Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I never considered myself much of a baker and given the choice, I always would have chosen cooking an elaborate dinner over baking anything.  I'll admit it, I don't think I was very good at it-like the several times I tried to make snickerdoodles and they were an absolute failure-they'd either be too puffy, too flat and crisp or just plain ugly.  Sure, I had a few good, tried and true recipes that I would make over and over again like my amaretto cake and banana nut cake, but I was never really adventurous.  But...that was the past!  I recently discovered a new love of baking and actually find it fun to do! 

So, when I participated in the most recent Blogger's Choice swap and was given the blog Cookies on Friday, I was really excited!  At the same time, I had no idea where to even begin-everything looked so good!  After awhile, I chose to make these Lemon Crinkle Cookies. 

These cookies might just be the best cookie I ever ate.  And that is coming from a girl who usually heads right for the chocolate desserts!  After I got over how perfect my cookies came out (I promise it's not hard at all-just roll them in a ball and they spread perfectly on their own), I started to really enjoy the flavor and texture. These cookies are slightly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and have just the right amount of lemon.  The turbinado sugar coating on the outside adds a really nice touch of sweet crunchiness on the outside. 

I ended up bookmarking a ton of recipes, so I'm sure I'll be posting quite a few more from Cookies on Friday real soon!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

½ cups butter, softened

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

⅛ teaspoon baking soda

½ cups turbinado sugar or sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment), cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda on low until just combined.

Pour turbinado or sanding sugar into a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown. Allow cookies to cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.