Chewy Lemon Blondies
Lemon blondies are chewy on the edges and soft in the center with a crackly top similar to brownies. The fresh lemon flavor adds a lot of brightness and a sweet-tart flavor that screams spring. This insanely delicious dessert is dairy free and can easily be made gluten free.
Looking for more sweet lemon recipes? Try my dairy free lemon bars, chewy lemon blueberry cookies, or raspberry lemon loaf.
Ingredient Notes
- Organic cane sugar
- Lemon zest
- Melted dairy free butter
- Large eggs – use room temperature so they mix easier with the melted butter. One whole egg and one yolk.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder – Using a small amount makes them not too dense.
- Pinch of salt – to balance out the sweetness.
- Lemon glaze – powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
How to Make: Step By Step:
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Infuse zest into sugar. In a medium bowl, combine the cane sugar and lemon zest. Massage the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant.
- Add wet ingredients. Add melted butter, egg, egg yolk, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract to the lemon sugar. Whisk well to combine.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Pour wet into dry. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, making sure not to over mix.
- Bake. Pour the lemon batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until the edges are lightly golden brown.
- Cool and glaze. Once cooled, add the lemon glaze before cutting into squares.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this lemon brownie recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- Not dairy free? – use unsalted butter.
- Make gluten-free lemon blondies – use a gluten-free all purpose flour that has xanthan gum for the best results. I love Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour.
- Add-ins – use 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract for an extra lemony flavor, but they really don’t need it.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t over bake the blondies. Remove them from the oven when they’re still a little soft in the middle. Otherwise, they will be too dry. They’ll continue to cook as they cool.
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Measure the flour with the spoon and level method to ensure you don’t end up with too much flour. Too much flour will result in dense, dry blondies.
- The batter will be thick and it may not look like there’s going to be enough, but you must spread it out into an even layer. An offset spatula works great for this.
Storage
Store brownies in an airtight container or plastic bag on the counter for up to 1 week. If you don’t think you’ll eat them in that time, you can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
More Lemon Desserts
Did you try this lemon blondies recipe? If so, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Chewy Lemon Blondies
Lemon blondies are chewy on the edges and soft in the center with a crackly top similar to brownies. The fresh lemon flavor adds a lot of brightness and a sweet-tart flavor that screams spring. This insanely delicious dessert is dairy free and can easily be made gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- ½ cup dairy free butter or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled use GF if needed, see notes below
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of kosher salt
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Infuse zest into sugar. In a medium bowl, combine cane sugar and lemon zest. Massage the zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant.
- Add wet ingredients. Add melted butter, egg, egg yolk, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract to the lemon sugar. Whisk well to combine.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Pour wet into dry. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, making sure not to over mix.
- Bake. Pour the lemon blondie batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading it into an even layer. Bake for 25-27 minutes (checking after 25 minutes). The edges and top should be light golden brown and crinkly, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few wet crumbs (slightly undercooked, but not wet batter). It'll continue to cook as it cools.
- Make glaze. In a small bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Cool and glaze. Once cool, poor the lemon glaze on top. Once set, use a sharp knife to cut the lemon blondies into squares. Enjoy!
Notes
Gluten free flour: use a gluten-free all purpose flour that has xanthan gum for the best results. I love Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure GF Flour.
See the blog post for helpful tips, substitutions & variations, and storage.