Red Velvet Crinkles

Plan on making these ahead of time (before actually baking them) because the dough works better when it's chilled.

In a large mixing bowl, combine & blend together thoroughly:

3/4 cup soft butter
1-1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tblsp. buttermilk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
4 tsp. red food coloring

Once the above ingredients are mixed well, stir in:

1/3 c. powdered (unsweetened) cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2-7/8 C. flour

Stir in 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips.

Chill dough for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.  When ready to bake, heat oven to 350º and line some baking sheets with parchment.  Fill a small bowl with a cup of powdered sugar.

Roll dough into balls (just under 1" rd) and then roll into powdered sugar, coating them completely.  Place on baking sheets leaving an inch between cookies.

Bake 12-14 minutes until done (making sure they aren't still too damp in the center, but making sure you don't OVERbake them and dry them out).  Remove sheets and cool cookies completely.