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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
I added blueberries to my brownies how would you store them I wrote another comment forgot to ask
Hi Rhonda, I love the idea of adding blueberries ~ I would store them at room temperature, covered with foil.
These lemon brownies was the best will make again hope you got more 8×8 desserts like this yummy
I make these all the time! So easy and sooooo good!!
I willmake many next week for doctors visit with staff of 60, so maybe 5 of 9 x 13 pans as other desserts. Have some gourmet lemon white choclate chips and concerned they will sink. Also just got huge bage of meyer lemons so really excited to use those.
Wow Barb, you’ll be busy!
I haven’t made this yet and I’m in England. When you say granulated sugar in the U.S. is that the same as granulated sugar in U.K.? We also have a finer grade than our granulated called caster – do you too? Just trying to make sure I use the correct sugar. Most cakes in U.K. are made with caster not granulated. It looks like a really nice recipe and I want to do it justice!
Our granulated sugar is a fine white sugar, equivalent to your caster sugar. So you can use that.
Super recipe. I add extra zest and lemon juice. For glaze extra lemon and zest and put on 5 minutes after out of oven. 9×9 pan. Once cooled, set next day I use fancy square cookie cutter to make the trim fancy. They almost look like cookie brownie
My family loves this recipe! I want to make it for a potluck but was wondering how to double the recipe and then how to change baking time? Do you have any suggestions?
You can double the recipe and make in a 9×13 pan, the baking time will be similar, but just a little longer to get done in the middle. Check it on the early end to avoid over baking.
I loved this recipe very much! I used it as my birthday cake and put colorful sprinkles on top. Wish I could share the picture ?
Fun!
We absolutely love these lemon brownies, but the edges and bottom always brown more than I think they should. I bake them in a 9×9 Wilton (not dark) baking pan lined with parchment for 25 min @ 350. Since I’m using the larger of the two pan sizes, do you recommend reducing the temp to 325 or shaving off a couple minutes. Thanks!
Hard to say which solution would work better, You might try laying a loose piece of foil over the top toward the end of baking, or you could try reducing the temp or time. Any of those should make a difference!
This is a fantastic recipe. I’m new to baking (I’m better with savory dishes) and this was a very easy recipe to follow and they turned out delicious. I also have used this recipe and substituted strawberry extract for the lemon juice for pinkies and those were divine. Thanks for posting!