This Easy Lemon Pepper Sugar Cookies recipe yields chewy sugar cookies flavored with lemon pepper seasoning and rolled in lemon zest and fresh-cracked pepper. These sweet and savory cookies are sneakily addictive. You'll love the bright lemon flavor, pops of black pepper and chewy classic sugar cookie texture.
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This flavor combo has been on my mind for awhile, but the push to finally develop a recipe came from Selefina. They wanted to feature their lemon pepper seasoning blend, and I offered up the idea of a lemon pepper cookie. Now, if you look closely at the ingredients in the blend, you'll notice there is garlic and onion in it. That is not a mistake. Weirdly enough, these little savory bits actually help round out the overall classic sugar cookie flavor, making for a treat that is not "too sweet".
Even though this is my first foray into lemon pepper, I am no stranger to lemon cookies. One of the most popular cookie recipes on this blog, are my lemon meltaway cookies, but they're cut-out cookies, rather than a drop cookie. If you're looking for another fruity drop cookie, I recommend my mango cookies that boast graham cracker, marshmallow and lime zest.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The texture on these lemony sugar cookies is so good. They're chewy in the middle and have a crunchy sugar exterior.
- The lemon flavor is sturdy throughout, with just pops of black pepper to keep things interesting.
- These are easy to make, and require minimal chilling time.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the dough.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the cookie dough. The dough balls also get coated in more lemony pepper sugar before baking.
- Lemon zest flavors the cookies and the sugary coating. I used seedless lemons in these, but any lemons will do.
- Unsalted butter provides richness to the cookies.
- Egg binds the cookie dough. I use large eggs, which are standard for most U.S. recipes.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile. If using table salt be sure to reduce the amount in half.
- Baking soda and baking powder give the cookies a little lift.
- Lemon pepper seasoning flavors the dough. I used the Selefina lemon pepper seasoning blend by Enroot Kitchen.
- Freshly-cracked pepper flavors the sugary coating. Do not substitute for pre-ground.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here's how to customize these easy lemon pepper sugar cookies to your liking:
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- No lemon pepper seasoning — if you don't have lemon pepper seasoning blend, sub with 1 extra teaspoon of lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon of freshly-cracked black pepper in the dough. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract, if desired.
- What to do with lemon juice — freeze the juice of the zested lemons to use later, or whisk together 2 tablespoons of the fresh lemon juice with 1 cup of powdered sugar to make a quick glaze for the cookies.
- Dairy-free — swap the butter for dairy-free butter.
- Citric acid — if you like a little extra tartness, add a pinch of citric acid to the dough and/or the sugar coating.
- No kosher salt — if you only have table salt, use just ¼ teaspoon.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make easy lemon pepper sugar cookies
Step 1: In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest to express the oils of the zest. Add the room temperature unsalted butter and beat together on medium-high speed (with the stand mixer or with an hand-held electric mixer) for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once, until creamed together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed to combine.
Step 2: In a separate medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt and lemon pepper seasoning). Add this flour mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and mix on low speed just until no dry streaks of flour remain.
Step 3: Scoop out the dough with a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon capacity) onto the prepared cookie sheet or a large plate.
Step 4: In a small mixing bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest to express the oils of the zest. Add the freshly-cracked pepper to the small bowl and toss to combine. Roll the balls in the mixture to coat, adding a little extra on top, if desired. Place the coated dough balls in the refrigerator (covered in plastic wrap) to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chill dough balls on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. My baking sheet fits five at a time. Bake for 11-12 minutes. Do not overbake. If you over bake the cookies, they will be more crispy than chewy. Let sit on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top tips
- Use a medium cookie scoop to yield more cookies.
- Bang the pan on the counter or oven rack when the cookies are done baking for a flatter cookie, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- When a recipe calls for lemon zest and granulated sugar I will almost ALWAYS rub them together to get more lemon flavor. It's the easiest hack to boost lemon flavor.
- I love to toast my whole peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat to make for a stronger pepper flavor before adding them to my pepper grinder.
Recipe FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Yes. You can omit it completely, or substitute it with 1 extra teaspoon of lemon zest and ¼ teaspoon (or more!) of freshly-cracked black pepper in the dough. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of lemon extract, if desired.
Brown sugar will alter the texture of the cookie. I would not recommend swapping brown for white sugar.
No, the egg white is important for the structure of the cookie so I do not recommend omitting it.
I used seedless lemons, but any regular lemons will work here.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Easy Lemon Pepper Sugar Cookies be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Easy Lemon Pepper Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest or the zest of 1 medium lemon
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (113g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (219g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Selefina Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Coating
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest or the zest of 1 medium lemon
- ¼-½ teaspoon Selefina Whole Peppercorn freshly-cracked
Instructions
Do ahead
- The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to bake. The dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Make the dough
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest to express the oils of the zest. Add the unsalted butter and beat together for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl at least once, until creamed together.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt and lemon pepper seasoning. Add this mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop out the dough with a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon capacity) onto the prepared pan or a large plate.
Make the coating
- In a small mixing bowl, rub together the granulated sugar and lemon zest to express the oils of the zest. Add the freshly-cracked pepper and toss to combine.
- Roll the balls in the mixture to coat, adding a little extra on top, if desired.
- Place the coated dough balls in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Bake the cookies
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chill dough balls on the baking sheet. My baking sheet fits five at a time. Bake for 11-12 minutes. Do not overbake. If you over bake the cookies, they will be more crispy than chewy.
- Let sit on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published 05/08/2025.
