Simple, bright and tangy lemon blondies are a mashup of soft lemon cookies and sweet, chewy brownies. If you love the fresh flavor of lemon and the decadent texture of brownies, you need to try this one-bowl blondie recipe.
One of my all-time favorite fragrances is fresh lemon zest mashed into granulated sugar. There's something so clean, fresh and bright about this combination that I find myself quite literally invigorated by the combination. Perhaps that's why I love making these lemon blondies. And I love that they use just a handful of pantry staples and ingredients you can easily find in a grocery store, all simply stirred together in one bowl for a quick and flavorful dessert.
Lemon blondies taste like springtime, but they are perfect all year. Like other fruit-based desserts, like our Roasted Strawberries and Cream Popsicles or Mini Rustic Peach Custard Pies, there is something about fruit that makes desserts fresh, light and rejuvenating. These lemon brownies may just take the cake (pardon the pun) when it comes to a light and fresh dessert.
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Ingredients that Matter
You only need a handful of basic pantry ingredients for this lemon brownies recipe. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe:
- Lemons. Use a couple fresh lemons, preferably organic as the zest is a major component of the blondies. Skip the bottled lemon juice.
- All-Purpose Flour. Use regular unbleached all-purpose flour when making these blondies. If you'd prefer, you can make this recipe using half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar provides the sweetness and texture that make these lemon blondies so perfect. Skip brown sugar or other strongly flavored sugars since we want lemon to be the primary flavoring.
- Eggs. A couple eggs, preferably room temperature, bind the mixture together and provide a strong, chewy texture.
- Butter. One stick of melted unsalted butter provides the rich fat we need in these brownies. You could use an equal amount of vegetable oil or melted coconut oil if you'd like to make this recipe dairy free.
- Vanilla. While lemon is the primary flavor of this dessert, a splash of vanilla in the blondies and in the icing provides a great balance.
- Salt. In almost all cases, a pinch of salt helps round out of the flavor in desserts. Use regular table salt.
- Powdered Sugar. The icing is made simply with powdered sugar and lemon juice.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Tangy Lemon Blondies
This recipe is incredibly simply, don't let all the photos below intimidate you! Seriously, it's as simple as mixing all the ingredients together then baking. But follow along to learn some important steps to ensure these blondies turn out bright, tangy and delicious:
- Start by preheating the oven to 350F and lining a 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Place sugar in a large mixing bowl and use a microplane to grate the zest from two lemons into the sugar (be careful not to grate too much of the bitter white pith).
- Use a fork or your fingers to work the lemon zest into the sugar. It should become incredibly fragrant as the essential oils from the lemon zest are incorporated into the sugar.
- Add in the vanilla extract, table salt and melted butter and stir to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. You can use a whisk or a fork for this step.
- Slowly add the flour and stir to combine. Be sure to scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl to ensure the flour is well incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
- While the blondies bake, make the lemon icing by stirring together the powdered sugar with vanilla extract and lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice until the mixture is slightly thick but spoonable.
- When the blondies are done baking, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove the blondies (along with the parchment paper) to a cutting board and continue cooling to room temperature, another 20-30 minutes. Then spoon on the lemon icing and smooth to a thin layer. Continue to cool until the icing sets, another 15-20 minutes.
- Cut the blondies into 2-inch square pieces.
- Serve immediately or garnish with thin slices of lemon.
Substitutions
There are a few options for making this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free. Here are some suggested substitutions for these blondies:
- Gluten-Free - You can make this recipe gluten-free by using a one-to-one gluten-free flour mixture. All the other ingredients in this recipe are gluten-free.
- Dairy-Free - Make this recipe dairy-free by swapping out the butter for a vegetable oil melted (and cooled) coconut oil. The blondies will have more of a cakey texture.
- Eggs - If you'd prefer not to use eggs, you can make flaxseed or chia eggs by stirring together ¼ cup each of ground flaxseeds (or chia seed) and water. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes before stirring into the batter.
What's the Difference Between Blondies and Brownies
Brownies and blondies have just about everything in common, other than one important difference, the color. As the names imply, brownies are typically brown and blondies are typically lighter in color. Brownies are made with chocolate and often a lighter color sugar like granulate sugar while blondies get their color from using brown sugar and typically no chocolate. However, for this recipe I like to use granulated sugar so the molasses flavor in brown sugar doesn't interfere with the lemon.
Both brownies and blondies are a bar dessert, meaning they are baked in a single layer in a baking pan then cut into squares or rectangles. Their texture is similar, but brownies are often more fudgy while blondies are more cakey. But, texture, shape and even (most) flavoring aside, the biggest difference is brownies have chocolate while blondies do not.
Equipment
For this recipe you'll need an 8-inch square baking dish like this Ultra Cuisine Nonstick Square Cake Pan or a ceramic baking dish. And while you can simply stir the batter together with a fork or whisk, you could also use an electric handheld mixer or even a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Storage
You can store leftover lemon blondies in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can even freeze these lemon bars by transferring them to a freezer-safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Adam's Pro Tip
Why should you use fresh lemons for this recipe? I am not entirely opposed to jarred store bought lemon juice for certain recipes, especially big batch cocktails. But when it comes to a recipe that is all about lemon flavor, you really need to use fresh lemons. The zest from lemons, in particular, is packed with essential oils the have a distinct floral lemon flavor without the typical acidity of the juice. This essential oil gives the batter a strong, recognizable lemon flavor that you just can't get with jarred lemon juice or even lemon oil.
FAQ
You can certainly use either baking powder or baking soda when making blondies or brownies, but the resulting texture will be much more like a cake rather than a chewy, fudgy bar. For this lemon blondie recipe you can skip any baking powder or soda.
Of course! Try making this same recipe (including the same ratio) with lime zest and juice instead of the lemons. Since orange juice is naturally quite sweet compared to lemon and lime, you may want to reduce the sugar by a couple tablespoons.
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Recipe
Lemon Blondies
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 24 blondies 1x
Description
Simple, bright and tangy lemon blondies are a mashup of soft lemon cookies and sweet, chewy brownies. If you love the fresh flavor of lemon and the decadent texture of brownies, you need to try this one-bowl blondie recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar (215/7.6oz)
- Zest of 2 lemons (zest on a microplane)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, plus 2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract, divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp. table salt plus 1 pinch, divided
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (232g/8.2oz)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (100g/3.5oz), sifted
- thinly sliced lemons, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some of the paper to come out of the pan to create a sling.
- Place sugar in a large mixing bowl and add lemon zest. Mix together using a fork or your fingers until very fragrant and well combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and the melted butter and stir well until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and stirring after each addition, and sprinkle in the salt. Mix well to combine.
- Slowly add the flour, stirring after each addition, and stir with a whisk or fork until well combined. Scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl until no streaks of flour remain.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake in the oven until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, making the icing by stirring together the powdered sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon and pinch of salt. Stir well to combine and ensure there are no lumps. Add additional lemon juice to thin out the mixture so it is thick but a bit runny and spoonable.
- Transfer the lemon blondies to a wire rack to cool. Use the parchment paper as a sling to pull it out of the pan. All it to cool in the parchment for easy cleanup after icing. Cool to room temperature, 20-30 minutes. Then spread on the lemon vanilla icing and using an offset spatula to create an even layer of icing. Cut into 16 2-inch squares and top with thin slices of lemon, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze lemon blondies in an freezer safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use a one to one gluten-free flour substitute.
- You can also swap in vegetable oil or melted and cooled coconut oil for the butter if you want to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Do not skip using fresh lemons: you want the essential oils from lemon zest to permeate into the sugar.
- Be sure the icing cools on the blondies before slicing if you want a clean cut.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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