Lemon Brownies

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Lemon lovers, prepare to meet your new favorite treat! These lemon brownies have the chewy, fudgy texture of a brownie, with the bright flavor of lemon. A tart and sweet glaze is the perfect finishing touch!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Cooling Time10

Total Time1 10

Course: Cookies & Bars, Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Rachel Gurk

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, more if needed
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, more if needed (from 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch metal baking pan lightly with nonstick spray. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving wings on the side; spray again with nonstick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. By hand, stir in 2 teaspoons lemon zest and ¼ cup lemon juice (don’t use mixer). Stir well by hand until the batter is smooth and the juice is mostly incorporated.
2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
On top of the wet ingredients, add the flour and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined, but don’t overmix.The batter will be very thick.
2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
Scrape the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out as evenly as possible.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter).
To make glaze: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Mix until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed. Set aside until needed.
1 cup powdered sugar, more if needed, 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, more if needed, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Let brownies cool in the pan for 10 minutes; then lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper handles and set them on the wire rack (you can leave the parchment paper on). Spread the lemon glaze evenly over the top of the warm brownies.
When the brownies have completely cooled and the glaze is set, cut into evenly sized squares.

Notes

Lemons: You'll need 2-3 lemons for this recipe. Make sure to zest them before you cut and juice them.
If you don't have a metal baking pan, a glass baking dish will work. We tested the recipe both ways and found that the brownies baked a little more evenly in a metal pan.
Storage: After the brownies are completely cool, store in an airtight container in a single layer, or with parchment paper or waxed paper between layers, at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week (we found that we actually preferred the brownies refrigerated). You can also freeze lemon brownies for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

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