Lemon Brownies are dessert bars that are dense and moist with a lemony flavor and topped with a simple glaze. If you love lemon desserts, be sure to try my Strawberry Lemon Blondies and Lemon Bars.
Lemon Brownies
Brownies don’t always have to be chocolate. These lemon brownies have the consistency and texture of a fudgy brownie but made with lemon juice and lemon zest! Plus, they are topped with a sweet glaze that pairs perfectly with the lemon flavor.
Ingredients & Substitutions
It’s all about the lemon flavor in these brownies. And, I will let you know how you can add even more lemon flavor to the glaze!
Lemons: I used both lemon juice and the zest of a lemon in the brownies. Make sure you wash the lemon before zesting it. For the lemon juice, you can use fresh lemon juice or storebought juice. You could even add lemon baking chips to the batter if your store carries them.
Eggs: Make sure when adding the eggs make sure that they are at room temperature. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition so it emulsifies with the butter.
Glaze: For the glaze, I went with a vanilla-flavored glaze, mixing confectioners’ sugar with water. However, if you crave more lemon flavor in the dessert, use lemon juice in place of water for the glaze. You can also enjoy the brownies with no glaze at all if you prefer.
Lemon Brownies vs. Lemon Bars
There is a difference between these lemon brownies and lemon bars. Lemon brownies have no base crust and the texture is dense and fudgy (like a traditional chocolate brownie). Plus, there is the optional glaze added on top of the brownies. Lemon bars, on the other hand, have a buttery crust with a lemon filling. Be sure to make both recipes if you are a fan of lemon desserts!
How to Store Lemon Brownies
Store the brownies in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to five days. You could also freeze the brownies for up to three months. When ready to enjoy them, let the bars thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
More Delicious Bars
Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (61 g) lemon juice*
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 ½ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Glaze (Optional)
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or water for less lemon flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9×9-inch pan by lining it with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour). (You could use a 9×13-inch pan for more servings, but the bars will be thinner.)
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Stir well.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition.
- Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture until completely combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until the edges are turning golden brown. (If you are using a 9×13-inch pan, bake for 25-30 minutes.)
- Allow brownies to cool before glazing.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the glaze over the cooled brownies and serve.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Wish these were more lemony. Barely got lemon flavor out of the actual brownie and I added 3Tb instead of just the two. I did use lemon juice in the glaze which helped a lot. If you are looking for more than a hint of lemon flavor, then I highly recommend the lemon in the glaze. I topped the glaze with additional zest as well. Also, mine were more cake-like than fudgey brownie (Followed directions, minus the extra TBS lemon juice, baked for 35 min in a 9×9)
I made these for a friend. Of course I had to sample one before giving them away since it was my first time making them. I was not please with the outcome after completely following the recipe as written except adding extra lemon juice for a lemony taste. They taste too floury and dry. They were not moist at all. Next time I will most definitely try using a mixer to mix all the ingredients instead of just stirring the batter by hand to see if that helps and maybe use less flour. But as of my first try I would not recommend this recipe.
Hi, Martha! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with comments. I am sorry to hear the brownies did not turn out. We have made quite a few batches of these and they are dense and moist (and delicious) every time. Be sure to check your oven temperature as the brownies sound overbaked. Or, you may have overpacked the flour when measuring. I hope this helps, and have a wonderful day!
I just made the lemon brownies, the brownie has a tan color not yellow as shown in picture, wondering why light brown sugar was used and not white sugar, seems to me this would be the reason for the tan colored brownie.
So what’s the “brown” part of this “brownie”?
It’s a vanilla (didn’t see that in the recipe either) glazed lemon cake bar.
Change the name, and don’t name things when you’re drunk! 🙂
I’ve made these twice in quick succession because they are so good! I measured the sugar and flour by weight and wonder if that would help some other people who didn’t care for the results. I love lemon desserts and it was hard for me to resist eating the whole pan at once. The texture and moistness of brownies with the flavor of lemon = perfection!
These lemon brownies are dang awesome! I made them once, everyone tried them…well, I have made them many times since and they get asked for and talked about all the time!! I add extra zest, but I do anyway with anything lemon that I make, and I added a 1/4 tsp of lemon extract. Thank you Amanda!
Do you think that white chocolate chips could be added to the batter?
Would love ur blondie recipe.
Is it the same as this one without the lemon?
Yes, it is the same base recipe! 🙂
I made these today and it was compliments all around. Will definitely be making again!
The vanilla-flavored glaze she mentions she used above in her blog part sounds good. If we DO want the vanilla-flavored glaze, do you recommend 1 tbs vanilla extract or a different amount?