These incredible lemon brownies or lemon blondies are made with fresh lemon juice and zest, and topped with a lemon glaze.
They have a moist and chewy texture, similar to traditional brownies, but with the refreshing taste of lemons.
These zesty treats combine the bright taste of fresh lemon with the rich sweetness of a brownie, creating a unique and mouthwatering dessert experience.
With their soft and chewy texture, these brownies are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings while providing a burst of citrusy goodness in every bite.
Whether enjoyed as a standalone treat or paired with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, lemon brownies are a delightful indulgence that is perfect for any occasion.
For more lemon desserts, check out my lemon tiramisu, lemon meringue cheesecake, and lemon crinkle cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Lemon Flavor- these brownies have a delicious lemon flavor from the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon glaze on top!
- Texture- even though these are not your regular chocolate brownies, these have a texture exactly like a perfect brownie with a fudgy center and crinkly and crunchy top.
- Lemon icing- for more lemon flavor, these brownies are topped with a delicious 2 ingredient lemon glaze made with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar.
- One bowl brownies- these brownies come together in just one bowl as well as the glaze! So there are minimal dishes to wash.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious brownies.
White chocolate- this recipe uses white chocolate. Use the best quality white chocolate for the best results.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, the most common sugar in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Salt– We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the brownies a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Vegetable oil- we made these with vegetable oil, but you can use canola oil or melted coconut oil as well!
Lemon zest- you will need 2 tablespoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Vanilla extract– Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for brownies.
Eggs– To give the brownies a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
For the glaze
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar to sprinkle over the pastry. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Milk- use your favorite type of unflavored milk for this.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 baking pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and the white chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a bain Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and mix until well combined.
Add the flour and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Don't overmix!
Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 inch square baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tops of the brownies are crinkly and a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out with some moist crumbs.
Let the brownies cool for 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart.
Make an easy lemon glaze. In a small mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk, and mix until well combined. If the glaze is too thick, add an additional drop or two of milk.
If your glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until you get the right texture.
Top the cooled brownies with the glaze and spread it evenly with a spoon or an offset spatula. Slice, and serve!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. Zesting and juicing fresh lemons will give your brownies a bright, citrusy taste that you just can't achieve with bottled lemon juice.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let the brownies cool for at least an hour so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! To have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit. Brownies continue cooking in the cooling process.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
Faq's
You sure can! If you double this recipe, I recommend baking them in a 9 by 13 baking pan.
Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour percentage while cakey brownies have more flour in them. To have more fudgy brownies, I usually add an extra egg yolk and add less flour.
It can be pretty hard to know when your brownies are done baking, but we have a few tricks to figure that out.
If the brownies have a shiny and crinkly top, they should be ready. When you insert a toothpick into the brownies and the toothpick is covered with wet batter, let it bake for a few more minutes and check again to get the perfect brownie.
Storing
Store these brownies at room temperature for up to 2 days, then in the fridge for an additional 3 days, for a total of 5 days. Cover them with plastic wrap or foil to prevent them from drying out.
Freezing
To freeze brownies, you will need to wrap them in plastic wrap or foil and seal them in an airtight container or an airtight resealable bag. You can freeze brownies for up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter, and make sure you use dairy-free white chocolate.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Citrus- if you don't like lemon, or don't have it available, use other citrus like orange, lime, or even grapefruit!
Fruit- add fresh or dried fruit! We like adding strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries!
Cream cheese frosting- instead of drizzling the brownies with a lemon glaze, top these with a thick and luscious cream cheese frosting. Use the recipe from my carrot cake loaf recipe.
Cream cheese center- make the brownie batter as written. Make an easy 3-ingredient cream cheese filling: mix 8 oz of cream cheese with ¼ cup of sugar with 1 egg in a small mixing bowl until well combined.
Pour ⅔ of the brownie batter into the baking pan and top it with the cream cheese mixture. Top the cream cheese filling with the rest of the brownie batter, swirl it slightly with a butter knife or a toothpick, and bake.
Chocolate chips- add chocolate chips to the brownie batter for an extra chocolate flavor! You can add white chocolate chips or your favorite kind of chocolate chips!
White chocolate drizzle- melt white chocolate and drizzle it on top of the brownies instead of the cream cheese glaze.
White chocolate chunks- add white chocolate chunks from your favorite bar of white chocolate.
Serving tips
Toppings- I topped these brownies with an easy lemon glaze, but you can top them with powdered sugar.
Whipped cream- top each slice of brownies with a dollop of whipped cream.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this cake.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together.
- Brownie pan
- Rubber spatula
More brownie recipes
White chocolate brownies- These white chocolate brownies are made with white chocolate and are fudgy, and filled with white chocolate flavor.
Peanut Butter Brownies- These fudgy, and moist chocolate peanut butter brownies are stuffed with a thick layer of creamy peanut butter in every bite!
Small Batch Brownies- These easy and simple small batch brownies come together in one bowl, and make fudgy and moist brownies with a crinkle top!
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Glazed Lemon Brownies | Lemon Blondies
Ingredients
- 5.3 oz Butter
- 7.05 oz White chocolate
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 2 cups Flour
Lemon glaze
- 1 cup Powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon Milk
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 baking pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and the white chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a bain Marie. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely.
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. Don't overmix!
- Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined 9 by 9 inch square baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tops of the brownies are crinkly and a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out with some moist crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool for 1 hour before slicing, so they won't crumble and fall apart.
- Make an easy lemon glaze. In a small mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and milk, and mix until well combined. If the glaze is too thick, add an additional drop or two of milk.
- If your glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until you get the right texture.
- Top the cooled brownies with the glaze and spread it evenly with a spoon or an offset spatula. Slice, and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist brownies and not dense and dry brownies.
- Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. Zesting and juicing fresh lemons will give your brownies a bright, citrusy taste that you just can't achieve with bottled lemon juice.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat brownies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let the brownies cool for at least an hour so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
- Don’t overbake your brownies! To have super moist brownies, we like to underbake the brownies a little bit. Brownies continue cooking in the cooling process.
- Ensure you line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
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