The snickerdoodle cookie as we know it can be traced back to one woman.

Her name is Patricia Anfinson.

Virtually every snickerdoodle cookie recipe youโ€™ll find today was inspired by Patriciaโ€™s family recipe, which was first printed in the 1950 cookbook, Betty Crockerโ€™s Picture Cook Book.

Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book
The original “Big Red,” Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book, published 1950.

Snickerdoodle Recipe History: A Recipe Rip Off

Patโ€™s influence on this seminal cookie cannot be overstated.

In my snickerdoodle research, I was shocked to discover just how many recipe developers across the internet present a snickerdoodle cookie recipe as their own, when really all theyโ€™ve done is rehash Patriciaโ€™s recipe with a minor change or two.

Often, the adjustments these bloggers make are as minute as substituting butter for shortening and adding vanilla extract.  (Trisha Yearwoodโ€™s 2008 snickerdoodle recipe is Pat Anfinsonโ€™s recipe.  The only change Yearwood made was to subtract 2 Tbsp of sugar from the cinnamon/sugar rolling mixture.)

snickerdoodle recipe history

Even more shocking, these recipe developers give Pat no credit for her work, which clearlyโ€”at the very leastโ€”inspired their own.

Iโ€™m proud to say that my snickerdoodle recipe is inspired by Patricia Anfinsonโ€™s recipe.

Hereโ€™s the story of how one woman with drive and a dream turned a simple cookie into an American Classic.

Neysa McMein Betty Crocker portrait.
The first portrait of Betty Crocker, by Neysa McMein. The portrait is a composite of facial features from the women who worked in the Betty Crocker Home Service Department in 1936. Patricia Anfinson would join the department about a decade later.

Snickerdoodle Recipe History: Patricia’s Story

Patricia Roth Anfinson was born February 23, 1923.  In 1945, the Minnesota native graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor of science degree in Home Economics.  Patโ€™s post-graduation plans included a dietitian internship at Massachusetts General Hospital.  As Patโ€™s son Reed later observed:

โ€œThere were not many young women doing that in the 1940s.  She was very independent.โ€

Before Pat left Minnesota for the internship, a roommate introduced her to Ronald Anfinson, a young man just returned from military service.  According to son Scott, Ronald was immediately enamored.

He took Pat out that very night:

snickerdoodle recipe history
Patricia Roth and Ronald Anfinson on their wedding day, September 8, 1946.

โ€œMy dad had another date that nightโ€”with a homecoming queen candidate, but he broke it and took my mother to the dance.  The other woman was there and came up and slapped my dad.  But he didnโ€™t careโ€”he was smitten.โ€

Pat was smitten too.  But that didnโ€™t stop her from taking the train alone to Boston for her internship.

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Ronald followed her there to propose.  The two were married September 8, 1946.

Majorie Husted
Marjorie Husted, head of the Betty Crocker Homemaking Service Department at Washburn-Crosby (now General Mills).

A Dream Job at Betty Crocker

According to most sources, Patricia began her dream job at Washburn-Crosby Co. (now General Mills) in Minneapolis shortly after her marriage.  It was her brother-in-law, just returned from the Air Force, who insisted that Pat stop by the Washburn-Crosby building one day to inquire about a position.

With her still uniformed brother-in-law leading the way, Patricia found herself meeting face to face with Marjorie Husted, head of the Betty Crocker Homemaking Service Department at Washburn-Crosby.  Hustedโ€™s influence had been critical in developing the fictitious Betty Crocker, who, second to Eleanor Roosevelt, was the most admired woman in the United States.

Betty Crocker Test Kitchen 1935
A Betty Crocker test kitchen in 1935.

Husted kindly dismissed the brother-in-law and looked squarely at Pat:

โ€œAll right, honey.  He got you in the door, and Iโ€™m a sucker for a man in uniform, but now you have two minutes to tell me why I should hire you.โ€

Whatever Pat said clearly impressed Marjorie Husted, for she left the Washburn-Crosby building that day with a new job in the Betty Crocker Homemaking Service.  For Pat, it was a dream come true.

Betty Crocker Home Economists
Note how the bottom right side of the ad reads: “In addition, there are 26 girls in the Home Service Department…” Patricia Anfinson would have been one of those girls.

Snickerdoodle Recipe History: Working at Betty Crocker

As a staff home economics expert, Patโ€™s responsibilities at Betty Crocker included answering baking questions by letter and by phone.  According to Patโ€™s granddaughter Meghan, Pat soon mastered the famous Betty Crocker signature, with which she closed each letter:

โ€œI remember her telling me she had to learn how to sign Betty Crockerโ€™s signature.  I swear she picked it up, because her handwriting looked practically the same!โ€

Betty Crocker Cake Testers
Cake testers at Betty Crocker circa the mid 1940s.

A 1948 photograph in the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune shows Patricia Anfinson during her time at Betty Crocker.  In the photo, Pat answers two phones simultaneously.  According to the article, customers particularly sought Patโ€™s advice about Betty Crocker โ€œwondercakes,โ€ on which sheโ€™d become an expert.

But Patriciaโ€™s most enduring legacy from her years at Betty Crocker was her snickerdoodle cookie recipe.

snickerdoodle recipe history

Pat’s Snickerdoodle Recipe History

The recipe, which originated with Patโ€™s grandmother, was one of her favorites growing up.  As Pat remembered:

โ€œItโ€™s one of my happy childhood memories.  My mother would be baking when we came home from school and we would have snickerdoodles hot out of the oven with a glass of milk.โ€

Patriciaโ€™s goal was to see her family snickerdoodle recipe printed in Betty Crockerโ€™s 1950 picture cook book.  As a woman who, according to her son Reed, โ€œalways wanted to get things done, and get them done now,โ€ Pat applied herself to the goal with drive and determination.

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Patricia Anfinson Snickerdoodle Recipe
Pat’s recipe, printed in Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book.

Patโ€™s hard work payed off: the snickerdoodle recipe made it into the now classic Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book.

Along the way, Patricia became known as โ€œThe Snickerdoodle Lady.โ€

Itโ€™s believed that the first snickerdoodle recipe came to colonial America through German or Dutch immigrants.  But itโ€™s Patricia Roth Anfinsonโ€™s family recipe that brought the modern snickerdoodle to homes across the country.

snickerdoodle recipe history

A Reinassaince Woman

Pat had several careers after her time at Betty Crocker.  In addition to raising six children, she worked as a dietician for various hospitals and nursing homes around Benson, Minnesota.  In 1960, Pat and husband Ronald purchased a local newspaper, the Swift County Monitor-News.

In 1969, Pat began a weekly column for the paper, โ€œSage, Parsley and Thyme,โ€ in which she shared her favorite recipes and wrote about community life.  The column proved so popular, the local grocer called Pat ahead of publication each week to ensure that the ingredients for her upcoming recipe were well stocked.

Between writing two cookbooks and continuing her column for the next 40 years, Patricia somehow managed to get a home cooked dinner and dessert on the table each night.  According to son Scott, Pat:

snickerdoodle recipe history

โ€œalways made a really nice meal, including a homemade dessert, for my dad when he got home.  Presentation was huge to her.  She was a big believer that a meal tasted better if it looked good.โ€

Reminiscent of Patโ€™s days at Betty Crocker, family dinner was regularly interrupted by phone calls from column readers experiencing  โ€œcooking emergencies.โ€  As Scott remembered:

โ€œWeโ€™d be sitting down for dinner and sheโ€™d patiently explain how to do this or that to the person on the phone.โ€

Patricia Anfionson, the Snickerdoodle Lady
Patricia Anfinson, the Snickerdoodle Lady.

The Snickerdoodle Lady

With her 2012 passing, Patricia Roth Anfinson left a rich culinary legacy for her family and friends.

But Patโ€™s influence extends beyond her community: thanks to the drive and determination of one woman with a dream, America gained a classic cookie that continues to delight new generations.

To anyone whoโ€™s enjoyed a snickerdoodle cookie over the years, share Patโ€™s story.  This exceptional woman deserves her due.

Hereโ€™s to Patricia Anfinson, the Snickerdoodle Lady.

snickerdoodle recipe history

A Few Things!

You can find Patโ€™s family snickerdoodle recipe, as it appeared in the 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book [aff. link], here.  You can also find the 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book in my Amazon store.

Where my snickerdoodle recipe most noticeably differs from Patโ€™s is in flour ratio and type.  Iโ€™m a fan of almond flour in my cookies, and my snickerdoodle recipe includes 1 cup of almond flour.  It adds a nice textural note and hint of chewiness to the snickerdoodles.

And donโ€™t skip the cream of tartar!  The cream of tartar in all snickerdoodles acts as a leavener (with the baking soda) and gives the cookies their signature cracked top and slight tanginess.  Without cream of tartar, you donโ€™t have snickerdoodles.

snickerdoodle recipe history


snickerdoodle recipe history
5 from 9 votes

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe & History

Here’s my snickerdoodle recipe and the history of this seminal cookie, made a classic by Patricia Anfinson, The Snickerdoodle Lady.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Refrigerate15 minutes
Total Time43 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the dry ingredients:

  • 2 โ…“ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ยพ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • ยฝ tsp salt

For the wet ingredients:

  • 1 ยฝ cups sugar
  • ยฝ cup butter
  • ยฝ cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla

For the cinnamon sugar rolling mixture:

  • ยผ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Mix the wet ingredients

  • Add the sugar, butter, and shortening to a large mixing bowl. With a handheld or stand mixer, beat until a smooth mixture forms, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Now add the eggs. Beat for an additional 2 minutes, until the eggs are completely incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat for another 30 seconds.

Add the dry ingredients

  • Now add the flour, almond flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Do not to overmix.

Make the cinnamon/sugar mixture

  • In a cereal bowl, mix ยผ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon together.

Roll the cookies

  • Roll the cookie dough into 1 ยฝ – 2 Tbsp sized balls.
  • Roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture, until each ball is completely coated.

Refrigerate the dough balls

  • Set the cookie dough balls on a few plates or a baking sheet, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Put 6-8 dough balls on a standard-sized baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between each dough ball. Flatten each ball slightly with your hand before baking.
  • Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. The cookies will be slightly puffed, look undercooked, and be mostly white with slightly golden edges.

Let the cookies cool

  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 6 minutes. This is an important step. Donโ€™t skip it.

Serve and enjoy!

  • Serve the snickerdoodles alone or with a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe makes 24-26 snickerdoodles.
These snickerdoodles are vegetarian.
These snickerdoodles are inspired by Patricia Anfinson’s recipe in Betty Crocker’s Picture Cookbook (1950).