Snickerdoodle Recipe Without Cream of Tartar (Solar Oven)

Solar Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles have one annoying requirement: almost every recipe calls for cream of tartar, which isn't a pantry staple for most people. This one skips it entirely and uses baking powder instead, which means you likely have everything you need in the pantry right now. It makes 20 soft, chewy cookies under a crackly cinnamon sugar crust.

They also turn out to be a sneaky-good solar bake. A batch takes about 30 minutes of oven time, so a modest window of sunshine is enough. That's because My Solar Oven seals shut, the steam stays in the chamber, which keeps the middles soft and chewy for days. The most difficult part of these snickerdoodles is not eating them all in one sitting!

Serves: 20 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes per pan (conventional) / 18 to 30 minutes per pan (My Solar Oven)

Ingredients

Snickerdoodle topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cookie dough:

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Step 1: Fire Up the Sun

My Solar Oven: Set the oven out on flat ground in full sun, unfold the reflectors, lock each tab, and aim it. Give it 15 to 30 minutes to preheat while you make the dough. Cookies bake fast, so this recipe only needs a solid window of sun rather than a whole afternoon.

Conventional oven: Position a rack in the center and preheat to 375°F.

Step 2: Mix the Cinnamon Sugar

Whisk the 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and set it aside. This is the magic of a snickerdoodle!

Step 3: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. That teaspoon of baking powder is doing the job cream of tartar usually does, no specialty shopping required.

Step 4: Cream the Butter and Sugar

Beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar together until light, fluffy, and noticeably paler, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down a couple of times along the way. This dough carries a lot of butter and it will stick to the bowl if you let it. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined.

Step 5: Bring the Dough Together

With the mixer (this can be done with a wooden spoon, but it takes some muscle!) on low, gradually work in the flour mixture until just combined, then give the bowl one final scrape and stir for 30 seconds more. Stop as soon as the flour disappears; overworked dough turns tough.

Step 6: Scoop and Coat

Scoop the dough into balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar until completely covered, generously. Place them at least 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined dark metal baking sheet. They spread. My Solar Oven holds one 9x13 sheet pan at a time, so keep the extra dough in the kitchen, out of the sun, until the first pan is done.

Step 7: Bake

My Solar Oven: Put the pan on the rack, close the glass door, and slide the locking tabs until the seal is snug. Plan on 18 to 30 minutes per pan, re-aligning to the sun as needed, usually every 15-30 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are set but the centers still look soft and underdone. They will seem too puffed when they come out, which is completely fine. They fall and crack into the classic crinkled tops as they cool.

Conventional oven: Bake one pan at a time at 375°F for 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still gooey.

Step 8: Cool and Serve

Let the cookies rest on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes so the edges and bottoms set up firm. Serve warm or keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Three snickerdoodles finishing golden in My Solar Oven on a sunny afternoon.

Notes & Tips

• No cream of tartar, no problem. Baking powder replaces it, and the cookies bake up exactly the way you want: soft and chewy in the middle, lightly crisped at the edges. One less jar in the cabinet.
• The sealed chamber makes them extra chewy. Steam that would vent out of a conventional oven stays trapped around the cookies, so the middles stay soft for days. If you like a crisper edge, crack the glass door open a sliver for the last few minutes of the bake to let steam escape.
• Trust the edges, not the clock. Set edges and soft centers beat any timer in solar cooking. If the cookies are still shiny and loose all over, they need more sun.
• Expect some fog on the glass. That much butter and sugar throws off steam, and a sealed chamber holds it. Crack the door briefly on a re-aim if you want a clear view.
• Clouds just add minutes. A short bake under broken clouds stretches a little, that's all. Cookies are about the most forgiving thing you can put in the oven.
• Roll them generously. A thick cinnamon sugar coat is the signature. You'll likely have topping left over; keep it in a jar for oatmeal or toast.

If a sunny morning opens up in your week, put it to work. My Solar Oven bakes these delicious snickerdoodles with zero fuel and zero kitchen heat, and the hardest part is waiting the 20 minutes while they cool.