Preheat oven to 375

Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough is quite thick and you may have to stir the rest by hand.

Make the topping: toss 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the cookies: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Get it nice and smooth, then add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. Set aside.

Take 1.5 - 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough balls into the reserved cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Cream of tartar is required for this recipe.

Cream of tartar and baking soda are needed for the recipe, in lieu of baking powder. Sure, you could use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar + baking soda, but then you won’t really have a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar imparts a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which makes it a classic snickerdoodle.

These cookies should be baked only until the edges begin to brown –about 10-11 minutes, tops. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy. Baking them for any longer will cause them to brown too much on top and I fear they would harden over time. You’ll want to slightly press down on the cookie with the back of a spoon or fork after you remove them from the oven. They will still be very, very puffy!

The cookies stand the true “soft test” – they remained soft on day 2. In fact, the cinnamon-sugar flavor was pronounced on day 2. Since they remain so soft, they are the perfect cookie for gift-giving.