Lemony Lemon Blondies
These Lemon blondies with lemon glaze are packed with big, bold lemon flavor. With just 7 simple ingredients, you can bake these up easily. They make the perfect spring or summer dessert.
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, you get more tasty recipes every week!
Lemon is one of my favorite spring flavors. And, these lemon brownies with lemon glaze are a double dose of that sweet and tangy citrus flavor.
The tangy citrus flavor of lemons mixes so well with the sweetness of sugar – as seen in similar recipes like this lemon blueberry cake and this lemon meringue pie. The lemon flavor is bright, refreshing, and delicious.
These lemon brownies are fast and easy to make – and can be made ahead. This makes them the perfect treat for spring celebrations, summer picnics, and BBQs.
What Makes Lemon Blondies So Great?
- Double Lemon Flavor. These lemon blondies are topped with an additional lemon glaze to double down on that sweet, citrus zing.
- Make Ahead or Store for Later. You can make them a few days in advance, or freeze them for later.
- Easy Recipe. With only 7 ingredients, this recipe is super easy to make. There’s no complicated techniques, just mix your batter and bake.
Are These Brownies or Blondies?
This recipe could be called a brownie or a blondie since these delicious lemon bars have some characteristics of each.
Typically, a brownie is made with cocoa and/or chocolate while a blondie is not (and therefore has a light or yellow color). However, another difference between the two is that brownies tend to be thicker while blondies tend to be lighter.
This recipe is a light, yellow color and not made with chocolate – leading it to fall into the blondie bucket. However, the texture of these bars is thicker and chewier like brownies – leading it to fall into the brownie bucket in that regard.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour
- Butter – should be at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar – provides a sweetness to balance out the tart citrus flavor.
- Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed is best.
- Lemon Zest
- Baking powder – helps the brownies to rise creating a soft, chewy texture.
- Eggs – should be at room temperature.
Ingredients for Lemon Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed is best.
- Lemon Zest
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations
- Use Cake Flour – you can substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour if desired. This will lead to a lighter textured bar due to lower protein content in the cake flour.
- Try Different Citrus – switch up the citrus flavor by trying out lime (or key lime), orange, or even grapefruit in place of the lemon.
- Make Them Gluten-Free – To make these lemony lemon brownies gluten-free, just use a good 1:1 gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
Step By Step Instructions
Step one: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the 8″ X 8″ pan with parchment paper.
Step two: Use a hand mixer to melt the butter until it is creamy. Then, pour in sugar and cream it together with the butter until it is well combined, soft, and fluffy.
Step three: Add in the eggs one at a time, beating them until well mixed before adding the next egg.
Step four: Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest until thoroughly combined.
Step five: Place a sieve over the top of the mixing bowl. Then, add baking powder and flour by filtering them through the sieve into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
Step six: Use a spoon to combine the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly.
Step seven: Pour the brownie batter into the parchment-lined pan, making sure that it is spread in an even layer.
Step eight: Bake at 350°F for 22 – 25 minutes or until edges are lightly brown and the center is just set.
Step nine: While brownies are cooling make the lemon icing. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a small bowl and stir until well combined.
Step ten: Once brownies are completely cooled, pour the lemon glaze over them, let it harden, and then slice and serve.
Tips
- Spoon and Level Flour. Measure your flour by spooning and leveling it. This ensures that you are adding the correct amount. To do this, simply spoon the ingredients into the measuring cup and then use a knife to scrape off the top so that it’s level with the top of the measuring cup.
- Room Temperature Eggs & Butter. Using room temperature eggs and butter allows them to better mix in with the other ingredients. Butter is usually room temperature when you can press a finger into it and it will keep a slight indentation.
- Correct Thickness for Lemon Glaze. The lemon glaze should pour slowly, if it is too runny add another dash of powdered sugar. If it is too thick, add a little dash of lemon juice.
- Cakey vs Fudgey. For fudgy brownies, stick closer to 22 minutes for brownies. For cakey brownies, closer to 25 – 28 minutes should give you the desired texture.
Storage and Freezing
You can store any leftover lemon brownies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Or, you can keep them for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you want to store them for longer, they can be frozen. This is best done without adding the lemon glaze first. Allow them to cool, wrap them in plastic wrap, and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Defrost on the counter or in the refrigerator.
More Lemon Desserts:
- Lemony Blueberry Keto Cake
- Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Lemony Lemon Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 2-3 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8’’x 8’’ baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place butter in a medium-sized bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Then add the sugar and beat for a couple of minutes until soft and fluffy.
- Add one egg at a time, beating each egg until well combined. Add the lemon juice and beat until combined.
- Stir in the lemon zest.
- Place a large sieve over the top of the mixing bowl and add the flour and baking powder. Use a spoon to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients below. Remove the sieve and mix the wet and dry ingredients together with a spoon.
- Pour your brownie batter into the prepared baking dish, and use the back of the spatula to spread it evenly into the edges and flat across the top.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are brownish and the center is set. For fudgy brownies, your baking time will be closer to 22 minutes. For cakier brownies, 25 to 28 minutes will be ideal.
- Once out of the oven, let them cool to room temperature. Slice the unglazed brownies into 12 squares.
- Make the glaze by adding the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest to a small bowl and mixing well to ensure there are no lumps.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled lemon brownies and use a spatula to spread evenly over the top. Let the glaze set for a few minutes and serve!
Nutrition
Notes
- Make them gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour with a good 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Swap the lemon juice and zest for your favourite citrus. Try orange, lime or ruby red grapefruit
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Wondering what happened to the recipe for the glaze? Recipe talks about it, but there isn’t any quantity info.
Thanks.
Hi Beth, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have just updated the entire post with new photos and made sure to correct this error.