I know, I know,
technically I could get in a lot of trouble (you know, from the food
blogger police) calling these non-brownie treats brownies. But every
once in a while I like to throw caution to the wind — and let
that be today.
These little lemony
brownie bites are so utterly amazing, it won’t really matter
what they are called once you fall in love. The texture is everything
soft and cakey and chewy and a little dense. The real lemon flavor
comes through in the tart and sweet glaze and complements that subtle
lemon brownie layer in magical ways. It really is like a bite of
sweet, fresh, lemony heaven.
Easy and quick to whip
up, you can serve them at room temperature. But if you decide to
chill them first, be prepared to hand them out to neighbors, friends
and strangers immediately or else all self-control may be lost. They
are so good chilled, I want to weep. Consider yourself warned.
I was a little caught
off-guard at how these lovely but simple lemon treats won me over,
but win me over they did. As in, after tasting 12, I hurriedly cut
them into tiny squares, stuffed them in mini muffin tins and sent
them straight in to Brian’s office. And then I missed their
presence so deeply, I went and made another batch. They are
impossible to resist.
Lemonies Yield: Makes 25 small squares
The glaze recipe makes
a very thin, light layer of sweet, lemony glaze on top of the soft,
chewy lemony brownies. If you want more glaze, consider doubling the
recipe (just make sure the glaze doesn't overpower!).
Altogether, you
probably need 2-3 large lemons for the recipe to get the 4
tablespoons juice and 1 tablespoon (plus 1/2 teaspoon) zest.
These bars are
delicious at room temperature, but try them chilled and you may never
go back.
Ingredients
Lemon Batter:
1 cup (5 ounces/142 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (5.5 ounces/155 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze:
3/4 cup (2.75 ounces/75 grams) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line an 8X8-inch aluminum baking pan with parchment so that it hangs
over two of the edges (to lift out the bars later —
alternately, you can just grease the pan really well and slice them
in the pan) and lightly coat the pan and parchment with nonstick
cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together
the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
In a separate bowl or in a large
liquid measuring cup, whisk together the butter, eggs and egg yolk,
lemon juice and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients into the
flour mixture and mix until combined.
Spread the batter evenly in the
prepared pan.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist
crumbs (the top of the bars should spring back lightly when gently
pressed). Don't over-bake or they might be dry.
For the glaze, whisk together the
powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth and
combined.
After the bars have cooled
completely in the pan, drizzle the glaze over the top (since the
glaze layer is thin, it helps to pour it all across the bars instead
of in one puddle before spreading) and use an offset spatula or
knife to spread evenly over the bars.
Place the bars in the refrigerator
for 1-2 hours to let the glaze set before lifting them from the pan
(using the parchment overhang) and cutting into small squares. These
taste best chilled, in my opinion, but can be served at room
temperature also.
Recipe Source: adapted from Bakerella
(cut down the butter, added weight measurements, used an extra egg yolk for super moistness, cut the glaze in half, etc.)
Melanie Gunnell is a food-loving, chocolate-obsessed mom who has a desperate need to share
her favorite tried-and-true recipes with the world. In a past life she graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in public health, but for the past ten years, stay-at-home
motherhood has been her job along with blogging-from-home for the past five.
She resides in the brilliantly cold tundra of Northern Minnesota with her husband and their brood
of five children: four boys and one tiny, bossy girl. Dark chocolate (particularly the act of
shoving chocolate chips in her mouth whilst hiding in the pantry) is her coping skill of choice for
both the never-ending winters and the never-ending wrestling matches in her front room.