Snickerdoodle

The classic tang comes from cream of tartar, which is used with baking soda as the leavening. Together they give snickerdoodles their pillowy, slightly chewy texture and help the tops crack as they bake.

Balls of dough are rolled generously in cinnamon sugar and baked until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft; they firm up as they cool. Without cream of tartar, the cookies are closer to a plain cinnamon sugar cookie.