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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
If using lime juice and zest or orange juice and zest, will the quantities be the same as the lemon juice and zest in the recipe?
Yes, but with orange juice the brownies will be quite sweet, without that tang that lemons and limes have..
Thank you so much. I made the lemon brownies and they were divine.
Amazing!!!
So easy and taste like a slice (or pan) of heaven!
Thanks so much for sharing with us!
Would you know these are done by inserting a toothpick in the center? I’m not quite sure how to tell when they are done and I don’t want to overcook them? Thank you
A toothpick should come out without wet batter on it, and the center should look set ~ not sunken or jiggly.
I have been waiting to make things for 2 months. I don’t know why it took me so long. When I bake I love the nuttiness of whole wheat flour so I literally went 50-50 with it. I also am obsessed with flowers with my citrus. Happened to have rose petals on hand so they are going to be lemon Rose brownies and the batter is so good I licked the bowl myself!
I’m looking to make these this week. Is the lemon glaze on the lemon brownies too much lemon? Wondering if making the glaze with water/half and half mixture would work. Thoughts?
I’ll chime in and say that the lemon glaze is needed for that punch of lemon flavor, Christy. The brownies themselves have a milder lemon flavor.
I really loved this recipe! Easy to follow and they are so tasty!!!
Thanks for sharing!
If we double the recipe for a 9×13 pan, how long would we bake? I know it would be longer, but how much? Google has not given me a good answer to this question.
You can check them at 30 minutes.
Hi can you freeze these after baking?
Yes, they’ll freeze nicely. I would glaze them after thawing, though, for best results.
I love anything Lemon and can’t wait to try them. I was wondering if you can use Almond flour for this recipe. I have some Family members that are on Keto diet.
I haven’t tried that Joyce but you should be able to use it. Be aware that the texture will be quite delicate.
Do you know if a brownie bite pan would work for making these? If so, would I modify the bake time? TIA!
Yes, it should, but I don’t own one of those pans and haven’t worked with one before. I’d check on them after 12 minutes.