Step 1

Preheat your oven to 375℉ (190℃). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.

Step 2

Make the cinnamon sugar topping by mixing 3 tablespoons of white sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt making sure everything is well mixed. Set aside.

Step 4

Stand mixer method: In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the vegan butter and sugar. Mix well until creamy and fluffy. Add the applesauce and vanilla and mix in.By hand method: To a large bowl, add the vegan butter and sugar. Use a whisk to mix well until creamy and fluffy. If the vegan butter is too firm to whisk, let it soften at room temperature until you can whip it. Add the applesauce and vanilla and mix in.

Step 5

Stand mixer method: To the butter mixture, add the flour mixture and mix to form a dough. Tip: I like to add 1/4 of the flour mixture at a time so that it doesn't poof everywhere. By hand method: To the butter mixture, add the flour mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix and form a dough. Tip: I like to add 1/4 of the flour mixture at a time so that it doesn't poof everywhere.

Step 6

To form the cookies, take about 1 ½ tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar to coat the ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat using all of the cookie dough, and spacing the cookies on the pan so they have room to spread.

Step 7

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until they have puffed up, cracked in some places, and are golden on the bottom. When you remove the cookies from the oven, use the back of a spoon to lightly press the cookies down to flatten them a bit. This also makes them chewier in the center. Allow to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool. Enjoy fresh, store them at room temperature for up to 5 days, or you can place them in an airtight container and freeze them to enjoy later.