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2 tsps cream of tartar?


Starkman

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Hello all,

I came across something that really puzzled me. On the back of a bag of Heath candy bars, there is a recipe for cookies of some kind using Heath bars. I noted that the recipe includes two teaspoons of baking powder and two teaspoons of cream of tartar, and that's what puzzles me: two teaspoons of cream of tarter??? That's, like, way over-kill, isn't it? And why tartar? Why not just baking soda (like, maybe a 1/1 teaspoon or so at the most)?

Thanks,

Starkman

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baking soda and cream of tartar together make baking powder. are you sure the recipe called for baking powder and not baking soda? if does call for baking powder and additional cream of tartar it's to increase the acid and make the end product lighter

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baking soda and cream of tartar together make baking powder. are you sure the recipe called for baking powder and not baking soda? if does call for baking powder and additional cream of tartar it's to increase the acid and make the end product lighter

No, it wasn't a meringue cookie.

The recipe did in fact call for baking powder. And yes, the acid will make the product lighter, and probably encourage browning, but TWO teaspoons of tartar? That seems like a lot. That's what puzzles me. Isn't that a lot?

Thanks,

Starkman

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baking soda and cream of tartar together make baking powder. are you sure the recipe called for baking powder and not baking soda? if does call for baking powder and additional cream of tartar it's to increase the acid and make the end product lighter

No, it wasn't a meringue cookie.

The recipe did in fact call for baking powder. And yes, the acid will make the product lighter, and probably encourage browning, but TWO teaspoons of tartar? That seems like a lot. That's what puzzles me. Isn't that a lot?

Thanks,

Starkman

without seeing the recipe i couldn't tell you if it's a lot. can you share the recipe?

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baking soda and cream of tartar together make baking powder. are you sure the recipe called for baking powder and not baking soda? if does call for baking powder and additional cream of tartar it's to increase the acid and make the end product lighter

No, it wasn't a meringue cookie.

The recipe did in fact call for baking powder. And yes, the acid will make the product lighter, and probably encourage browning, but TWO teaspoons of tartar? That seems like a lot. That's what puzzles me. Isn't that a lot?

Thanks,

Starkman

without seeing the recipe i couldn't tell you if it's a lot. can you share the recipe?

Yes, post the recipe, please. I'm wondering if it's possible that "baking powder" was actually a typo--that it should have been baking soda, which could make sense. Another possibility is that the cream of tartar is to smooth out the texture.

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Cream of tartar, while causing extra leavening, can also add an extra "tang" to a cookie. I have a snickerdoodle recipe that calls for cream of tartar for just that reason.

Why don't you just try the recipe and see what happens? And if you have extra time on your hands, make another small batch without the cream of tartar and see what difference it makes, if any.

Then you'll have your answer and can share it with us!

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