Lemon Brownies

Lemon brownies are insanely delicious fudgy lemon bars with a sweet lemon cream cheese glaze. They’re sometimes called lemonies or lemon blondies – but either way they mean delicious. 

These lemon brownies are probably one of the most delicious bar recipes you could imagine. They have a dense, chewy, fudgy texture; a sunshine-y lemon flavor; and deliciously sweet lemon cream cheese glaze. AKA – to die for.

I always think lemon desserts are the perfect thing for spring. Because after a cold and dreary winter – lemon is the kind of bright, sunshine-y, happiness that’s calling my name. And seriously, after taking a look at one of these beauties, I think they’re calling your name too.

Please eat me. – sincerely, lemon brownie

Ok – sorry for being completely nonsensical.

Lemon Brownie Recipe

These lemon brownies are an easy, fudgy, one-bowl kind of deal. (Well, apart from the glaze). We’re adding some melted white chocolate to the batter to make them extra fudgy and dense instead of light and fluffy like cake. Then the delicious lemon flavor comes from both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Here’s the recipe breakdown:

1. Melt together the butter and white chocolate, then give it a whisk until smooth.
2. Mix in the sugar followed by the eggs.
3. Then gently fold in the flour, lemon zest and lemon juice.

The whole things gets poured in your prepared pan, and then we’re ready to bake. The whole thing is mixed by hand, which makes the bars extra dense and fudgy. 

The icing is made with only 3 ingredients and is all kinds of cream cheese lemon deliciousness. It’s sweet, tangy, creamy and the perfect pairing with the lemon flavor of the bars. You could technically leave it out if you choose, but I never say no to a little icing 😉

Now for a couple common questions:

1. Can I use lemon juice from a bottle for this? I don’t recommend it. I find the bottled stuff is way too sour for baking.
2. Can I leave out the white chocolate? The recipe will still work per say – but the bars won’t be as dense and fudgy. If you’re leaving out the white chocolate, I’d add ¼ cup more sugar or remove 1 tbsp of the lemon juice.
3. Can I eat the whole pan? Yes.

Whether you call these bars lemonies, lemon brownies or lemon blondies – they’re seriously delicious thanks to the bright lemon flavor, dense and fudgy texture, and sweet lemon cream cheese glaze. And if you love lemon, then these are definitely for you.

Be sure to check out these other favorite lemon recipes:

• Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote
• Lemon Loaf
• Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

Print Recipe

Lemon Brownies

Lemon brownies are insanely delicious fudgy lemon bars with a sweet lemon cream cheese glazed. They're sometimes called lemonies or lemon blondies - but either way they mean delicious.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 9 squares

Author: Fiona Dowling

Ingredients

Lemon Brownies

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 3 oz white chocolate
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

Lemon Cream Cheese Glazee

• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 - 1.5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Lemon Brownies

• Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper, or line with aluminium foil and lightly grease. 
• Add the butter and white chocolate to a glass bowl and microwave for 30 second increments, stirring between each until melted. 
• Stir in the sugar, followed by the eggs. Make sure that the mixture isn't too hot or else you can scramble the eggs.
• Gently fold in the lemon zest and lemon juice, then fold in the flour. 
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top looks set. 

Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

• Beat together the cream cheese and lemon juice until soft.
• Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until the desired sweetness is reached.
• Ice the cooled lemon brownies, then optionally decorate with lemon slices and lemon zest.