

[Andy M.]

Here's an article that explains the importance of the presence of cream of tartar. The Difference Between Snickerdoodles And Sugar Cookies

 

[bakechef]

This prompted me to get out my late mother's recipe for snickerdoodles. It's the only one I ever use. I'm not much of a baker so I can't add anything about the chemical properties, but all I know is that these are good.

This recipe is about 40 years old and it's my go-to every holiday season. They are a fave with friends and family.

Are we long lost brother and sister? This recipe card looks like it was written by my mother!

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[Kayelle]

Does Cream of Tartar need to be replaced?

I've had a little jar of it for years left from when I used to bake. Snickerdoodles remain my favorite cookie ever. My kids loved them and they were inexpensive to make. They make outasight ice cream sandwiches too. In fact, Burger King was selling snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches that were worth writing home about. Naturally, they quit selling them and replaced them with a chocolate sandwich. Grrr

Thanks Andy, now I'm inspired to make some again.

 

[Andy M.]

Does Cream of Tartar need to be replaced?

I've had a little jar of it for years left from when I used to bake. Snickerdoodles remain my favorite cookie ever. My kids loved them and they were inexpensive to make. They make outasight ice cream sandwiches too. In fact, Burger King was selling snickerdoodle ice cream sandwiches that were worth writing home about. Naturally, they quit selling them and replaced them with a chocolate sandwich. Grrr

Thanks Andy, now I'm inspired to make some again.

It should last for a very long time.

 

[Cheryl J]

Could be, bakechef! Don't ya just love the beautiful cursive that our mothers and grandmothers used when writing out their recipes.

Andy, thank you for the link. That explains a lot to me. It's also most likely the reason my homemade playdough recipe for the kids also calls for cream of tartar - it's a preservative and keeps things soft and ooey gooey. I just used it and never questioned the why. There's a reason my mom always said don't leave out the c of t in the snickerdoodles.

Learning a lot here.

 

[Kayelle]

And another thing..what about the shortening in most of the recipes? Wouldn't butter make them better, now that I can afford butter?