These easy lemon blondies or lemon brownies have the texture of a brownie but the flavor of a lemon bar and a lemon cookie mashed up together. They are so easy to throw together, taste incredible, and will brighten up any dessert table!
If you love lemon, you will absolutely adore these Chilled Lemon Bar Cookies – Crumbl Copycat Recipe, Chick-Fil-A Frosted Lemonade Copycat Recipe, CRUMBL lemon poppy seed cookies with lemon curd filling, and even The Best Moist Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake.
This is the best lemon blondies or lemon brownie recipe EVER!
I took a break from cookies for a few days but instead made these lemon blondie bars because my sister loves anything lemon.
They are super soft and fudgy but instead of having chocolate in everybite, you’ll get this insanely fresh kick of lemon both in the blondie layer as well as in the glaze layer.
Why do you need to make this recipe!
- These lemon brownies are super fresh, moist, and taste like spring and summer.
- They are extremely easy to make, just mix, bake, glaze, and enjoy.
- No need for multiple bowls, this recipe is a one-bowl blondie recipe!
- These lemon blondies store very well and can be made ahead of time too.
- This lemon dessert is perfect to take with you to BBQs, picnics, or even birthday parties, everyone will love them!
They will quickly become your favorite lemon dessert!
Ingredients for this lemon brownie recipe.
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.
- Butter- You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Granulated & Powdered sugar – This recipe uses a mixture of sugars to get the bar texture to be just right. Make sure to use powdered sugar that doesn’t have corn starch to avoid that bad aftertaste.
- Eggs– The eggs are the binding agent of this recipe.
- Vanilla extract– The vanilla extract adds an extra depth of flavor to these blondies.
- Lemon extract– Adding lemon extract allows us to increase the lemon flavors in our bars.
- Lemon juice & Lemon zest– The lemon juice and lemon zest will both be added to the brownie layer to kick up the lemon flavor up a notch.
- Flour– Use AP flour for this recipe.
- Salt– Always add a little salt to your baked goods to balance out the sweetness of your recipe.
Why is there no baking soda or baking powder in these lemon blondies?
This recipe doesn’t use any leavening agents because we want our bars to be extra moist, thick, and fudgy. If you’re more of a cakey brownie/blondie type of person you can add ¼ teaspoon of baking powder.
How to make lemon blondies at home?
This is how you can make these blondies at home. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!
- Whisk the melted butter and sugars together.
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
- Sift in the flour and salt and mix to combine.
- Pour in an 8×8 baking pan and bake.
- Let the bars cool down completely before topping them with the glaze.
- Set your lemon brownies aside so that the glaze can fully set before slicing into them and enjoying.
Frequently asked questions – FAQ
How to store lemon brownies?
These lemon brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also keep them in the fridge for a bit longer.
Freezing instructions
To freeze these, wrap the whole thing before slicing in plastic wrap then place it in an airtight plastic container and freeze for up to 2 months.
If at all possible, don’t glaze these lemon blondies until you thaw them so that the glaze doesn’t get too wet when the bars are thawing. If you can’t do that, it’s all good the brownies will still taste super good but the glaze might be more on the wet side.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours.
Can I double this lemon blondies recipe?
Yes! All you have to do is hit the x2 in the recipe card to get the right measurements and bake it in a 9×13′ pan! Just know that you will have to bake these blondies for a tad bit longer.
Can these be made gluten-free?
Yes! You can use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour or even King Arthur flour 1:1 GF flour.
Can these lemon brownies be made ahead of time?
Yes! Bake them, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Once you’re ready to serve them, top them with the glaze, let it set, slice, and serve.
Can these citrus brownies be made with orange or lime instead of lemon?
Absolutely! You can play around with your favorite citrus fruit and create your perfect dessert. It might be a bit harder to find extracts and flavorings of other citrus fruits but nothing you can’t find online!
Lemon blondies recipe
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Fudgy lemon blondies- Lemon brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter salted or unsalted, melted and cooled down
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 cup AP flour sifted, for gluten-free read the notes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the lemon glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar Without corn starch preferably to avoid that weird aftertaste.
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, then line an 8×8 baking pan with parchement paper and set aside.
- In a medium/large bowl whisk the cooled down melted butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together.
- Add in the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and lemon extract, and mix to combine.
- Gently fold in the flour and salt until the flour mixture disappears. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread the lemon blondie batter evenly, and bake for 16-17 minutes. The blondies won't look golden brown.
- Let the lemon blondies cool down fully before topping it with the glaze
Make the lmon glaze
- In a small/medium bowl whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a thick pourable glaze forms.
- Pour the glaze on top of the cooled-down blondies, spread it all over the top, and let it set and harden before slicing it into your lemon dessert!
Notes
How to store lemon brownies?
These lemon brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also keep them in the fridge for a bit longer.Glaze tip
Use powdered sugar that doesn’t have any cornstarch in it to avoid that weird aftertaste. Gluten free option? If you want to make these lemon brownies gluten-free, use King Arthur flour 1:1 GF flour or Bobs’ Red Mill 1:1 GF flour!Nutrition
Thank you for making it all the way down here 🙂
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Andre
I made the first batch excellent!! Searching in the cabinet for a spice stumble across citrus acid (😋fatboy ⏲️) few days later made second batch. I use a teaspoon and got a sour (not too sour ) lemon taste. I love it
Chahinez
Glad you liked the recipe!
Melia
Made these yesterday and they were a hit! I was wondering if you have tried swapping the citrus to orange? Thought about making one batch of lemon/one batch of orange next time.
Chahinez
I have not but that would be delicious!
Elizabeth Sterling
Just made these the best recipe by far! Love everything Chahinez has on her website! 💜💜💜💜
Miko
I went all out on lemon recipes and these were the best! I tweaked my oven to about 340° and 8 minutes instead of 11 because I have a very small oven. They turned out perfect.
Chahinez
I am so glad to hear they turned out well Miko!
Keely
These turned out so amazing. One thing I would note is definitely follow the bake time. I left mine in 5 minutes longer because they were so shiny/wet looking and ended up over baking them. If you follow the time they are so fudgy! Definitely will make again.
Chahinez
Thank you for trying out the recipe!
Andrea
Not sure what went wrong but mine came out dense and eggy. I used only two eggs as the recipe states but I could literally taste the egg in it. So odd.
Ashley McVeigh
Just made these and they look great – I’m just wondering if I should glaze before them while they’re in the baking pan or if it’s better to take them out first?
Thank you!
Chahinez
Put the glaze on them while they’re still in the baking pan so the glaze can fully set before you slice into them. Enjoy!
JVoBakes
These turned out amazing! The recipe is so easy to follow. Instead of the glaze, I topped mine with some fresh strawberry buttercream I had on hand. They were a hit! I wouldn’t change anything about the recipe.
Just a baking tip: The center still looked uncooked (very wet/shiny) at 16 minutes so I let it bake for another few minutes. The center still looked the same, so I poked it and the stick came out clean. Mine ended up being slightly over done, but still tasted good. Next time, I’ll check it at 15 minutes.
Chahinez
So glad to hear you enjoyed this!
Maria
Excited to try these! Would love to deliver to friends. Does anyone know if the glaze hardens enough to stack? Thanks in advance 🙂
Chahinez
It’s a little bit in between. To make a glaze that would harden enough for you to stack I would recommend adding 1-3 extra TBSP powdered sugar. Start with 1 and add more if needed, you are looking for a pretty thick glaze.
Joyce Toquero
They looked so delicious and I want to make them soon but can I freeze them? If so, before glazing or after glazing.
Thank you
Chahinez
You can freeze them after the glaze to make it easier. Just make sure to allow it to set before.
Teresa
I want to make a half-sheet-pan. Would 3Xs the recipe be enough?
Teresa
4Xs worked perfectly ❤
Alex S
Phenomenal.
Chahinez
Thanks!
Rebecca
Hi can I make this recipe with an alternative to the eggs as I’m allergic? Thank you 😊
Chahinez
I have unfortunately never tried it with egg alternatives so I can’t guarantee tat you will get te same results.
Alexia
Great recipe with very easy to follow instructions! I added some cinnamon to the glaze to spice it up a bit and it was a success, my whole family loved it🦋
Chahinez
This sounds delicious Alexia!
Urich
Is there a way to make this vegan?
Chahinez
Unfortunately, I have never tried this vegan
dnugz
I’m vegan and just tired making them with a vegan butter and 1 JustEgg and 1 Bob’s Red Bill egg replacer and they were amazing. They had more rise to them then the pictures in the post so I’m going to keep experimenting with egg replacers to get the optimal result.
Chahinez
That’s awesome!
Susan
Hopefully I’m not commenting twice. I made them today and came out awesome. Only change I made was to substitute the granulated sugar for monk fruit sugar substitute. The lemon extract helps enhance the lemony flavor without making it taste artificial. I’m definitely adding this to my personal cookbook to make again. It’s the perfect lemony treat.
Chahinez
Ohh that sounds delicious Susan. Glad to hear it turned out well!
Carly
Delicious! I used all fresh lemon juice, no extract but they were amazing
Chahinez
Glad to hear you enjoyed these Carly!
Emily
I adore this recipe, these lemon brownies are so good and just the right texture. I made them with Trader Joe’s gluten free flour and they came out a little thin and crumbly, but incredible flavor and they were gone in an instant.
Brittany
These are so easy and so good! We could not stay away. Perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. Great recipe!
Chahinez
Thank you so much!