I have most of a batch of eggnog snickerdoodles ready to be mixed but I've run out of cream of tartar. The recipe only calls for 1/2 tsp. Can I skip it? I don't even know the purpose of cream of tartar so I'm not sure I won't ruin the entire batch of cookies if I leave it out. Can any of you help me out?

By Pamt on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 06:52 pm:

Forms on the inside of wine barrels. The barrels are scraped and the sediment is purified and ground to form cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is used to stabilize egg whites when making meringue or as an addition to certain frostings to produce a creamy product.

Equivalents
1 oz., 3 tbsp.

Substitutions
lemon juice (3 x quantity) or vinegar (3 x quantity)

Hope this helps! Good luck!

By Tink on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 06:54 pm:

So I can substitute 1 1/2 tsp of lemon juice??? I sure hope so since that's what I'm about to do!

Thanks, Pam! You just made my day!

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 08:56 pm:

The recipe I use for snickerdoodles, actually doesn't call for cream of tartar, so I don't put it in, but I know I've used other recipes that did. They turn out fine. Keep us posted on using the tsp of lemon juice, though! I'm curious.

By Tink on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 09:23 pm:

Well, I didn't have enough lemon juice so I used vinegar. I was SO scared to dump vinegar in my cookie batter but it came out perfect. Who could have possibly guessed??? Thanks again, Pam!

By Hol on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 11:26 pm:

Wow, Pam! Where did you learn that?

By Pamt on Sunday, December 24, 2006 - 12:11 am:

I googled it As I mentioned on an earlier post I bake weekly and I have learned that just about every ingredient has something that can be substituted for it, so I just looked to see what it might be.

My poundcake is in the oven now and the recipe called for cake flour. I make this particular poundcake several times a year and never buy cake flour. The substitute is 1 c cake flour = 1 c all-purpose flour minus 2 Tbsp. I'm all about shortcuts and "making do"--LOL

Glad it worked for you Tink!

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, December 24, 2006 - 12:28 am:

That's cool!