Cracked Sugar Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir. Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir. Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.
- Carbohydrate 16.7824312682374 g
- Cholesterol 66.8933333592446 mg
- Fat 16.0336904266028 g
- Fiber 0.35159500665726 g
- Protein 1.78568208507663 g
- Saturated Fat 9.94014167288295 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (41g)
- Sodium 275.368783613458 mg
- Sugar 16.4308362615801 g
- Trans Fat 1.13806675073739 g
- Calories 216 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
- Cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
- Add flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Stir.
- Form dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, until tops are cracked and just turning color.
Flattening these cookie dough balls before they enter the oven prevents the signature fissures from forming properly on top. Proper physical structure relies on spherical dough retaining its height so the edges set while the interior expands and splits the surface during baking at 350 degrees F. Creaming the butter and sugar incorporates microscopic air pockets that expand when heated, which provides the initial lift necessary for those characteristic cracks to appear within 10 to 11 minutes. ### Adapting Fats and Flour Adapting this formulation for different nutritional requirements alters the final texture significantly because butter contains water that steam-leavens the dough alongside baking soda and cream of tartar. Substituting a plant-based margarine requires selecting a high-fat block rather than a high-water tub spread, ensuring the dough maintains enough structural integrity to hold a walnut-sized shape without spreading prematurely across the sheet. Standard all-purpose wheat flour delivers gluten development that traps gases effectively, meaning that replacing it with a certified gluten-free cup-for-cup blend demands an extra binding agent like xanthan gum if the package lacks it, otherwise the cookies will crumble upon cooling. ### Managing Yolk Richness and Mixing Errors Egg yolks supply fat and emulsifiers that tenderize the crumb while contributing a rich golden hue without adding excess moisture from egg whites. Overbeating the flour once it joins the butter and sugar mixture encourages unwanted gluten strands to form, yielding a tough rather than tender bite. Monitoring the oven closely prevents over-baking, as removing the sheets the exact moment the tops turn color ensures a soft interior texture.
