Cream softened butter, shortening and the sugar together in large bowl, scraping the sides if necessary. Beat only 1-2 minutes to avoid overmixing.
Add the cold eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, then mix in the vanilla.
Sift the flour and then add the cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and spices and sift together into a medium size bowl. This aerates the flour so it's nice and fluffy and evenly distributes the spices.
Add flour mixture 1/3 at a time and mix into the wet ingredients. Mix only until everything is incorporated.
Take dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. You could make the dough the night before and refrigerate.
While dough is chilling mix the sugar and spice mixture together in a small bowl for the cookie coating.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After dough is chilled, break off pieces of dough and form into balls (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter). You can also use a medium size cookie scoop. Roll the balls generously into the sugar mixture to coat.
Place 2 " apart on a prepared baking sheet. I like to use a silicon baking sheet. You can also bake on parchment paper or spray the cookie sheet lightly with no stick spray.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven when cookies are slightly underbaked. They should start cracking on the top when done.
Remove cookies and let them sit on the baking sheet to cool for about 3 minutes, then place on a cooling rack. If cookies are very puffy you can flatten them slightly with the spatula. Let cookies completely cool before removing from the rack.
BAKING HINTS: *Make sure your leavening ingredients (cream of tartar and baking soda) are fresh. *Use butter at the right temperature so it's not too hard or too soft. Butter should indent slightly when you press your finger into it. *Chill your cookie dough so the butter doesn't melt too fast. This causes cookies to spread. Using part shortening with the butter creates a tender, crumbly texture and helps cookies stay puffy. *Baking the cookies at a higher temperature causes the exterior of the cookie to set faster and prevents it from spreading. *Sifting the flour results in a lighter, fluffier cookie. *Using cold eggs helps keep the butter from melting faster in the baking process. *Don't overbake the cookies. Let edges set and center be slightly gooey if you want more chewiness. *Purchase a silicone baking mat for cookies. NOTES: *Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 5-7 days. *These cookies freeze well in an airtight container for up to three months. Just place in freezer safe container or ziplock bag with a layer of parchment paper or wax paper in between the cookies.