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“This recipe has never failed me! I’ve made it 4 or 5 times now and each time it’s come out perfect. This will definitely be a long time favorite!” ~Sam
Lemon brownies are a brilliant mashup between chocolate brownies and tangy lemon bars. These moist citrusy triple lemon bars are a wonderful spring treat!
why do I call these lemon brownies?
Naming recipes is an art, not a science. Sometimes you go with what best evokes the ‘personality’ of a food, rather than limit yourself to the technicalities. These lemon bars live and breathe in the brownie world: they’re moist, dense, and fudgy, just like brownies, so why fight it? And lemon brings a whole new dimension to what we know as brownies, so everybody wins. Especially us taste testers 🙂
gather your ingredients
- fresh lemons for the juice and zest ~ don’t be tempted to use bottled lemon juice, it’s not the same, and you’ll need fresh lemons for the zest, anyway.
- butter ~ softened
- sugar ~ granulated
- eggs ~ room temperature
- all purpose flour ~ cake flour will also work
- salt
- confectioner’s sugar ~ for the glaze
how to make lemon brownies:
- Spray and line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan and line with foil or parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Stir in the lemon zest and juice.
- Fold in the flour and salt.
- Spread in a baking pan and bake.
- Cool and then slather with glaze.
LEMON BROWNIE FAQS
can I double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, that will work fine. The baking time will be a little longer.
can these be made gluten free?
Yes, I always recommend using a reputable gf baking mix, from Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour, for instance.
can I use cake flour?
Yes, cake flour will give them a more delicate texture.
why is there no baking powder in these brownies?
Brownies don’t use rising agents because they are supposed to be dense and moist. If you add baking powder these lemon brownies would have a more ‘cakey’ texture.
can I use lime juice and zest or orange juice and orange zest?
Yes, that should be delicious!
do these lemon brownies need to be refrigerated?
No, I leave them out on the counter, but you can refrigerate them if you like.
can you make lemon brownies ahead?
If you need to make these ahead, I suggest baking the brownies, cooling them completely, then wrapping in plastic and refrigerating for up to 2 days. Then glaze the day you want to serve.
can lemon brownies be frozen?
Yes, but I suggest freezing the cooled brownies before glazing, then glaze the defrosted brownies the day you want to serve them. Wrap the completely cooled brownies (don’t slice first) in plastic, then in heavy duty foil. They’ll keep for up to 2 months.
more recipes that scratch the lemon itch
Lemon Brownies
Equipment
- 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch baking pan Note: the 9×9 inch pan will yield slightly thinner brownies.)
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, ideally at room temperature
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
glaze
- 1 1/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
- 2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray or butter your 8×8 9r 9×9 baking pan. I like to line it with parchment paper so I can remove the brownies easily for glazing and slicing, but that's optional.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Blend in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Note: the batter may look curdled at this point, but no worries, that's normal and it will resolve itself when you blend in the flour.
- Stir in the salt, and then fold in the flour, stirring just until everything is well incorporated, but don't over mix.
- Spread into your prepared pan, evening out the surface with an offset spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or just until set in center. Note: Try not to over bake these, you want that fudgy texture! The surface will not be a 'springy' as a cake is when these brownies are done.
- Let the pan cool for about 20 minutes before lifting the brownies out using the parchment paper 'sling' to finish cooling on a rack. If you didn't use parchment, let the brownies cool in the pan on a rack.
- Mix the sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thick but pourable glaze. Spread over the top of the completely cooled brownies. Top with a little lemon zest if you like. Let the glaze harden before slicing.
Nutrition
Thank you for a delicious recipe. I reduced the sugar to just over 100g and it tasted great.
Wished I read Sues remarks on pan size. I made them in 9×9 and found them too thin BUT it’s very tasty. Will make again in smaller pan.
I’ll make that note more prominent in the post, I think these are best in an 8×8 pan.
The print recipe function is not working :-((
I check on it now Jean, it’s working for me. In the meantime, here’s a link: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/wprm_print/119683/
I baked these today in a 9×9 pan and they ended up being 1/2 inch thick. Next time I’ll use an 8×8 pan. They are very good!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
I LOVE lemon-based desserts.
Personally, I would have called them Lemon Blondies, since Blondies are non-brown brownies; but whatever you call them, they are heavenly.
THANK YOU!
I made these today but when adding lemon juice to butter sugar mixture, it curdled. Once I added flour it was ok but you might want to include in recipe that adding an acid to butter causes yhe curdled appearance.
Yes, curdling is pretty common in cake recipes, but, as you say, once you add the flour it disappears.
My husband just loves lemon desserts. So when I saw this, I knew it had to be made. They were such a hit that I tryed making them as edibles for a very dear friend. Oh man, I could not have made a better choice! She also loves them and they really help her with her pain.
Thank you for enabling me to make so many people in my life happy, with these awesome and wonderful recipes. .
Awwww, thanks 🙂
Hello, I just made these and wondering how thick the finished lemon brownies should be. The photo on the page looks like their about 1 inch. Mine are about 1/2 inch.
About an inch is what I get Kenneth. Could be a slight difference in pan size?
These lemon brownies are delicious! My husband really liked them too. I will be making these again. I baked them for 27 minutes, but I may add a couple of extra minutes next time.
These are delicious and even better the next day! Yum..