Cream of tartar is important in cookies as it acts as a stabilizer, prevents crystallization, provides acidity, and produces a nice texture. It keeps egg whites soft and stiff, prevents sugar from crystallizing, and reacts with baking soda for leavening. It has no taste or smell and is used in other recipes and crafts.
There are several reasons why the use of cream of tartar in cookies is important. It acts as a stabilizer, helps prevent crystallization and provides the necessary acidity to a recipe without the use of additional liquid. While a number of other acids are just as effective, a cream of tartar is used instead because it is not a liquid, which can further alter a recipe. Using this ingredient helps produce a cookie that has a nice texture and taste.
The fact that it acts as a stabilizer in egg whites is one of the main reasons people use cream of tartar in cookies. This keeps the whites soft and stiff, meaning they’re able to withstand adding ingredients, mixing, and high-heat cooking. It also means the dough stays fluffier, thus creating a light and airy cookie that rises during baking. In some cases, cookies made without it appear thin and flat with a dense texture.
When sugar crystallizes in baked goods, it creates a nasty, gritty texture. The cream of tartar in the cookies helps prevent this unwanted condition by keeping the sugar from crystallizing. It is also used in creamy products such as icing to ensure a smooth texture.
Because a base needs an acid to create a reaction, the cream of tartar in cookies provides the acidity needed to react with the baking soda base. This causes the reaction necessary for the leavening of the biscuits. Most cookie recipes call for the cream and sugar first, which causes air bubbles that may be expanded during baking. To aid in this process, an acid and base are added to help the air bubbles expand during cooking, usually creating a better texture within the finished product.
Cream of tartar in cookies is often used because it has no smell or taste. Other acids such as vinegar could be used, but adding a liquid would probably alter the properties of the recipe too much. This would likely produce a product that is undesirable in both taste and texture. Also, using additional liquids in the recipe would alter the dough and possibly interfere with cooking.
A variety of other recipes also use cream of tartar. Sometimes it is used for similar reasons to the above and other times for slightly different purposes. It is sometimes used for crafts or other non-edible purposes.
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