This is my favorite Lemon Brownie recipe to date. These beauties are buttery and fudgy with a burst of vibrant lemon flavor from fresh lemon zest and crisp lemon icing. They’re such a cheerful, delicious dessert, which is perfect for picnics or teatime.
Did you know that Lemon Brownies have been around for at least 20 years? There have been plenty of online disagreements about what to call them. Blondies? Lemon Bars? Lemonies? I chose to call mine Lemon Brownies because they contain white chocolate, which helps to give them the fudgy texture of a traditional chocolate brownie, not a flat, dense cake bar. They’re technically not blondies either because they don’t contain brown sugar. Whatever you choose to call them, they’re a delightful treat for anyone who loves lemons.
Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
Lemon Brownies
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, finely chopped or 1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (150g) fine granulated sugar* Not powdered sugar
- Zest of 2 large lemons or 3 medium-sized lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all purpose flour, sifted
Lemon Icing
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) lemon juice
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
Lemon Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (165ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan** with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
- Place the butter in a heat-safe bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. When the butter is melted, turn off the heat and add the white chocolate. Let stand for 3-4 minutes, then stir gently until smooth and melted. (Alternately you can melt the butter in the microwave.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, eggs, egg yolk, lemon juice, oil, salt and vanilla until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is creamy and well blended. Stir in the melted butter and white chocolate mixture until well combined. Stir in the flour just until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the baking pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs on it (not wet batter), about 18-23 minutes. Be careful not to over bake your brownies, as this will dry them out. Let the brownies cool in the pan.
Lemon Icing
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon (15ml) of lemon juice. Add more lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle or spread over the cooled brownies.