Do you need to use baking powder or baking soda to make blondies?

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.

Can I make blondies with other citrus like oranges or limes?

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.

Lemon Blondies - The Real Recipes

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

Units Scale

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 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. table salt plus 1 pinch, divided
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (232g/8.2oz)
1 cup powdered sugar (100g/3.5oz), sifted
thinly sliced lemons, for garnish

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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, 1/2 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